In the summer days, many famous attractions in Ho Chi Minh City such as Ben Thanh Market, City Post Office, Nguyen Hue pedestrian street recorded a large number of international visitors. The attraction of the destination and the diversity of tourism products are helping the city continue to maintain its position as one of the leading tourist centers in the country.
Mr. Darryn Young (new Zealand tourist) said that this is the second time he has come to Ho Chi Minh City and each time brings different experiences. The city is becoming more and more vibrant, colorful and friendly.
After visiting many destinations in Southeast Asia such as Kuala Lumpur or Indonesia, this male tourist still chooses to return to Vietnam more to shop, rest and experience local culture.
The people here are very friendly, always welcoming tourists anywhere. That is what makes me especially love Ho Chi Minh City" - Mr. Darryn Young shared.
According to the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Tourism, in May 2026, the city is estimated to welcome 809,000 international visitors. Accumulated in the first 5 months of the year, the number of international visitors reached about 5.59 million, completing 50.8% of the 2026 plan (11 million visitors).
Along with the growth of the international tourist market, tourism revenue also recorded positive results. Total tourism revenue in May is estimated at 21,000 billion VND. In the first 5 months of the year, total tourism revenue reached about 193,000 billion VND, equivalent to 58.5% of the annual plan.
Mr. Le Truong Hien Hoa - Deputy Director of Ho Chi Minh City Department of Tourism said that from 2025, the number of international visitors to the city has recovered and exceeded the level of 2019 - the time before the COVID-19 epidemic. On that growth trajectory, Ho Chi Minh City's tourism industry sets a target of welcoming 11 million international visitors in 2026.
This goal is built on the basis of the steady increase in international visitors over the years. Notably, not only has the number of visitors increased, but the spending of tourists has also been significantly improved. This shows the increasing attractiveness of city tourism products, while service quality has also been improved, contributing to increasing revenue for the industry.
This is a motivation for the tourism industry and businesses to continue investing, diversifying products, and improving service value to bring more experiences to tourists" - Mr. Hoa said.
Regarding the tourist market, Mr. Hoa said that traditional markets in Northeast Asia such as China, Korea, Japan and Taiwan (China) continue to record positive growth. In the context of the world geopolitical situation having many fluctuations, tourists tend to choose destinations within a flight time of about 5 hours, creating an advantage for Vietnam and Ho Chi Minh City to attract tourists from this region.
Besides Northeast Asia, Southeast Asia is also identified as a key market in the coming time. At the same time, the city's tourism industry still maintains promotion activities in traditional markets such as Europe, North America and expands promotion to emerging markets such as the Middle East and Australia.
According to Mr. Hoa, tourism promotion and promotion activities are a long-term strategy. Therefore, Ho Chi Minh City will continue to allocate resources appropriately for each market, while developing specialized products to meet the diverse needs of international tourists.
