Unlocking a "gold mine" of duty-free shopping.

Ho Chi Minh City continues to be the "locomotive" of the country's tourism industry, with approximately 8.5-8.6 million international visitors and over 45 million domestic visitors in 2025. However, behind this growth picture lies a large, untapped "gold mine": duty-free shopping.

Currently, there are only a few licensed duty-free shops nationwide, mainly concentrated at major international airports and some border economic zones. These locations are scattered, small in scale, and have not yet formed proper shopping complexes. In Ho Chi Minh City, this activity is limited to Tan Son Nhat Airport, operated through the SASCO system.

Tourists only have a few hours before their flight to shop, which restricts their spending. A commercial and tourist hub like Ho Chi Minh City, lacking duty-free complexes within its city center, means missing out on opportunities to increase value per visitor.

Meanwhile, on the regional tourism and retail map, the duty-free center model has become a "money-making machine" and a tool for extending spending time. In Singapore, the systems of DFS Group and Changi Airport Group are not only present in the airport but also expand into shopping malls. Changi Airport alone has achieved billions of USD in retail revenue for many years. In Thailand, King Power Group operates a chain of duty-free centers right in the heart of Bangkok, becoming an indispensable destination for international tourists, with revenue exceeding $3 billion USD annually before the Covid-19 pandemic.

In South Korea, major players like Lotte Duty Free and Shilla Duty Free have made duty-free shopping a core part of the travel experience, generating tens of billions of dollars in revenue annually. China, in particular, is experiencing rapid tourism growth with large-scale duty-free centers scattered throughout the country, attracting millions of shoppers each year.

A common feature of these models is that shopping is integrated into the overall experience. Tourists can shop anywhere in the city, from local specialties to luxury goods, and then complete the tax refund process at the airport. In many cases, shopping expenses exceed the tour cost, turning tourism into a genuine consumption spree. The author has encountered tourists who lamented their spending in South Korea: the tour cost only tens of millions of won, but they spent hundreds of millions of won on ginseng, red pine oil, and cosmetics!

Looking back at Ho Chi Minh City, the question is not new: Why hasn't a market of nearly 14 million people, an international transit hub, developed a large-scale duty-free complex? The primary reason lies in the overlapping legal framework. Regulations regarding eligible buyers of duty-free goods, goods control, and value-added tax refunds still lean towards management at border crossings rather than encouraging domestic consumption. The "downtown duty-free" model lacks a clear legal framework to encourage businesses to invest boldly. Furthermore, there is a lack of linkage between production and trade. Vietnam has many distinctive products, such as Ngoc Linh ginseng, coffee, tea, and handicrafts, but these have not been standardized to enter the duty-free retail system. Without a sufficiently strong distribution channel, it's difficult to elevate the product's value, and tourists lack reasons to spend heavily – which is understandable.

In this context, establishing a duty-free center in Ho Chi Minh City is no longer an option, but an urgent requirement. The city can completely pilot its own mechanism, allowing the construction of duty-free complexes within the city center, applying modern control technology, and linking data with customs and tax authorities; at the same time, it needs to improve the tax refund process to be faster, simpler, and create incentives for spending.

Next, a national commodity strategy must be developed. Products such as Ngoc Linh ginseng, specialty coffee, premium tea, and OCOP products must receive significant investment in quality, packaging, and brand storytelling to become key commodities within the duty-free system. At that point, each product will not only be a mere commodity but also a cultural ambassador.

If implemented effectively, it will have a significant impact on the economy: Tourist spending will increase, a supply chain of domestic goods and specialties will be formed with many high-quality items, and many jobs will be created. From there, Ho Chi Minh City will not only be a destination but also a shopping center for the region, and will also contribute to double-digit growth.

THI HONG

Source: https://www.sggp.org.vn/khai-mo-mo-vang-mua-sam-mien-thue-post845669.html