What do tourists spend money on when they come to Vietnam?

That is the first and most important question facing Vietnam's tourism industry since it was identified as a key economic sector, expected to contribute 10% or more to the country's total GDP. However, for decades, this question has remained unanswered.

Transportation, hotels, food… and that's it!

On weekends at Ben Thanh Market (Ho Chi Minh City), it's not uncommon to see groups of foreign tourists strolling, taking photos, and enjoying street food. However, after a few hours of sightseeing, many tourists only have a few small souvenirs in their hands, such as keychains, coffee, or t-shirts.

The number of international tourists visiting Vietnam is increasing, but their spending hasn't risen proportionally.

Photo: Nhat Thinh

Nearby, on Nguyen Hue pedestrian street, Emily Carter, a tourist from Australia, said that her budget for her 7-day trip to Vietnam was mainly allocated to hotels, food, and transportation. "I really enjoyed Vietnamese food. We tried many local restaurants and also went to spas quite a bit. However, I haven't found many really appealing things to shop for," Carter said.

Similarly, Daniel Wong, a Singaporean tourist visiting Ho Chi Minh City for the first time, also said that most of his spending was focused on food and cultural experiences. "I spend more money on coffee, restaurants, rooftop bars, and city tours than on shopping. If I want to buy designer goods or tech gadgets, I can buy them in Singapore or in Bangkok where there are more options," Wong shared.

According to Mr. Tran Xuan Hung, General Director of Viking Company, international tourists visiting Vietnam currently spend mainly on accommodation, food, sightseeing, and a small portion on gifts. The most popular items purchased by tourists are still coffee, confectionery, fruits, some handicrafts, and local specialties…

In fact, since the Covid-19 pandemic, Vietnam's tourism industry has seen a significant leap in both international and domestic visitor numbers, emerging as a bright spot on the international tourism stage. However, revenue has not improved proportionally. By 2025, tourism revenue is projected to surpass 1 trillion VND for the first time, equivalent to approximately 37.8 billion USD. However, recent statistics show that the average international visitor to Vietnam spends between 1,050 and 1,150 USD, a negligible increase compared to 2019 (an average of 1,020 USD per person). The amount tourists spend in Vietnam is approximately 500 USD less than in Thailand, or nearly 1,000 USD less than in Singapore.

Notably, the average length of stay for high-end tourists has increased from 10 days to nearly 14 days. This shows that we have succeeded in attracting more tourists and encouraging them to stay longer, but we still haven't been able to get them to spend their last penny.

It's difficult to "persuade" customers to spend money.

At the "Unlocking Purchasing Power, Stimulating Consumer Demand" seminar organized by Thanh Nien Newspaper on May 22nd, Ms. Le Hong Thuy Tien, General Director of Lien Thai Binh Duong Group (IPPG), presented a thought-provoking figure from the General Statistics Office: In 2024, international tourists spent $12.19 billion USD in Vietnam, but Vietnamese people took $12.57 billion USD abroad for shopping. Thus, in the tourism sector alone, Vietnam is experiencing a trade deficit of nearly $400 million USD. Vietnamese people traveling domestically mainly spend on airfare, hotels, and food, while when traveling abroad, they don't hesitate to spend "several months' salary" on shopping.

Citing the example of two border localities, Dongxing (China) and Mong Cai (Vietnam), Ms. Thuy Tien compared them: These two localities share a similar distance from the border crossing, but their revenue from trade and tourism is vastly different. Specifically, in 2024, Dongxing city welcomed nearly 16 million visitors, generating $2.12 billion (approximately 52,000 billion VND), primarily through cross-border retail sales, with Vietnamese visitors accounting for 30%. Conversely, Mong Cai, despite welcoming 4 million visitors, only generated a meager 250 billion VND in tourism revenue.

"Despite sharing the same border, commercial value is largely skewed towards one side. The vast difference in tourist spending, spanning tens of times, isn't due to geography, culture, or people, but rather to policies designed to encourage spending. Currently, tourists in Vietnam are willing to spend lavishly on essential services like accommodation, transportation, and sightseeing, but are frugal when it comes to shopping. The issue isn't that they lack money, but rather that we haven't given them a legitimate reason to open their wallets," emphasized Ms. Le Hong Thuy Tien.

In fact, shopping is always one of the activities that tourists are extremely interested in during every trip. Visitors to Japan want to buy Japanese domestic goods, to Thailand want to find Thai products, to South Korea they flock to shopping areas selling Korean domestic goods, to China they praise Chinese domestic products, and if they go to Europe they cling to outlet stores and designer brands…

That's why shopping destinations are an indispensable part of any overseas tour, whether in Asia or Europe. Even Vietnamese people, after a tour of Thailand, bring back a few bottles of oil, tiger bone balm, etc.; no one leaves a ginseng shop in Korea without carrying a few bags of products. And even when switching to independent travel, people still always "rummage" through the most famous shopping spots.

Interestingly, no one who comes to Vietnam is introduced to shopping. The director of a travel agency in Hanoi stated frankly: "Most foreign tourists don't like shopping when they buy a tour in Vietnam. They want to spend time experiencing and sightseeing and aren't interested in discounts."

Mr. Tran The Dung, General Director of Vietluxtour Travel Joint Stock Company, also acknowledged that although they are well aware of the vast potential of the tourist "gold mine," most travel companies are currently hesitant to include shopping destinations in their programs. This is because Vietnam lacks shopping centers that meet standards and build brand credibility with customers. Therefore, if travel companies include them in tours, they fear customers will perceive it as a deliberate marketing ploy.

"Even Ho Chi Minh City, the country's largest commercial center, is the most ideally suited location for a shopping tour, yet it lacks large-scale shopping malls like outlets, night markets, and shopping streets that meet the standards for tourists. A few years ago, Mr. Jonathan Hanh Nguyen - Chairman of IPPG - mentioned building a factory outlet in Ho Chi Minh City to bring tourists to buy quality goods, and then creating a comprehensive model like Disneyland for tourists to come and have fun and spend money. At that time, travel businesses like ours were very much looking forward to it. Unfortunately, the city still doesn't have it. We haven't done well in both 'enticing' tourists to spend money and retaining the spending of Vietnamese tourists right in our own country and locality," Mr. Tran The Dung frankly acknowledged.

We haven't created a convenient shopping environment for customers.

Vietnam has yet to create conditions for shoppers to shop conveniently, confidently, and with a sense of value. Many local products have stories and are handcrafted, but the quality is inconsistent, the designs are not stable, the packaging is unprofessional, and the documentation and invoices are unclear. This also makes it difficult for travel agencies to include them in tour programs. Vietnam is a major garment manufacturing center, but its outlets haven't truly become outlets. If there were shopping areas selling high-quality, reasonably priced Vietnamese, export, and local products, this would be a huge opportunity.

Mr. Tran Xuan Hung (General Director of Viking Company)

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/khach-den-vn-tieu-gi-185260524222105662.htm