World Travel Awards 2026: What Vietnam's 45 Wins Mean

World Travel Awards (WTA) titles are a marketing asset, not an inspector’s verdict, and the 2026 results show how sticky they are. Vietnam won 45 Asia-level titles, and 33 of them went to the same winner as in 2025. For hotel owners and marketers, the useful questions are what a WTA title measures, how hard it is to break in, and how it compares with inspected benchmarks such as the MICHELIN Key.

The titles were presented at the WTA Asia, Oceania & Indian Ocean Gala Ceremony in the Maldives on 27 September 2026, according to the official winners list. Hotels, resorts and villas took 19 of the 45. Vietnam was named Asia’s Leading Destination for the sixth year running. The same ceremony also handed out 41 country-level “Vietnam’s Leading” titles, which are listed separately below.

Takeaways

• Repeat winners dominate: 33 of the 45 titles and 15 of the 19 hotel titles went to the 2025 winner.
• Four hotel titles went to new winners: Nha Trang Marriott, Salinda, Mövenpick Phan Thiet and Hoi An Memories.
• Sun Group claims 12 of the 45 titles, including six hotel and resort titles.
• Only four of the 17 hotels with Asia titles also hold a MICHELIN Key.

Key facts

• Asia-level titles won by Vietnam: 45, down from 48 in 2025 (our count of WTA’s lists)
• Of which hotels, resorts and villas: 19, shared by 17 properties
• Sun Group: claims 12 of the Asia titles for its businesses and properties
• Phu Quoc: 6 of the 19 hotel titles, more than any other destination
• Country-level “Vietnam’s Leading” titles: 41
• Asia’s Leading Destination: Vietnam, six years in a row (2021 to 2026) and eight times since 2018
• Longest run: InterContinental Danang Sun Peninsula Resort, Asia’s Leading Luxury Resort every year from 2014 to 2026

Vietnam’s Asia-level wins at a glance

Takeaway: hotels, resorts and villas won 19 of Vietnam’s 45 Asia titles, more than any other group.

Takeaway: Phu Quoc won six of the 19 hotel and resort titles, twice as many as Da Nang.

2026 vs 2025

Titles lost (11): Boutique Resort (La Veranda), City Destination (Hanoi), Coastal City Break Destination (Vung Tau, a category not awarded in 2026), Cultural City Destination (Hoi An), Entertainment Resort (Hoi An Memories), Family Villa Resort (Premier Village Danang), Green Resort (Panhou Retreat), Regional Airline (Bamboo Airways), Regional Cultural Destination (Dong Van), Most Romantic Resort (Six Senses Ninh Van Bay) and Seaplane Operator (Hai Au Aviation).

Titles gained (8): Beach Resort, Boutique Beach Resort, Cruise Port, Domestic Airport Lounge, Airline – Premium Economy Class, and three categories new in 2026: Cable Car, Cultural Resort and Tourism Development Project.

Takeaway: Vietnam’s total fell by three, but the core of hotel winners barely changed.

Long winning runs

Several Vietnamese winners have held the same Asia title for years. The table uses WTA’s winners lists for each year from 2014 to 2026.

Takeaway: InterContinental Danang Sun Peninsula has won Asia’s Leading Luxury Resort 13 years in a row, the longest run among Vietnam’s winners.

All 45 Asia-level titles won by Vietnam

Hotels, resorts and villas (19)

Aviation and transport (9)

Destinations and nature (8)

Tourism companies and bodies (5)

Attractions and developments (4)

Country-level titles: Vietnam’s Leading 2026

These 41 titles were presented at the same ceremony and are judged within Vietnam only.

