The event promotes sustainable tourism, regional cooperation, and innovative travel experiences.
On April 2, the opening ceremony of the 2026 Ho Chi Minh City Tourism Festival was held at September 23 Park in Ben Thanh Ward, with participation of Mr. Nguyen Van Hung, Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism; Mr. Nguyen Cong Vinh, Vice Chairman of the Ho Chi Minh City People’s Committee; along with leaders from tourism agencies and businesses.
Despite the midday heat, visitors flocked to the event to hunt for attractive travel deals.
According to Saigontourist, festival visitors could access numerous domestic and international tours at discounted rates. Domestic tours include fixed-price packages from VND2.479 million (US$94) per person, such as a three-day Nha Trang trip with four-star hotel accommodation. International tours offered discounts of up to VND10 million (US$379) per person, along with VND500,000 (US$19) travel vouchers, gifts, and group promotions available at 24 Saigontourist offices nationwide.
At the 2026 Ho Chi Minh City Tourism Festival, Ms. Nguyen Lam booked a Can Tho tour for six people, noting affordable domestic trips, while Mr. Mai Tuan Tu opted for a nearly VND7 million (US$265) Thailand tour.
Speaking at the event, Vice Chairman of the Ho Chi Minh City People’s Committee Nguyen Cong Vinh said that the festival not only stimulates tourism demand during the National Reunification Day (April 30) and May Day (May 1) holidays and summer 2026 but also helps strengthen cooperation between Ho Chi Minh City, other localities and the business community. The initiative aims to foster a linked tourism ecosystem and develop the market sustainably.
Ms. Huynh Phan Phuong Hoang, Deputy General Director of Vietravel, noted that the company designed its booth under the theme “One Million Green, Sustainable Journeys,” offering special experiences during the four-day festival. Vietravel launched various promotions, including a lucky wheel for customers purchasing tours worth VND30 million (US$1,139) or more and a 50 percent discount for the sixth group member. Similarly, Mr. Pham Anh Vu, Deputy General Director of Du Lich Viet, said 70 percent to 80 percent of tours for the holidays were pre-booked, mainly beach and international tours. To stabilize tour prices amid rising airfares and fuel surcharges, the company coordinated with airlines to honor previously booked group fares.
The Ho Chi Minh City Tourism Festival continues to affirm its status as a flagship annual event, serving as a hub connecting management agencies, businesses and travelers. The festival space is designed as a multi-experience summer event combining cultural, artistic, culinary and technology activities.
Notably, the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Tourism offered around 10,000 special packages for international visitors, valued up to VND2.5 million (US$95) per package. With a focus on high-spending segments such as MICE, medical tourism, and nearby travelers, the festival aims to maintain market recovery amid fluctuating input costs.
Minister Nguyen Van Hung highlighted that in 2025, Vietnam’s tourism industry rebounded strongly with 21.5 million international visitors, 135.5 million domestic tourists, and total revenue exceeding VND1 quadrillion (US$38 billion). Ho Chi Minh City led the way, welcoming 8.56 million international visitors and 45.6 million domestic travelers, generating approximately VND279 trillion (US$10.6 billion) in tourism revenue, achieving 101 percent of its target.
For 2026, the city targets 11 million international visitors and 50 million domestic travelers. To achieve these goals, the Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism urged enhanced regional cooperation, digital transformation, green tourism development, and promotion of key products such as cultural, culinary, MICE, night and river tourism, contributing to sustainable economic growth for both the city and the country.
