Can Gio opens up a new development space
According to Ho Chi Minh City's tourism development orientation, Can Gio is being identified as one of the key areas thanks to owning many unique advantages that not many large cities can still maintain. Notably, the World Biosphere Reserve recognized by UNESCO, unique mangrove ecosystems, marine resources, estuary and local community cultural values such as Thieng Lieng, marine occupations and traditional festivals.
These advantages create a foundation for the development of diverse types of tourism such as ecology, resorts, health care, community tourism, waterway tourism, sea sports and coastal night economy.
Ms. Huynh Phan Phuong Hoang - Deputy General Director of Vietravel Company said that with a large coastal land fund, a unique ecosystem and the ability to plan synchronously from the beginning, Can Gio has the potential to become a new development pole of Ho Chi Minh City. This helps the city not only maintain its role as a commercial and service center but also gradually develop according to a multi-center model. In which, Can Gio plays a growth pole role in urban economy, resort economy, ecotourism, international entertainment and night economy.
Mr. Nguyen Huu An - Deputy Head of Planning - Product Development Department of Ho Chi Minh City Department of Tourism said that Can Gio is one of the destinations with positive growth rates of the city's tourism. However, the number of visitors is large but revenue is still not commensurate because most tourists only go back and forth during the day. High-quality accommodation systems, large-scale entertainment complexes and products serving night customers are still limited.
Therefore, the tourism industry is oriented to shift from simply exploiting natural resources to enhancing the value of experience, developing high-quality products with their own identity and associated with sustainable development goals. Further, Can Gio is expected to contribute to completing the city's tourism structure in the direction of "one destination - multi-ecosystème experiences", where tourists can simultaneously experience urban tourism, culture, cuisine, MICE, ecology, resorts and sea activities on the same journey.
Improving the quality of experience to retain tourists
In parallel with expanding development space, Ho Chi Minh City also focuses on improving the quality of tourism products and services to increase the competitiveness of destinations.
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. On that growth trajectory, the tourism industry sets a target of welcoming 11 million international visitors in 2026.
Notably, not only has the number of visitors increased, but the spending of tourists has also been significantly improved, showing the increasing attractiveness of tourism products and improved service quality.
This is also a motivation for management agencies and businesses to continue investing, diversifying products and increasing service value to better meet the needs of tourists" - Mr. Hoa said.
Ho Chi Minh City is possessing many competitive advantages with a rich system of cultural and historical relics, new destinations and great potential for river tourism.
In particular, after expanding the development space, the city has more room to exploit sea tourism and many new tourism resources. These advantages help businesses build diverse experience chains, serving many different customer segments, in which large groups and MICE customers are being effectively exploited.
According to Mr. Hoa, compared to major tourist centers in the region such as Bangkok or Singapore, Ho Chi Minh City has its own strengths in cultural, historical, natural values and experiences imbued with local identity.
