According to the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Tourism, following the recent expansion of its management scope, the city now boasts 681 resources qualified to be developed into tourist destinations. These sites span a wide range of spaces—from urban areas and craft villages to industrial zones, riversides, and coastal islands.

In the urban core, architectural heritage, modern museums, traditional markets, street food, creative hubs, and cultural festivals stand out as distinctive highlights. These serve as the foundation for developing diverse tourism products, including MICE tourism, city tours, cultural experiences, and night-time tourism.

Importantly, Ho Chi Minh City’s tourism map has been significantly broadened beyond well-known landmarks such as Notre Dame Cathedral, Independence Palace, and Ben Thanh Market. It now encompasses emerging destinations such as Long Hai Beach, Dinh Mountain, Dau Tieng Lake, and the Binh Duong ceramic craft village. This expansion provides visitors with more diverse choices—from leisure and nature exploration to cultural immersion in traditional crafts.

On August 27, Ms. Nguyen Thi Anh Hoa, Director of the Department of Tourism, met with enterprises and stakeholders to outline directions for developing new tourism products within this expanded space. To implement this strategy, the department has organized survey delegations to assess destinations in Binh Duong and Ba Ria–Vung Tau. Following these assessments, travel companies have proposed 15 new tourism programs across five distinctive product groups:

• Group 1 – MICE Tourism: Conference tours combined with leisure such as a 2-day-1-night Ho Chi Minh City–Vung Tau trip, a 3-day-2-night Ho Chi Minh City–Binh Duong–Vung Tau route, and a 4-day-3-night international package.

• Group 2 – Island & Luxury Beach Tourism: Including “Golden Island Shining Offshore,” “Ho Tram – The Call of the Sea,” and “From River to Ocean.”

• Group 3 – Ecotourism & Nature Experiences: Programs such as “From Salt Village to Coastal City,” “Touching Nature,” and “Discovering Vietnamese Ceramics – Spirit of the Iron Land.”

• Group 4 – Cultural & Historical Tourism.

• Group 5 – Urban & Shopping Tourism: Highlighted by the theme “Urban Colors – Vibrant Blue Seas.”

Only one month after the merger, Ho Chi Minh City’s tourism sector has already reported impressive results. In July 2025, tourism revenue reached VND 22,368 billion, a 45.6% increase compared to the same period in 2024. Cumulatively, revenue for the first seven months stood at VND 140,305 billion, up 29.9% year-on-year and fulfilling 54% of the 2025 annual target.

International arrivals to the city in July 2025 reached nearly 696,000, an increase of 75.3% compared to the previous year. In total, the city welcomed 4.55 million international visitors in the first seven months, up 48% and achieving 53.6% of the annual plan. Domestic tourism also performed strongly, with 3.38 million arrivals in July 2025 (up 15%) and 21.7 million arrivals in the first seven months (up 8.2%), meeting 48.3% of the year’s target.

Ms. Nguyễn Thị Ánh Hoa emphasized that the newly introduced products are designed with distinct stories, experiences, and themes. The department expects these offerings to be launched soon, enriching the city’s diverse and culturally vibrant tourism ecosystem.

With this impressive growth momentum and innovative product strategy, Ho Chi Minh City is reinforcing its position as a major international tourism hub—maintaining a strong domestic market while enhancing its appeal to global travelers.

Source: Bao Moi