Momentum from high-spending customers
In the context of Vietnam's tourism industry accelerating to affirm its position in the international market, MICE tourism (tourism combined with meetings, awards, conferences and exhibitions) has emerged as a bright spot bringing outstanding economic value. Not only stopping at purely sightseeing tours, MICE is becoming a measure of the capacity to provide high-class services and event organization infrastructure of leading destinations in the country.
Real-world records at Vietluxtour Company in the first 2 quarters of 2026, the MICE market witnessed strong momentum with a growth rate of visitors reaching about 35% compared to the same period last year.
Talking to a reporter from Lao Dong Newspaper, Ms. Tran Thi Bao Thu - Marketing - Communications Director of Vietluxtour Company said that the recovery is not only measured by the number of delegations but also by the scale and quality of the budget. The unit regularly receives requests to organize delegations from 500 - 1,000 guests from multinational corporations, banks and FDI enterprises.
Notably, MICE customers are currently willing to pay a budget level 25 - 40% higher for personalized and high-class experiences.
To ensure perfect operating quality for large-scale MICE delegations, travel businesses have proactively upgraded their strategic supply chains, digitized operations; standardized personnel and included ESG and green tourism criteria in the program...
Superior competitive advantage of Ho Chi Minh City's "leader
In Ho Chi Minh City, in the first 6 months of 2026, MICE tourism continued to affirm the city's position as the leading event and conference center in the country. Contributing to the overall picture of Vietnamese tourism, Ho Chi Minh City possesses many favorable conditions from its economic position, large market, connecting the identity triangle "urban - industrial - sea resort" to a modern infrastructure system.
In particular, Ho Chi Minh City has issued policies to support attracting tourist groups to attend conferences, seminars, and exhibitions combined with tourism. The proactive companionship from local authorities not only creates favorable conditions for procedures and reception but also increases the city's outstanding competitive advantage compared to other destinations in the region.
Assessing the potential and development trend of MICE tourism in Ho Chi Minh City, Mr. Nguyen Tran Hoang Phuong - Chairman of the Board of Directors of Golden Smile Travel shared that in the period 2026 - 2030, Ho Chi Minh City will certainly affirm its position as the leading MICE center of Vietnam.
The city fully converges outstanding infrastructure conditions, from a large-scale 4-5 star hotel system, an international airport with a wide network of air routes to professional event organizing capacity and teams. In addition, a diverse service ecosystem combining daytime activities and a rich night economy chain, cuisine, and shopping has created a different competitive advantage.
A key factor helping Ho Chi Minh City retain tourists is the post-conference programs. Despite competition from destinations such as Hanoi, Da Nang, Phu Quoc or Nha Trang, Ho Chi Minh City still has an advantage with the ability to fully provide vibrant urban experiences - something that many other localities cannot synchronously meet. Along with that, proactive support policies from the city also create a great advantage in attracting tourist groups.
Currently, the MICE market in Ho Chi Minh City is strongly shifting from going with the majority, saving to the high-spending segment. This trend appears in both international customers and domestic businesses" - Mr. Phuong shared with Lao Dong Newspaper.
According to Mr. Le Truong Hien Hoa - Deputy Director of Ho Chi Minh City Department of Tourism, the city possesses many advantages to develop tourism thanks to its system of historical and cultural relics, new destinations, river tourism products and sea tourism advantages after expanding development space. This is the foundation for businesses to build a diverse product chain, meeting the needs of many segments, especially MICE customers and large-scale tourist groups.
Information from the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Tourism, it is expected that in 2026, Ho Chi Minh City will welcome about 110 MICE tourist groups with total spending of more than 1,000 billion VND, contributing to the budget of about 146.6 billion VND.
