Awakening the “gold mine” of medical tourism in Ho Chi Minh City

(HTV) - Ho Chi Minh City has modern medical facilities, good doctors and a system of high-class hotels - great advantages for developing medical tourism. If exploited in the right direction, this will be a "gold mine" to turn the city into a leading destination in the region.

Awakening travel and health

After expanding its population and infrastructure, Ho Chi Minh City has not only become a major economic center but also has a system of 5-star hotels, many modern medical facilities and a team of good doctors. These are great advantages for the city to develop medical tourism, combining treatment with cultural and resort experiences, opening up a new direction for the tourism industry in the near future.

Ho Chi Minh City has a huge advantage to position itself as the country's leading destination in the medical and wellness tourism segment.

Ms. Ha Thi Hong Linh - Deputy Director of Ho Chi Minh City Traditional Medicine Hospital, said that Vietnamese traditional medicine has a long history, many unique techniques and rich medicinal resources, creating its own characteristics compared to other countries in the region. However, the biggest challenge today is infrastructure. Ms. Linh analyzed: If a travel company brings 40-50 foreign guests for treatment at the same time, many traditional medicine hospitals will be confused due to lack of space and human resources. In addition, guests come from many countries, not only using English but also Korean and Chinese. Therefore, hospitals need to train more human resources with foreign language skills to meet the demand.

From another perspective, Mr. Ho Manh Tuong - Professional Advisor of the Reproductive Support Unit of My Duc Hospital - said that Vietnam needs to focus on key areas. According to statistics, the country currently has 60 units performing IVF (in vitro fertilization), forming a specialized and systematic system, creating a favorable foundation for developing medical tourism combined with infertility treatment. Mr. Tuong commented that infertile couples are often still in good health and can both receive treatment and travel. The IVF process requires many follow-up visits, lasting for several weeks, creating conditions for them to have time to stay and experience the destination.

According to experts, Ho Chi Minh City has a great advantage in positioning itself as the leading destination in the country in the medical and health tourism segment. If there is a methodical strategy, the city can completely pioneer in building a pilot model, strongly promoting it to domestic and foreign tourists. Mr. Vo Minh Trung - Director of Riverside Saigon Hotel said that this is an opportunity for Ho Chi Minh City to develop a very potential segment of medical and health tourism, especially with short-term tours.

Ho Chi Minh City Department of Tourism proposes that the health sector promote public-private cooperation and boldly "step out of the comfort zone"

Dr. Duong Duc Minh – Deputy Director of the Ho Chi Minh City Institute for Economic and Tourism Development Research also emphasized the importance of choosing a model destination. According to him, Thieng Lieng currently welcomes about 3,000 visitors each year and is being proposed as one of the best tourist villages in the world. If health tourism is developed here, visitors can temporarily leave the modern pace of life and find a natural healing space.

From a management perspective, Mr. Le Truong Hien Hoa - Deputy Director of the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Tourism said that medical tourism products need to come from practical needs, while learning from successful models in Thailand and Germany to overcome limitations in human resources, especially foreign languages. He emphasized that students and AI technology can help improve services, while 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 compete on low prices.

Currently, the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Tourism is implementing a project to develop medical tourism, focusing on areas of strength such as dentistry, aesthetics, and specialized health care. The Department also proposed that the health sector promote public-private cooperation, boldly "step out of the safe zone" to closely link medical services and tourism.

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Source: https://htv.com.vn/danh-thuc-mo-vang-du-lich-y-te-o-tphcm-222250909113849343.htm