Diverse experiences in the heart of Ho Chi Minh City
In the atmosphere of celebrating the 50th anniversary of Saigon - Gia Dinh City honorably named after President Ho Chi Minh (July 2, 1976 - July 2, 2026), many attractions and cultural spaces in Ho Chi Minh City continue to attract a large number of domestic and foreign tourists. This is also an opportunity for the city to introduce cultural, historical values and typical rhythms of life to tourists through many experiential activities during the summer tourist peak season.
Visiting Ho Chi Minh City Book Street, Ms. Brydie (Australian tourist) said that the city left many impressions with its vibrant atmosphere, beautiful architecture and unique cultural life.
I really like the time in Ho Chi Minh City. This is a very vibrant city and a great destination to visit. I also like to immerse myself in the culture here" - Ms. Brydie excitedly shared.
Before the trip, she researched information on Google and watched many videos on Instagram. Positive reviews on digital platforms are one of the reasons why she chose Ho Chi Minh City. What impressed the female tourist the most was the urban architecture and the daily rhythm of life of the people.
According to Mr. Pham Anh Vu - Deputy General Director of Viet Tourism Company, the activities commemorating the 50th anniversary of the city named after Uncle Ho are an opportunity for travel businesses to promote the image of Ho Chi Minh City during the summer tourist peak season.
Businesses are welcoming a large number of visitors from localities and international visitors. Therefore, city events are integrated into the sightseeing program to help tourists better understand culture, history and urban life.
In the context of Ho Chi Minh City promoting the development of inner-city tourism products, businesses also have more conditions to build new experiences, thereby extending stay time, increasing spending and improving the competitiveness of destinations" - Mr. Vu said.
When travel is not just numbers
Talking to Lao Dong Newspaper, Mr. Le Truong Hien Hoa - Deputy Director of Ho Chi Minh City Department of Tourism said that looking back at the 50-year journey, the biggest mark of the city's tourism lies not in a growth figure, but in the process of transforming from a city that had just emerged from war into a leading urban destination in the region.
After half a century of development, Ho Chi Minh City tourism has created 5 outstanding imprints: playing the role of locomotive and tourism gateway of the whole country; shaping the destination brand with cultural identity - river - modern; gradually reaching international level with many prestigious awards; pioneering the development of typical tourism products and events such as the Ao Dai Festival, Tourism Day, International Tourism Fair ITE; opening up a new development space after merging with Binh Duong and Ba Ria - Vung Tau, forming a multi-center tourism megacity.
Naming Uncle Ho is both an honor and a standard for the tourism industry to constantly innovate" - Mr. Hoa emphasized.
The city's goal is not only growth figures but also to build a humane, open, civilized and sustainable destination, worthy of a special urban area.
In 2026, Ho Chi Minh City aims to welcome 11 million international visitors, 50 million domestic visitors, with a total revenue of about 330,000 billion VND. Further, according to the Tourism Development Project to 2030, orientation to 2045, the city aims to become a leading urban tourism center in Southeast Asia with the image of "open - youthful - vibrant - exciting - looking towards the future".
According to the leader of the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Tourism, the core expectation of the city's tourism industry lies in the word "quality". Taking advantage of the expanded space after the merger, the industry focuses on shifting from "welcoming many guests" to extending length of stay, increasing spending and deepening experience.
