Digital tourism platform Agoda recently announced the survey results within the framework of the 2026 Tourism Outlook Report, stating that 35% of Vietnamese tourists see cuisine as one of the main reasons for traveling, bringing Vietnamese people into the group of leading culinary tourism "believers" in Asia.
Accordingly, Vietnamese tourists are in the group of leading culinary explorers in Asia, ranked 2nd in the region in terms of priority to experience local cuisine when choosing a destination.
Mr. Vu Ngoc Lam - Country Director of Agoda Vietnam - said that Vietnam is in the leading group in the region, showing the importance of eating in culture and how Vietnamese people explore the world.
For many people, a trip is only truly complete when experiencing the typical local flavors, whether it's exploring regional specialties in the country or enjoying iconic dishes abroad.
In Vietnam, cuisine has become deeply ingrained in daily life and become an inseparable part of cultural identity. Therefore, to retain domestic tourists or attract international tourists, destinations need to make cuisine the main driving force.
Mr. Pham Huy Binh - Director of Ho Chi Minh City Department of Tourism - assessed that the city's tourism is not only developing in scale, but is also strongly shifting to improving the quality of experience, strengthening connectivity and spreading capacity.
Ho Chi Minh City tourism has gradually been shaped as a tourist welcoming center, connecting destinations, organizing the market and launching products that become a driving force for new journeys of tourists.
Ho Chi Minh City has entered a development phase with the stature of a megacity. With this context, the city's tourism industry has also implemented many strategic action programs to promote the image, land, people, cultural identity, tourism services and local cuisine.
The city's tourism industry has assessed the potential for developing culinary tourism products with the goal of positioning itself as a convergence center of domestic and world specialties. On this basis, the city's tourism industry promotes the exploitation of local culinary fields into its main tourism products to increase tourist attraction.
Ho Chi Minh City Department of Tourism has conducted in-depth surveys to deploy the development of 20 more specialized culinary tourism programs to serve tourists coming to the city.
Among them, some tour packages can be mentioned: Vespa Le La; Saigon Sea Town; experience 2-story bus and dinner on Indochina ship; Vung Tau irresistible delicacies; discovering "Unique Binh Duong cuisine"; Blue Sea flavor; Taste journey; Finding the taste of your homeland...
