The city's origin can be traced back to a Celtic village and a Roman settlement. During the Middle Ages, it was attacked repeatedly by the Vikings. It remained a small settlement until the 15th Century when it was first mentioned in written documents. Francis Drake raided it twice, in 1585 and 1589, and a Turkish fleet attacked it shortly afterwards. To protect the population from further attacks, the city walls were built in 1656, under Felipe IV. Part of them have been preserved.

Vigo was the site of a famous naval battle on the 23rd of October, 1702, during the War of the Spanish Succession, between an Anglo-Dutch fleet under Admiral George Rooke, and a Franco-Spanish fleet under Admiral Francois Louis Rousselet and Admiral Manuel de Velasco. Reooke set out to capture a treasure fleet that had arrived from Havana in late September, and faced the Franco-Spanish ships that protected it. Rooke was victorius and took away a 14,000 pound worth of silver, but it is believed that a much greater amount had been unloaded before the battle. The story still inspires treasure hunters who believe that part of the treasure may still be lying at the bottom of Vigo Bay.

Vigo was one of the last Spanish cities to be incorporated in the Napoleonic Empire in the early 19th Century, and the first city of Galicia to be freed from the French. The date of March 28 has since been celebrated as Reconquista (reconquest). The 19th and the 20th Centuries were marked by rapid growth, making Vigo the leading industrial area in Galicia. The largest enterprise is PSA Peugeot Citroen, producing close to half a million vehicles a year, mostly for export. The world's largest fishing company, Pescanova, is based in Vigo. The city is expected to house the headquarters of the European Fisheries Agency. Vigo also has a university which is a branch of the University of Santiago de Compostella.  It is strong in the technical field (mining, telecommunications and engineering), but it also offers good courses in translation and oceanography.