Ho Chi Minh City launches major tourism stimulus program

Ho Chi Minh City's tourism industry is accelerating with a series of stimulus policies and international promotion.

On August 19, the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Tourism held a conference to deploy the tourism stimulus plan for 2025. A series of stimulus solutions for cultural, culinary , resort and experience destinations were proposed to aim at welcoming 10 million international visitors.

Highlights of domestic tourism

According to statistics, in the first 7 months of this year, Ho Chi Minh City's tourism industry welcomed more than 4.55 million international visitors, an increase of nearly 48% over the same period last year; domestic visitors reached 21.7 million, an increase of 8.2%. Tourism revenue is estimated at VND140,305 billion, recording a growth rate of 29.9% over the same period last year. Many businesses believe that the trend of choosing domestic destinations has become a bright spot in the market this year, instead of prioritizing foreign travel as before.

The merger of provincial administrative units also opens up new advantages for Ho Chi Minh City, helping to form a diverse tourism ecosystem. Along with increasingly complete transport infrastructure, including 2 airports, expressway and metro systems, the city has conditions to develop many types of tourism, from urban, industrial to sea and island, high-end resorts, ecology, craft villages and community tourism.

Polish tourists visit Ho Chi Minh City. Photo: LAM GIANG

Notably, Ho Chi Minh City has just been ranked 2nd in Gensler's "City Pulse 2025 - The Magnetic City" survey on the ability to retain international residents, surpassing many large cities such as Singapore, Sydney or Berlin. According to Mr. Le Truong Hien Hoa, Deputy Director of the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Tourism, this result shows that the city is not only a destination for work and tourism but also a place worth living, inspiring and creating long-term attachment. This is also an opportunity for the tourism industry to re-evaluate the sustainable value of the destination, when tourism is no longer just a short trip but becomes a journey of experience and emotional connection. "A city that retains residents will also retain tourists, especially long-term visitors, international experts and young people moving globally. This is an important foundation for Ho Chi Minh City tourism as well as the whole country to position the image of a modern city, rich in identity and cultural depth" - Mr. Hien Hoa emphasized.

With the achieved results, Ho Chi Minh City's tourism industry is accelerating with a series of stimulus policies and international promotion, notably the effective implementation of Resolution 229/NQ-CP of the Government on visa exemption for citizens of 12 European countries. This is considered an important "lever" for the city to realize the goal of welcoming 10 million international visitors, 50 million domestic visitors and achieving revenue of VND 290,000 billion in 2025.

Launch a strong promotional campaign

According to the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Tourism, the entire industry is focusing on promoting the visa exemption policy in key international markets. Ms. Nguyen Thi Anh Hoa, Director of the Department, said that this policy and a series of stimulus programs lasting until the end of the year will contribute to attracting and retaining international visitors, while affirming the position of Ho Chi Minh City as a friendly, dynamic and creative megacity. "We are promoting the application of technology and digital transformation to bring different experiences to visitors, while building a convenient and rich service ecosystem, making the journey to explore the city easy but still full of its own mark" - Ms. Hoa shared.

A highlight in the series of stimulus activities from now until the end of the year is the cooperation between the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Tourism and Traveloka Vietnam. Accordingly, this platform will deploy a destination promotion campaign on digital channels, and at the same time launch a preferential package of more than 4 billion VND in e-vouchers for tourists booking air tickets and hotel rooms in Ho Chi Minh City. The program has the participation of the entire tourism ecosystem: from airlines with preferential fares, international standard high-class hotels and resorts, to specialty restaurants, spa services, health care and beauty.

At the same time, the city also focuses on promoting its unique culinary values. The Department of Tourism has just signed a cooperation agreement with Foody, the operator of Shopee Food, to launch a "culinary passport" program, a smart interactive tool that helps visitors easily "check-in" on the city's diverse culinary journey. Specialized culinary tours will also be introduced, taking visitors to explore traditional dishes, specialty restaurants, and new culinary experiences, contributing to positioning Ho Chi Minh City as the leading "culinary paradise" in the country.

According to Ms. Huynh Thi Mai Thy, Director of Traveloka Vietnam, Ho Chi Minh City has great potential to develop diverse types of tourism such as MICE (conferences, seminars), shopping, medical tourism, or island resorts. The cooperation between the city and technology platforms will help further promote the image of Ho Chi Minh City as an attractive destination, not only in Vietnam but also in the region.

Need a product and market positioning strategy

Experts say that to realize the goal of attracting international visitors, especially from the European market after the visa exemption policy, Ho Chi Minh City needs to develop a clear strategy for product and market positioning, instead of spreading resources. Dr. Justin Matthew Pang, Senior Lecturer of the Department of Tourism and Hospitality Management - RMIT University Vietnam, analyzed that European visitors often have a long stay, from 8 to 20 days for an Asian trip, high spending (from 1,500 to 2,500 USD/trip) and prioritize cultural, culinary, natural experiences and sustainable activities. "The visa exemption will likely cause the number of visitors from this group to increase significantly in the upcoming peak season. In the long term, if combined with expanding e-visas, increasing flight frequency and improving service quality, Vietnam can completely maintain sustainable growth from these markets," Mr. Pang commented.

Mr. Nguyen Chau A, General Director of Oxalis Adventure, emphasized that after the administrative merger, Ho Chi Minh City needs to clearly identify core tourism products and target markets, thereby implementing appropriate marketing strategies for each customer group...

According to Resolution No. 229/NQ-CP, Vietnam exempts visas under the Tourism Development Stimulus Program for citizens of 12 countries including Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Hungary, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia and Switzerland from August 15, 2025 to August 14, 2028.

Source: https://nld.com.vn/tp-hcm-sap-tung-dot-kich-cau-du-lich-lon-196250819222117575.htm