Ho Chi Minh City's tourism industry: From 2025 breakthrough to 2026 growth target

According to Mr. Nguyen Van Dung, Vice Chairman of Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee, by 2026, the city's tourism sector aims to welcome 11 million international visitors.

On the afternoon of December 30, the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Tourism held a conference to review tourism activities in 2025 and implement key tasks for 2026.

The conference took place as the city's tourism had just experienced a year considered “all-winning”, while facing a new development phase with ambitious goals.

Leading the Nation in Visitors and Revenue

According to the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Tourism, in 2025, the city welcomed over 8.5 million international visitors, representing a 40% increase from 2024. Domestic tourists reached about 45.6 million.

Total tourism revenue was estimated at around 279 trillion VND, meeting and exceeding the set targets. Ho Chi Minh City continued to lead the nation in international visitor numbers and tourism revenue, making significant contributions to Vietnam's overall tourism sector results.

Mr. Nguyen Trung Khanh, Director General of the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism, speaking

Not only did it grow in numbers, but 2025 also marked a rise in diversity and depth of tourism products.

The city effectively leveraged major events, particularly the 50th anniversary of national reunification, to develop tours and routes that linked history, culture, and urban memory.

River tourism, night tourism, MICE tourism, and medical tourism continued to expand, contributing to longer stays and increased spending by tourists.

Simultaneously, Ho Chi Minh City's tourism sector has accelerated its digital transformation, gradually establishing a smart tourism ecosystem and applying technology in management, promotion, and service delivery to tourists. Large-scale events, such as the International Travel Expo Ho Chi Minh City (ITE HCMC), the Ho Chi Minh City Tourism Festival, the Ao Dai Festival, and the Ho Chi Minh City Water Festival, continued to affirm the city's position as a leading event tourism centre in the country.

Speaking at the conference, Mr. Nguyen Trung Khanh, Director General of the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism, highly appreciated Ho Chi Minh City's central and driving role in the nation's tourism.

In the context of Vietnam's tourism, which welcomed approximately 21.5 million international visitors and 135 million domestic visitors in 2025, Ho Chi Minh City remains the largest international visitor hub and a centre for organising international events, conferences, and fairs.

Not only does Ho Chi Minh City lead the nation in international visitors, but it is also an attractive destination for domestic tourists.

Mr. Khanh emphasised that Ho Chi Minh City should not only grow for itself but continue to promote its role in connecting, leading, and spreading influence; shifting from extensive to intensive development, using quality, efficiency, and added value as measures.

Additionally, the city should lead in digital and green transformation, focusing on developing high-quality tourism human resources to meet the requirements of integration and sustainable development.

Also at the conference, Mr. Nguyen Van Manh, Vice Chairman of the Con Dao Special Zone, stated that in 2025, the locality is expected to welcome approximately 112,000 visitors, with tourism revenue reaching nearly 2.9 trillion VND.

Con Dao proposed five groups of solutions to enhance tourism management effectiveness, focusing on development linked to planning, environmental protection, preservation of monuments, and natural resources.

Simultaneously, it emphasised training human resources, applying digital solutions, increasing local government supervision, and promoting links between government, businesses, and communities towards green, sustainable tourism.

Ho Chi Minh City Tourism: From 2025 Breakthrough to 2026 Growth Target

Target of 11 Million International Visitors in 2026

According to Mr. Nguyễn Văn Dũng, Vice Chairman of Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee, in 2026, the city's tourism sector aims to welcome approximately 61 million visitors, including 11 million international and 50 million domestic visitors, with total tourism revenue projected to reach 330 trillion VND.

“These targets reflect the city's great determination, as discussed by the Department of Tourism with the Tourism Association and the business community,” Mr. Dũng stated.

Mr. Dung also called for sustainable tourism development, linked to innovation, enhancing product and service quality, and building Ho Chi Minh City's image as a safe, friendly, and civilised destination.

Mr. Phạm Huy Binh, Director of the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Tourism, shared that in 2026, the tourism sector will focus on developing in-depth products, improving service quality and competitiveness, promoting digital technology application in management, promotion, and tourist service, and enhancing professional human resource training to meet integration demands.

Additionally, the city will continue to promote regional linkages, forming interconnected tourism product chains that increase experiential value for tourists, thereby contributing positively to the city's and the nation's socio-economic development.

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