Ho Chi Minh City tourism shifts to accelerated state, leading new development corridor

In the context of Ho Chi Minh City officially operating a two-level government, the city's tourism industry is shifting from the recovery phase to accelerated development. Along with that, localities and the tourism and travel business community are proactively repositioning products, expanding geographical corridors to promote regional connectivity, sustainable development, and focusing on people and tourists.

Central Post Office , a unique architectural work in the center of Ho Chi Minh City. Photo: Hong Dat/VNA

Diversify products into new geographic areas

According to the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Tourism , the State management of tourism appraisal and licensing is being implemented to expand the scope of attracting tourists in the new context. There are currently 3,146 tourist accommodation establishments in the area, of which 134 hotels have been ranked from 1 to 5 stars; the total number of licensed tour guides is 9,237 (including 5,789 international tour guides, 3,372 domestic tour guides and 76 on-site tour guides). In addition, there are 1,709 businesses qualified to operate tourism, of which 1,223 are international travel businesses, 391 are domestic travel businesses, 76 travel agencies and 19 foreign representative offices.

In the first 6 months of 2025, Ho Chi Minh City welcomed over 3.85 million international visitors, an increase of 44% over the same period in 2024, reaching 45.4% of the annual plan. Domestic tourists reached over 18.3 million, an increase of 7% over the same period and reaching 40.7% of the 2025 plan. Total revenue from tourism in the area reached VND 117,937 billion, an increase of 27.3% over the same period last year, equivalent to 45.4% of the annual target.

Director of Ho Chi Minh City Department of Tourism Nguyen Thi Anh Hoa informed that up to now, the city is not only a prominent destination for urban, MICE, cultural - culinary tourism, but also possesses the potential to develop sea tourism, high-end resorts, spiritual tourism (in the old Ba Ria - Vung Tau area), as well as industrial, craft village, and ecological tourism (old Binh Duong area). These advantages are contributing to enriching the city's tourism products, opening up opportunities to build linked tours with unique experiences in the Southeast region.

"In the new context, the Ho Chi Minh City tourism industry has identified the top priority task as perfecting the organizational structure, integrating data systems, and creating convenience for businesses and tourists. At the same time, researching and developing new tourism products, aiming to reposition the city's tourism brand," Ms. Nguyen Thi Anh Hoa emphasized.

Many experts say that the city currently has advantages in expanding destinations as well as favorable infrastructure conditions. For example, when the first phase of Long Thanh International Airport comes into operation, passenger transport time will be shortened, helping international tourists directly access coastal resorts and ecological destinations without having to go through the city center. Strategic expressways such as Ho Chi Minh City - Thu Dau Mot - Chon Thanh, Ho Chi Minh City - Long Thanh - Dau Giay, Ben Luc - Long Thanh, etc. will create conditions for the tourism and travel business community to expand tours and build new products to serve domestic and foreign tourists.

Leading the international market, activating a series of unique summer experiences

Ho Chi Minh City has many unique tourism products to attract domestic and foreign tourists. Illustration photo: Hoang Tuyet/Tin Tuc Newspaper

According to an analysis report by the Agoda travel platform, Ho Chi Minh City is the top choice for Chinese tourists and is among the top 5 favorite destinations for Korean tourists. The combination of traditional and modern culture, along with the advantage of a large urban area, has helped the city maintain its position on the international tourism map.

A recent market survey report by Savills Vietnam shows that global tourism continues to recover strongly as the travel demand of people around the world increases. Vietnam's tourism industry has also recorded a positive recovery, which is considered to be the result of many factors such as visa relaxation policies, effective marketing strategies from local authorities and proactive businesses. International tourists are returning to familiar destinations in Vietnam thanks to increasingly improved infrastructure, accommodation facilities and direct flight networks. This is considered an important turning point, reflecting the increasing competitiveness of Vietnam tourism on the international tourism map, including Ho Chi Minh City.

From a business perspective, Ms. Tran Thi Bao Thu, Marketing and Communications Director of Vietluxtour Travel Joint Stock Company, said that the company has adjusted its business plan since the beginning of the third quarter of 2025 to exploit new markets. In the coming time, Vietluxtour will launch a new set of Vietnam tourism products, both unique in terms of routes and reflecting cultural and historical imprints in the new era of development. The company expects that with its quick adaptation to changes in two-level government, administrative geography and market orientation, it will achieve a growth rate of revenue and number of visitors in the last two quarters of 2025 of about 30% compared to the same period last year.

Accompanying the business community, the Ho Chi Minh City tourism industry has officially launched a series of activities to stimulate demand and introduce new tourism products, clearly demonstrating the development orientation associated with local culture and the application of creative technology. In particular, visitors to the City will experience the summer culinary tour series "Find your flavor - Journey to discover the culinary identity of Saigon - Ho Chi Minh City", the multi-sensory art program "Shining Essence" to honor the 50 years of culture of the City.

Dr. Duong Duc Minh, Deputy Director of the Ho Chi Minh City Institute for Economic and Tourism Development Research, said that the city converges many layers of experience - from smart urban areas, industry to culture - spirituality, islands and ecology. With abundant potential, the city has many opportunities to develop new tourism products, short-term tours associated with modern transportation and infrastructure systems.

Dr. Duong Duc Minh also proposed to study and build a model of a three-layered tourism route, including: Cultural - heritage layer; Creative - cultural industry layer; and Ecological - island resort layer. The city can also learn from the experiences of metropolitan models around the world, not following the closed "point - route - tour" path but aiming for an open integrated model, in which areas do not compete but support and resonate to develop together...

Source: https://ttbc-hcm.gov.vn/du-lich-tp-ho-chi-minh-chuyen-trang-thai-tang-toc-dan-dat-hanh-lang-phat-trien-moi-1019110.html