Businesses focus on specialized products
In the first 8 months of 2026, Ho Chi Minh City welcomed about 7.77 million international visitors and 35.5 million domestic visitors, bringing total tourism revenue to about 259,696 billion VND.
The destination position is further affirmed on the world map when Travel And Tour World magazine (India) recently ranked Ho Chi Minh City in 16th position in the top 50 leading shopping destinations in the world in 2026, surpassing many major cities such as Amsterdam (Netherlands), Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia) and Mumbai (India).
Ms. Tran Thi Bao Thu - Marketing and Communications Director of Vietluxtour Company said that this ranking is a worthy recognition for the product diversification strategy in the past time, and at the same time, opens up opportunities to elevate the destination.
To welcome the wave of growth, businesses are promoting specialized shopping tours combined with night economy, connecting art complexes, underground commercial spaces and specialized business streets to optimize the experience for tourists.
Mr. Nguyen Minh Man - Deputy General Director of VinaGroup Travel emphasized that city tourism focuses on developing specialized tours for both Vietnamese and international tourists, including experiencing cultural and historical memories of urban areas and ancient cuisine; exploring the life of craft villages, indigenous culture; high-class tours on wharves and boats or journeys associated with youth memories and local education.
3 breakthroughs to help Ho Chi Minh City break through in quality
Closely following the spirit of Resolution 26-NQ/TW on shifting the growth model from quantity to quality, efficiency, sustainability and value increase, the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Tourism identifies 3 groups of strategic breakthrough solutions to consolidate its position as one of the three growth poles of tourism nationwide.
First of all, it is a breakthrough in institutions. The city is developing a resolution to submit to the People's Council to support new tourism models, and at the same time proactively research piloting the controlled model of 24/7 tourism - entertainment - commercial centers. Along with that, it is to improve the mechanism for value-added tax (VAT) refunds right at shopping centers and points of purchase that meet the conditions to stimulate tourists' purchasing power.
At the same time, the city focuses on creating breakthroughs in infrastructure to serve high-spending customers. The Ho Chi Minh City Department of Tourism has transferred the proposal to the City's General Planning Agency to integrate a series of large-scale projects, including: increasing the number of high-class hotels, building a conference center with a minimum capacity of 5,000 people, an international exhibition center with a scale of 60,000 - 80,000 m2 of interior floor space, along with an international passenger port system, marinas and branded shopping centers with international standard price incentives.
The piece that completes the development strategy is a breakthrough in data-based governance. The city's tourism industry sets a goal to complete the tourism database by the end of 2028, directly connected to the national digital platform, and at the same time digitize 100% of resources and destination data to effectively serve policy making, investment attraction and long-term market forecasting.
