Ho Chi Minh City after merger: Tourism market of 14 million people, revenue breakthrough

After expanding its administrative boundaries, Ho Chi Minh City became the most populous locality in the country with more than 14 million residents - an abundant source of local tourists with diverse needs for experiences.

Young urban visitors prefer short tours, nightlife experiences, and weekend sports and music events, while families prioritize destinations associated with nature, education, and entertainment for children.

Middle-aged and elderly tourists tend to prefer relaxation, health care and cultural and spiritual tours. In addition, businesses, schools, etc. maintain year-round demand, creating a stable foundation for tourism revenue.

Besides, having more sea and island space creates conditions for the city to develop resort tourism products, explore nature and attract more international visitors.

Thanks to these favorable factors, tourism in Ho Chi Minh City has developed significantly, as shown by the strong growth in the number of visitors in November. The city is estimated to welcome 780,000 international visitors and 4.2 million domestic visitors in November, contributing to raising the total number of visitors in the first 11 months of the year to more than 44.6 million.

This is proof of the attraction that has been continuously strengthened after the merger, especially from the large domestic market, with a group of potential and stable customers all year round.

In November, the tourism industry of Ho Chi Minh City continued to promote the synchronous implementation of solutions under the direction of the Government, the City Party Committee and the People's Committee of Ho Chi Minh City, aiming at the goal of sustainable growth and building an attractive urban image on the international tourism map.

According to the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Tourism, thanks to the steady growth of visitors, total tourism revenue in November reached VND28,470 billion, raising total revenue for 11 months to VND233,566 billion, equivalent to 80.5% of the yearly plan (VND290,000 billion).

According to Ms. Nguyen Cam Tu - Director of the Ho Chi Minh City Tourism Promotion Center, the merger of boundaries creates a "strategic tourism triangle" with three complementary advantages: Craft villages - industry (old Binh Duong), finance - services (old Ho Chi Minh City) and sea and islands - resorts (old Ba Ria - Vung Tau).

"This combination helps form a new Ho Chi Minh City with in-depth, highly competitive inter-regional products," Ms. Tu commented.

TPHCM sau sáp nhập: Thị trường du lịch 14 triệu dân, doanh thu bứt phá - 2 — Ho Chi Minh City tourism develops strongly with the addition of islands (Photo: MK).

The city also focuses on developing the daily tourism model - tourism right in the heart of the city without the need for special occasions, targeting the people themselves: a group of sustainable customers with high spending ability.

According to the survey results “City Pulse 2025 - The Magnetic City” conducted by the Gensler Research Institute this year, Ho Chi Minh City ranked 2nd globally in terms of resident engagement.

Accordingly, 61% of residents surveyed said they had little or no intention of leaving the city - a figure that reflects the strong emotional appeal of this urban area.

Deputy Director of the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Tourism Le Truong Hien Hoa said that efforts to reposition tourism after Covid-19 have changed the way tourists perceive Ho Chi Minh City: not just a transit point, but a place worth living and worth returning to.

TPHCM sau sáp nhập: Thị trường du lịch 14 triệu dân, doanh thu bứt phá - 3 — Notre Dame Cathedral is brightly lit for Christmas (Photo: Nam Anh).

“HCMC is gradually becoming a place for long-term stay, not just a short-term destination. This is the core advantage for sustainable tourism development,” Mr. Hien Hoa emphasized.

With positive numbers and breakthrough orientation, Ho Chi Minh City tourism industry not only conquers tourists with dynamism and modernity, but also with an increasingly strong value, becoming a place where people want to live long-term and therefore, want to return.

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