Finding ways to awaken the "gold mine" of medical tourism in Ho Chi Minh City

(NLDO) – Many tourists have a great need for beauty, aesthetics, and health improvement, creating opportunities for medical and health tourism in Ho Chi Minh City to break through.

This is the opinion expressed by experts and businesses at the seminar "Formation and development of medical and health tourism in Ho Chi Minh City" organized by Ho Chi Minh City Women's Newspaper on August 31.

Ho Chi Minh City currently has a rich and diverse healthcare system with a team of experienced doctors and nurses at reasonable costs. However, attracting foreigners to travel and use medical services is still an untapped potential.

Master, Doctor Ta Quoc Hung - Head of Laser, Light and Wave Unit, Department of Dermatology - Skin Aesthetics, University of Medicine and Pharmacy Hospital, Ho Chi Minh City, commented that Ho Chi Minh City can become a spearhead in cosmetic tourism. The city is home to a team of highly qualified, well-trained doctors and physicians; possesses a modern system of techniques and technologies in aesthetics and dermatology. At the same time, treatment costs are significantly lower than in other countries such as Thailand and Korea.

"The beauty industry in Vietnam is very competitive in terms of cost but the quality is not inferior to other countries. Many overseas Vietnamese tourists come to Ho Chi Minh City for beauty treatments at the end of the year. Along with the open visa policy, many international flights, the current system of hotels - resorts, and shopping centers, this is an opportunity to promote the development of medical - health tourism" - said Dr. Ta Quoc Hung.

Experts, managers, and businesses share at the seminar

Ho Chi Minh City currently has great advantages such as the system of coastal hotels and resorts. Mr. Vo Minh Trung - Director of Riverside Saigon Hotel, believes that the Ho Tram area can develop into the second Bali in Vietnam if there is a proper strategy. Many resorts such as Melia Ho Tram have tested the model so that guests can relax, practice yoga, walk, and have health recovery areas, but lack high-quality medical centers.

"This is an opportunity for Ho Chi Minh City to develop a very potential segment of medical tourism with short-term tours, especially in combination with Long An with the Endless Field tourist area to develop tours for guests to receive medical treatment and experience therapeutic tourism in the forest," said Mr. Trung.

According to experts at the seminar, Ho Chi Minh City has a great advantage and can position itself to become the country's leading destination in the medical tourism segment. If there is a methodical strategy, it will open up a breakthrough direction for Ho Chi Minh City to build and realize the medical tourism sector in the future. The city can choose a pioneering place to pilot this model - strongly promoting it to domestic and international visitors.

Dr. Duong Duc Minh, Deputy Director of the Ho Chi Minh City Institute for Tourism Development Research, analyzed that among the destinations in Ho Chi Minh City, Thieng Lieng (Thanh An Commune) could be chosen for testing. Currently, Thieng Lieng welcomes about 3,000 visitors each year and is being proposed as one of the best tourist villages in the world. Choosing Thieng Lieng as a model for health tourism is not only due to its natural conditions but also its ability to create a temporary space separate from modern life.

"Thieng Lieng has the potential to develop health tourism, in which this place can provide a series of activities from forest bathing, light walks in nature, morning meditation, practicing slow living..." - Dr. Minh said.

Thieng Lieng has potential for developing health tourism. In the photo, visitors visit the salt fields here.

Public-private partnership to create medical tourism products

Mr. Le Truong Hien Hoa, Deputy Director of the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Tourism, said that the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Tourism is implementing a project to develop medical tourism to build specific products, focusing on areas of strength such as dentistry, aesthetics, and specialized health care. The Department also proposed that the health sector boldly cooperate with the public and private sectors, daring to step out of the safe zone to combine healthcare with tourism. To make medical tourism products truly attractive, Ho Chi Minh City is aiming to exploit the advantages of some large hospitals with helipads in the Can Gio area, a central area that attracts visitors to combine medical examination and treatment with tourism.

Source: https://nld.com.vn/tim-cach-danh-thuc-mo-vang-du-lich-y-te-o-tp-hcm-196250831135818448.htm