China’s Tourism Explodes in 2025: 100% More Visitors, and Here’s Why

If you’ve been following travel trends this year, you might have noticed something interesting: social media feeds are filling up with foreigners riding Chinese high-speed trains, walking through ancient towns, and paying for everything with their phones—in China.

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China Focus · Jiangqin Huang Dec 10, 2025

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China’s Tourism Explodes in 2025: 100% More Visitors, and Here’s Why

China Focus · Jiangqin Huang Dec 10, 2025

China’s Tourism Explodes in 2025: 100% More Visitors, and Here’s Why

If you’ve been following travel trends this year, you might have noticed something interesting: social media feeds are filling up with foreigners riding Chinese high-speed trains, walking through ancient towns, and paying for everything with their phones—in China.

According to data from the Chinese online travel platform Ctrip, inbound tourism to China surged by over 100% in 2025 compared to last year. And it’s not just about more arrivals—spending is up sharply, with U.S. tourist expenditure growing 50% and French visitors’ spending jumping an astonishing 160%.

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If China is full of the smartest people, why is the US so much more advanced?

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Alexander Risøy · World traveler. 1y

I suggest you visit China. It reversed my preconception. I am from Norway, North Europe. A rather modern and advanced society.

On my first visit to the US over 20 years ago, I was surprised at how backward and old fashioned it was. Movies had let me to believe it was the epitome of modern society. I visited several states on the East/South-East. Very backwards digitally. Terrible infrastructure. Unwalkable. Dirty. Hard to find quality restaurants outside of big cities. Dead city centres in medium sized cities.

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Vietnam’s High-Speed Rail Trap: How the Hunter Became the Hunted

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China Focus · Carrie Zhao Dec 30, 2025

Recently, Vietnam’s high-speed rail project has turned into quite a comedy of errors. Vietnam tried to replicate China’s classic “two peaches kill three warriors” strategy to pit countries against each other and drive down prices. Instead of trapping China, they ended up ensnaring themselves, with Germany’s Siemens unexpectedly winning the bid in a bewildering turn of events.

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Why did China try to prevent Vietnam from rescuing Cambodia out of genocide in 1979 by invading Vietnam

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Silk Road · PolymathDec 26

QUORA

*There was no rescue, this was a loss of face.

The Khmer Rouge were monsters, but they were China’s monsters.

Pol Pot was useful, kept Vietnam busy and the Soviets out. When the Vietnamese army marched into Phnom Penh to stop the killing-they humiliated Deng Xiaoping.

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Why is Vietnam still a poor country despite all the resources it had?

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Neel Patel · Lives in Vietnam7y

Because Vietnam had possibly the worst possible set of circumstances post WWII of any country in the entire world. First, the French did not immediately give it independence the way the British did with India. Instead Vietnam had to fight a war against France, which later turned into a war against the US. In the process millions died and millions more left, often the educated and businessman Vietnamese who were important to the economy. A lot of the country was devastated. Then after Vietnam finally gained its independence completely in the 1970’s (way later than countries like Indonesia, India, Philippines, etc), it had to fight wars with Cambodia and China.

All along western sanctions were still imposed until the 90’s. Diplomatic relations with the US were not re-established until the 90’s. The economy in the 70’s and 80’s did not do well because it was closed off from the rest of the world and heavily socialist and dependent on the USSR. Finally around 1986 the government at least reformed the economy to be more free market. Since that time Vietnam has grown fast. It is now a stable country with one of the fastest growing economies in the world.

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Vietnam claims the Paracel islands from China, why doesn’t Cambodia claim Kampuchea Krom, Kon Tral and Koh Tralach islands from Vietnam?

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Lucia Millar · Quran user at Quora (company) (2020–present)4y

Question: Vietnam claims the Paracel islands from China, why doesn’t Cambodia claim Kampuchea Krom, Kon Tral, and Koh Tralach islands from Vietnam?

Answer: Both cases are very different.

Kampuchea Krom/Southern Vietnam, Kon Tra/Phu Quoc islands/ Koh Tralach/Con Dao

Cambodia has recognized the sovereignty of Vietnam over the Kampuchea Krom/Southern Vietnam, Kon Tra/Phu Quoc islands/ Koh Tralach/Con Dao.

Cambodia, Vietnam ratify border work

[1]

Vietnam and Cambodia have signed the border agreement in which Kampuchea Krom/Southern Vietnam, Kon Tra/Phu Quoc islands/ Koh Tralach/Con Dao are the Vietnamese sovereignty territories. There is no dispute with these Vietnamese territories, Therefore, Cambodia could not claim it.

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Why is Vietnam so lucky to get Chinese culture? Why can’t the Philippines have Chinese and Japanese culture too? Why didn’t China invade the Philippines?

