In 2025, Ho Chi Minh City recorded tourism revenue of more than VND278,000 billion (US$10.6 billion), welcoming around 46 million domestic visitors and 8.6 million international arrivals. However, significant pressure remains to sustain growth in the coming period, requiring the tourism sector to identify new growth drivers.
In this context, Can Gio is regarded as a highly promising development area thanks to its mangrove ecosystem and the Can Gio Mangrove Biosphere Reserve, which has been recognized by UNESCO. This area could become an international-standard hub for resort tourism, ecotourism, and entertainment, helping extend tourists’ length of stay from the current average of under two nights to at least four days and three nights. As the length of stay increases, tourism revenue and the spillover effects on the city’s economy are also expected to expand significantly.
According to Ms. Nguyen Thi Hoa, Marketing Director of Vinpearl, the global tourism trend is shifting from single-product offerings to “mega-destination” models integrating multiple experiences, with the aim of encouraging longer visitor stays and generating greater economic value. In line with this orientation, Can Gio is expected to become a new growth pole of HCMC with the Vinhomes Green Paradise project, covering nearly 2,870 hectares. The project is planned to be developed into a coastal megacity integrating accommodation, resort, and entertainment facilities, as well as commercial, healthcare, and education services.
Ms. Vo Thi Diem Phuong, Vice Chairwoman of the Can Gio Commune People’s Committee, said that the locality is preparing for a new development phase with a series of strategic projects, focusing on three key tasks, including investment in strategic infrastructure, transformation of the governance model toward a modern ecological urban area, and promotion of economic restructuring toward trade, tourism, and the night-time economy.
From a tourism perspective, Mr. Pham Huy Binh, Director of the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Tourism, assessed that Can Gio is not only a local development story but also opens up new growth space for the megacity in the direction of green and sustainable development. With its mangrove forest advantages and unique, rare ecosystem, the area is expected to add a variety of new tourism products, including ecotourism and resort tourism, moving toward a “single destination–multi-experience ecosystem” model.
