Ho Chi Minh City: aims to become the leading medical tourism - resort center in the region

Kinhtedothi – Along with other types of tourism, medical tourism has been promoted by Ho Chi Minh City in recent times. The need to combine tourism with health care, treatment, rehabilitation and cosmetic therapy is increasing rapidly, creating opportunities for the city to build high-quality medical tourism products, while diversifying experiences for tourists.

Many resources to develop medical tourism products

According to the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Tourism , the city currently owns a diverse network of hospitals and medical facilities with high professional qualifications, along with a team of experienced, dedicated doctors and nurses trained according to international standards. In addition, the system of accommodation facilities, spas - wellness, resorts and modern treatment centers is increasingly expanding, providing service packages combining medical examination, treatment, rehabilitation, beauty care and energy regeneration to meet the diverse needs of domestic and foreign tourists.

Currently, about 30 to 40% of patients coming to Ho Chi Minh City for medical examination and treatment come from other provinces and cities and internationally. The main source of international patients is from Cambodia and Laos, with an increasing number of patients coming from the US, Australia, Canada, Japan and the overseas Vietnamese community.

After the merger, Ho Chi Minh City has 162 hospitals; more than 9,000 specialized clinics; 351 private specialized and general clinics; nearly 5,000 accommodation establishments and more than 2,000 businesses operating in the tourism and service sectors.

In recent years, the demand for experiencing traditional medical methods such as acupuncture, acupressure, massage and health care has increased. In addition, dental, cosmetic and health care services have also attracted a large number of international and overseas Vietnamese visitors. This is a group of visitors with high spending levels and long stays, contributing to increasing the added value of the tourism industry.

Ho Chi Minh City has many advantages to become the leading medical tourism center in the region. Photo: Department of Tourism

Developing medical tourism associated with neighboring areas

After merging Binh Duong and Ba Ria - Vung Tau, Ho Chi Minh City has more resources to develop medical tourism products, especially in forming inter-regional medical tourism routes.

Taking advantage of potential and strengths, in addition to creating many suitable products, Ho Chi Minh City tourism industry also promotes the strategy of developing medical tourism associated with neighboring areas to create a chain of unique tourism products.

According to the City Department of Tourism, tourists can now combine accommodation and health check-ups, then travel to neighboring localities for relaxation - treatment - recovery. Specifically, Binh Chau (formerly Ba Ria-Vung Tau) is a prominent destination in this series of journeys thanks to its rare natural hot mineral springs in the South and is a destination to attract visitors to Ho Chi Minh City to experience medical tourism services.

In addition, other neighboring provinces such as Dong Nai and Tay Ninh have strongly developed the model of therapeutic resorts, meditation, and yoga. Meanwhile, Can Tho, An Giang, Dong Thap, Vinh Long, and Ca Mau have great potential for health care tourism associated with medicinal herbs and indigenous culture.

Through the connection between localities, it is possible to build inter-route tours combining medical examination, treatment, relaxation, cultural experiences, forming a comprehensive value chain between the medical sector, tourism and health care services. The close connection between localities, businesses and service establishments will create a driving force to promote regional economic development, while at the same time elevating the Vietnamese tourism brand in a green, sustainable and humane direction.

With the orientation of developing tourism associated with comprehensive health care, the advantage of medical infrastructure to develop professional tourism services, and reasonable treatment costs, Ho Chi Minh City aims to become the leading medical tourism - resort center in the region, combining modern medicine, traditional medicine and natural therapy methods - where visitors can experience high-quality services, imbued with regional cultural identity.

In particular, with the support of digital media platforms and the application of information technology in promotion, the brand "Ho Chi Minh City Medical Tourism - Comprehensive health, classy experience" is increasingly affirmed and spread.

Source: https://kinhtedothi.vn/tp-ho-chi-minh-dat-muc-tieu-tro-thanh-trung-tam-du-lich-y-te-nghi-duong-hang-dau-khu-vuc.905985.html