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Anh Lam · Knows Vietnamese3y

It’s not correct to say that Vietnam has Chinese culture. This is downplaying the unique development of Vietnamese culture.

Vietnamese culture is Chinese-like to untrained foreign eyes (like Korean/Japanese) but once you are familiar, you can see the unique styles to Vietnam, for example the curved roofs of Vietnamese traditional architecture.

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Will Vietnam economy pass Thailand in the next 15 years?

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Arkaneh Urairat · Have just returned to Thailand: 8-year-ago 3y

Will Vietnam economy pass Thailand in the next 15 years?

15 years- so near and yet so far, isn’t it? But some say 20–30 years.

Let’s get real.

Yesterday, all Thai TV viewers were made to see a piece of the news —how Vietnam’s VinFast the first lot of EV vehicles were made to line up waiting for docking on board to ship to the US… the sight that raises everyone’s eye brows.

However, it’s no surprise with Vietnam is one of the few countries to record positive economic growth during the pandemic

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Why does Vietnam have such a low obesity rate compared to other Southeast Asian countries despite global fast food chains being present there?

Anh Lam · Knows Vietnamese Dec 10

Why does Vietnam have such a low obesity rate compared to other Southeast Asian countries despite global fast food chains being present there?

Consumer preference. Vietnamese culinary preferences differ significantly from those of other countries in the region.

During my travel throughout Southeast Asia, I’ve noticed this:

In Vietnam, we prefer dishes that highlight the freshness of ingredients, allowing us to savour their natural flavours.

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Are the Vietnamese people basically from China?

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Tuan Vu · B.A. in International Relations, Ho Chi Minh City University of Social Sciences and HumanitiesUpdated 7y

Are the Vietnamese people basically from China?

The term Vietnamese understood as “descendants from Vietnam” and Chinese as “citizens of China”, or people who pratice Han Chinese culture are not the same.

Now drink a sip of coffee, fasten your seatbelt and prepare for the ride.

I’m kidding. Prepare to read my story.

To cut it short, my answer is NO. Vietnamese do not descend from China.

The terms China as well as Vietnam as countries didn’t exist until recent centuries. Our dynasties, and civilizations, however date back thousands of years ago.

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Why is East Asia (China, Japan, Korea, Vietnam) so much more developed than South Asia (India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal, Sri Lanka)? Is it because the governments there are efficient or the people are hard-working?

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CaiLei · Lives in China (1975–present) Updated 1y

Why is East Asia (China, Japan, Korea, Vietnam) so much more developed than South Asia (India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal, Sri Lanka)? Is it because the governments there are efficient or the people are hard-working?

It is supposed that different cultures lead to different results.

China, Japan, South Korea and Vietnam belong to the Sinosphere cultural circle and are influenced by Confucian culture; India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal, Sri Lanka belong to the Indosphere and are influenced by Hindu culture.

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Do the Vietnamese think their country is in Northeast Asia (East Asia) and not Southeast Asia?

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Lucia Millar, Lives in Asia 3y

Question: Do the Vietnamese think their country is in Northeast Asia (East Asia) and not Southeast Asia?

Answer: The majority of the Vietnamese know their country has frequently joined the Southeast Asian game “Seagame”. Recently, Vietnam become a host of the 31st Seagame in Hanoi City.

Vietnam’s supporters in the Hanoi Seagame 31

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Are Vietnamese considered East or Southeast Asians?

QUORA

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Bintar Mupiza · 

Studied at Universitas Islam Indonesia7y

>Are Vietnamese considered East or Southeast Asians?

Geographically yes it is in Southeast Asia but culturally not Southeast Asians. Why? It’s not like other southeast Asian who have strong Indian influences. Vietnamese culture is close to Chinese and other East Asians furthermore they have just ruled their southeast asia’s territory in the past 200 years after defeated Cham. Meanwhile others (Southeast Asians) have been settled for thousands year and create distinct culture in this region apart from South Asia and East Asia.

Burmese (Myanmar), Indonesians, Malaysians, Bruneians, Thais, Cambodians, Laotians are Indianized countries who shared similarities. Take a look on their traditional clothes and lets compare to this Vietnamese

Vietnam

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Both Vietnam and China were similarly poor in 1980’s. How did China improve so much faster than Vietnam, as of 2020? Why is the gap between Vietnam and China even widening?

QUORA

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Huijian Wu · 

CTO (2005–present)4y

Both Vietnam and China were similarly poor in 1980’s. How did China improve so much faster than Vietnam, as of 2020? Why is the gap between Vietnam and China even widening

1. In 1980, China was poor but had been building for 30 years, from 1950-1980, while Vietnam was at war all this time.

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