Ho Chi Minh City is ready to become a "healing destination"

Experts say that Ho Chi Minh City can completely become a "healing destination" and reliable health care.

Seminar scene

On August 31, Ho Chi Minh City Women 's Newspaper organized a seminar on "Formation and development of medical and health tourism in Ho Chi Minh City".

In her opening speech, Ms. Ly Viet Trung, Editor-in-Chief of Ho Chi Minh City Women 's Newspaper, said that Ho Chi Minh City is not only a dynamic economic center but also a convergence of the country's medical quintessence, with a team of good doctors, modern facilities, and a combination of advanced and traditional medicine.

This is an opportunity for Ho Chi Minh City to exploit its strengths and create a distinct tourism brand.

Ms. Ly Viet Trung spoke at the seminar on August 31.

“We expect that from this forum, specialized products will be formed: travel itineraries associated with health screening and specialized treatment; at the same time, developing types of healing tourism, physical and mental recovery, helping tourists regain balance after life's pressures,” Ms. Ly Viet Trung emphasized.

Ho Chi Minh City currently has 162 hospitals and nearly 10,000 private clinics. Many hospitals are highly rated in the fields of reproductive health care, in vitro fertilization, traditional medicine, beauty services... with reasonable and competitive costs.

However, each year the city only welcomes about half a million international visitors and overseas Vietnamese coming for medical examination and treatment, a modest number compared to its potential.

International visitors experience health check-up services in Ho Chi Minh City

Experts point out that the reasons why medical tourism has not yet developed are due to unsynchronized infrastructure, lack of skilled and foreign-language human resources, inadequacies in international payments, and loose connection between tourism and healthcare.

Some tourism businesses have proposed separate mechanisms and policies for medical tourism, encouraging cooperation with travel businesses and applying reasonable discount policies to form special tours and routes to bring customers to experience medical services in Ho Chi Minh City.

According to information from the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Tourism, in the first 8 months of 2025, Ho Chi Minh City welcomed 5.2 million international visitors, an increase of nearly 50% over the same period in 2024.

Meanwhile, domestic tourists to Ho Chi Minh City reached more than 25 million, an increase of 7.5% over the same period in 2024.

Total tourism revenue in the first 8 months of 2025 is estimated at VND 161,887 billion, up 31.2% over the same period.

According to Mr. Le Truong Hien Hoa, Deputy Director of the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Tourism, the city is implementing a “Medical Tourism Development Project”, targeting specific products in areas of strength such as dentistry, aesthetics, and specialized health care. The Department also encourages the health sector to boldly engage in public-private partnerships, daring to “step out of the comfort zone” to more closely connect with tourism.

Mr. Le Truong Hien Hoa spoke at the seminar

To attract customers, according to Mr. Le Truong Hien Hoa, medical tourism products need to come from practical needs, learn from successful models in Thailand, Germany, etc., and overcome limitations in human resources, especially foreign languages. He believes that students and AI technology can completely support service improvement.

In addition, visa policies need to be more open to increase attractiveness. “The most important thing is to build products based on quality and reputation, not just competing on low prices,” Mr. Le Truong Hien Hoa emphasized.

THI HONG

Source: https://www.sggp.org.vn/tphcm-san-sang-tro-thanh-diem-den-chua-lanh-post811091.html