What it means for hotel owners and marketers

1. Know what a WTA title measures

WTA shortlists include the previous year’s winner and two runners-up, plus vetted entries. Winners are chosen by online vote among travel professionals and consumers, and WTA says verified professionals’ votes count double (How it works). That makes a title a measure of reach and campaigning as well as quality. It is not an anonymous inspection. Only four of the 17 hotels with Asia-level titles also hold a MICHELIN Key: Capella Hanoi, Banyan Tree Lăng Cô, Six Senses Con Dao and InterContinental Danang Sun Peninsula. Our view: use a WTA title in sales and marketing, but do not treat it as a quality benchmark for asset reviews.

2. Incumbents usually keep their titles

33 of the 45 Asia titles and 15 of the 19 hotel titles went to the same winner as in 2025. That fits a system where last year’s winner is automatically shortlisted. For an incumbent, a title is cheap to defend. For a challenger, the realistic route is a category with no strong holder, or a new category.

3. Newcomers did break through

Four hotel titles changed hands or were new. Nha Trang Marriott won Beach Resort and Salinda won Boutique Beach Resort, both taking titles that went to properties outside Vietnam in 2025. Mövenpick Phan Thiet took Themed Resort from Mercure Danang French Village Bana Hills. Hoi An Memories won Cultural Resort, a category first awarded in 2026. Vietnam also lost 11 titles it held in 2025, including Six Senses Ninh Van Bay’s Most Romantic Resort. Titles are not permanent.

4. One group dominates the results

Sun Group says its businesses and properties won 12 of the Asia titles, including six of the 19 hotel and resort titles. Three of Phu Quoc’s six hotel titles went to properties on Sun Group’s list. For independents and other groups, that concentration is the context for any WTA campaign. We have not seen evidence that WTA titles change rate or occupancy, and WTA publishes none.

FAQ

How many World Travel Awards did Vietnam win in 2026?

45 Asia-level titles at the Asia, Oceania & Indian Ocean ceremony on 27 September 2026, down from 48 in 2025. It also won 41 country-level “Vietnam’s Leading” titles.

Can a hotel enter the World Travel Awards?

WTA says shortlists are drawn from the previous year’s winner and two runners-up, plus vetted entries and WTA commendations. See WTA’s How it works page for the current entry process.

Do World Travel Awards titles lift rate or occupancy?

We have seen no published data that shows they do. Treat a title as a marketing and sales asset.

How is a WTA title different from a MICHELIN Key?

WTA winners are chosen by vote, with professionals’ votes counted double. MICHELIN Keys are given by anonymous inspectors. Only four of Vietnam’s 17 Asia-level WTA hotel winners also hold a Key.

Which Vietnamese hotel has won the most years in a row?

InterContinental Danang Sun Peninsula Resort, named Asia’s Leading Luxury Resort every year from 2014 to 2026.

Which hotel won Vietnam’s Leading Hotel 2026?

Park Hyatt Saigon.

Sources and method

• 2026 winners: World Travel Awards, Asia winners 2026. We counted every Asia-level title won by a Vietnamese entry or a Vietnam-based company, and every “Vietnam’s Leading” title on that page.
• 2025 comparison: World Travel Awards, Asia winners 2025, counted the same way. The repeat, lost and gained figures are our own comparison of the two lists.
• Winning runs: WTA’s Asia winners pages for 2014 to 2026, checked year by year. Winner names are given as WTA lists them.
• Sun Group’s tally: Sun Group, 28 September 2026. The 12 are Sun Group’s claim. They include its own corporate titles, Sun World Ba Na Hills and its cable car, Van Don International Airport, Halong International Cruise Port and six hotel titles.
• MICHELIN Key overlap: MICHELIN Guide 2026 Vietnam Key selection. See our MICHELIN Key analysis.
• Voting method: WTA, How it works.
• Grouping: the five groups are our own. The Luxury Hotel Villa title (Bai Bac Bay Villa) is counted as an InterContinental Danang Sun Peninsula property. ASIA DMC is counted as Vietnamese because it is a Hanoi-based company.
• Press coverage: VnExpress International and PR Newswire.

Data checked on 4 October 2026.