Ho Chi Minh City competes to attract MICE (Meetings, Incentives, Conferences, and Exhibitions) tourists.

Support of up to 51 million VND per MICE group.

As the largest economic and financial center in the country, Ho Chi Minh City boasts a diverse range of accommodation options, large-scale conference facilities, and a convenient transportation network, providing a solid foundation for serving large delegations.

TP.HCM cạnh tranh thu hút khách MICE- Ảnh 1. — International tourists strolling and exploring the urban life of Ho Chi Minh City contribute to enhancing the non-conference experience for MICE (Meetings, Incentives, Conferences, and Exhibitions) delegations.

In recent years, Ho Chi Minh City has seen large-scale international delegations, such as a group of 460 visitors from India, a group of 140 visitors from the US, and most recently, a group of over 1,000 MICE (Meetings, Incentives, Conferences, and Exhibitions) visitors. However, becoming a recognized MICE destination brand is still a long way off for the city.

According to industry experts, the reason is that Ho Chi Minh City's promotional and support methods lack the "weight" compared to other MICE destinations in the region. While cities like Singapore, Bangkok, and Seoul have established comprehensive support mechanisms combining financial and non-financial incentives, a one-stop process, and dedicated international promotion teams, Ho Chi Minh City mainly relies on its existing infrastructure advantages and general promotional activities.

Against this backdrop, the Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee recently proposed a support package of up to 51 million VND per MICE (Meetings, Incentives, Conferences, and Exhibitions) group to attract conference, seminar, and exhibition groups combined with sightseeing tours to the city. This policy is being implemented in the context of many strong MICE destinations in the region, such as Thailand, Singapore, and South Korea, which are implementing comprehensive and systematic subsidy programs to compete for market share among international business travelers.

TP.HCM cạnh tranh thu hút khách MICE- Ảnh 2. — Tour guides provide commentary for international groups at the Cu Chi Tunnels; this activity is often integrated into MICE tours.

According to the proposal, groups wishing to receive support must have a minimum of 100 people and stay for at least 3 nights in Ho Chi Minh City. The program must include a conference, seminar, or exhibition, and a city tour itinerary of at least 2 days. Each group is only eligible for support once and it must not overlap with other government incentives. The support package focuses on four main cost categories: entrance tickets to destinations, hall or meeting room rental fees, reception art performance costs, and souvenir gifts, with a total support amount not exceeding 51 million VND.

Representing Vietluxtour, Ms. Tran Thi Bao Thu - Director of Marketing and Communications - stated that the support of 51 million VND per group is not only significant financially, but more importantly, it signifies the city's official formalization of preferential mechanisms specifically for MICE tourism , demonstrating its commitment to supporting businesses.

The MICE ecosystem needs to be perfected.

Ms. Tran Thi Bao Thu analyzed: This cost is sufficient for travel businesses to upgrade meal packages, add evening programs, or improve the quality of welcome performances. These factors help Ho Chi Minh City become more attractive when competing with MICE destinations in the region. Compared to Thailand, Singapore, or South Korea… which flexibly combine financial and non-financial support such as free experiences, expert advice, destination communication, and a "one-stop shop" mechanism, Ho Chi Minh City's level of support is a starting point for the market. But to create a clearer competitive advantage, the city needs to continue perfecting its MICE ecosystem from infrastructure, products, procedures, and public-private partnership models.

"Businesses organizing MICE events often consider many factors such as the convenience of air connections, the quality of conference and hotel infrastructure, safety levels, operational professionalism, and the uniqueness of the destination experience. For the mid-to-high-end segment, the value delivered per meeting is often prioritized over cost differences," Ms. Thu said, citing an example of an Asian delegation that chose Ho Chi Minh City not because of the lowest cost, but because of the ability to organize a series of activities within a short travel radius, convenient flight connections, and unique local culinary and cultural experiences, thereby increasing the overall value of the event.

TP.HCM cạnh tranh thu hút khách MICE- Ảnh 3. — Many MICE (Meetings, Incentives, Conferences, and Exhibitions) groups choose to experience river cruises when visiting Ho Chi Minh City.

From another perspective, Mr. Pham Anh Vu, Deputy General Director of Vietnam Tourism Media Company, believes that compared to the MICE promotion budgets of Thailand, Singapore, or South Korea, which are usually in the range of tens to hundreds of USD per person, along with tax incentives, venue rental support, fam trips, and general marketing, Ho Chi Minh City's budget of 51 million VND per group is not yet large. However, this policy is very important because it demonstrates the city's determination to build solutions that are directly competitive in the region.

According to Mr. Vu, when considering Ho Chi Minh City's overall advantages such as relatively low service costs, a dense flight network, extensive accommodation and entertainment infrastructure with over 4,800 establishments and approximately 102,000 rooms, along with a safe and friendly social environment, the city has a good foundation to compete on equal footing in attracting MICE groups. However, Mr. Vu also affirmed that for large-scale MICE groups, cost is only a necessary condition, not a sufficient one. MICE clients often consider the ability to provide comprehensive and high-end services, from conferences, hotels, transportation, catering, gala dinners to supplementary services such as healthcare, security, and independent experiences outside of the tour.

"The attractiveness of the destination remains a key factor. Even with standard venues and facilities, MICE clients still want to participate in city tours, experience local cuisine, or connect with coastal destinations like Vung Tau and Can Gio after meetings. Ho Chi Minh City's advantage lies in its riverside location and proximity to the sea, making it suitable for developing diverse experiences for MICE clients," said Mr. Pham Anh Vu, pointing out that a limitation of the city is the fragmented nature of current procedures and support mechanisms. While strong MICE destinations in the region have clear contact points and quick responses, in Ho Chi Minh City, travel agencies organizing MICE groups, even after booking venues and hotels, still have to work with other units related to the content of the conference, prolonging the process and increasing operational costs.

Therefore, in addition to supporting costs, Ho Chi Minh City needs to significantly improve procedures and create maximum convenience for this group of tourists. Furthermore, strongly developing night-time tourism products is also a key factor in increasing competitiveness with other countries in the region.

The 51 million VND/group support package, issued at this time, is reasonable and clearly reflects Ho Chi Minh City's orientation towards developing high-end, specialized tourism. Focusing support on venues, entrance tickets, welcome performances, and souvenirs is appropriate as these are fixed, transparent input costs.

Support of up to 51 million VND per MICE group.

The MICE ecosystem needs to be perfected.

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