This morning, at the Grand Saigon Hotel in Saigon, the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Tourism held a conference on the linkage for the development of medical tourism, attended by representatives from various departments, provinces, and cities in the Mekong Delta region, as well as travel companies, hospitals, and healthcare facilities. In recent years, medical tourism has emerged as a distinctive product of Ho Chi Minh City, reinforcing its status as a center for high-quality medical and tourism services nationwide. The city boasts modern healthcare infrastructure, a skilled team of doctors, professional accommodation, therapy, and wellness services at reasonable costs, attracting an increasing number of domestic and international tourists.
This event aims to enhance public-private cooperation, expand regional connections, and establish a comprehensive health care tourism ecosystem. During the conference, Deputy Director of the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Tourism Bui Thi Ngoc Hieu stated that the city is home to 162 hospitals and over 9,000 specialized clinics, along with 351 private specialized and general clinics staffed by highly qualified medical professionals. The reasonable costs associated with medical examinations and treatments serve as a crucial foundation for the development of medical tourism.
According to information from the Ministry of Health, the global medical tourism market is projected to reach $100 billion by 2024, with an annual growth rate ranging from 15 percent to 25 percent. In Vietnam, the market size has reached approximately $700 million in 2024 and is forecasted to approach nearly $4 billion by 2033, with an average growth rate of 18 percent per year.
In Ho Chi Minh City alone, 30 percent to 40 percent of visitors from outside the city and abroad come for medical examination and treatment, mainly from Cambodia and Laos. Recently, the number of visitors from the US, Australia, Canada, Japan, and the overseas Vietnamese community has also increased significantly. These numbers show that the city has great potential to exploit and develop medical tourism.
Deputy Director Bui Thi Ngoc Hieu emphasized that Ho Chi Minh City has all the conditions to become the leading medical tourism resort center in the region. The sector hopes that through this conference, localities and businesses will cooperate, promote their strengths, and spread the image of Ho Chi Minh City - Destination of health, experience and happiness strongly domestically and internationally.
From October 29–30, a working group from the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Tourism conducted a survey of key medical tourism facilities. The goal was to strengthen the medical-tourism value chain and develop inter-regional products that integrate healthcare, recovery, and local cultural experiences. Surveyed locations included Hanh Phuc International Hospital in Binh Hoa Ward, Ho Chi Minh City Traditional Medicine Hospital in Xuan Hoa Ward, Vinmec Central Park Hospital in Thanh My Tay Ward, and Minera Hot Springs Binh Chau in Binh Chau Commune.
