The Sài Gòn Central Post Office, one of HCM City’s iconic landmarks, reflects the city’s ambition to position itself as a leading MICE destination. — VNA/VNS Photo

HCM CITY — With a focus on high-value visitor segments, HCM City is sharpening its ambition to attract MICE travellers through breakthrough policies, deeper product chains and elevated tourism experiences

The city's tourism sector is prioritising key tasks for 2026, aligned with its newly integrated metropolitan space, with an emphasis on in-depth product development, service quality upgrades and stronger competitiveness.

In particular, the city is positioning itself as a leading regional hub for MICE tourism by building interconnected product ecosystems and raising the experiential value of every visit.

Policy as catalyst

Accordingly, Resolution 62 on policies to support the attraction of tourist groups to HCM City to attend meetings, incentives, conferences and exhibitions combined with sightseeing (MICE), approved by the HCM City People’s Council (Assembly) in December 2025, has marked a breakthrough in both thinking and policy tools.

This milestone is expected to help the city’s tourism sector enter 2026 with renewed momentum, allowing it to proactively seize emerging global opportunities.

The policy is also considered a distinctive form of tourism support, demonstrating HCM City’s role in shaping professional, high-quality MICE tourism with international competitiveness.

Unlike previous short-term, administrative support measures, the city’s MICE tourism policy has been institutionalised through a resolution of the People’s Council (Assembly), establishing a stable, transparent and forward-looking legal framework.

The policy is not merely a tourism stimulus measure but a comprehensive public-policy model, closely linking budget mechanisms and service quality standards with the goal of enhancing visitor experience and promoting the destination’s brand.

According to Nguyễn Văn Dũng, deputy chairman of the HCM City People’s Committee (Administration), after merging with the provinces of Bình Dương and Bà Ria Vũng Tàu, the enlarged city is entering a new era defined by integrated infrastructure, regional thinking and an international outlook.

For tourism, this presents an unprecedented opportunity to form internationally standardised product chains capable of competing directly with major destinations in the region, turning the city into a smart tourism hub of Southeast Asia and a venue for regional and global events.

“A strong tourism sector is one that creates experiences compelling enough to make visitors want to return, not just come once,” he noted.

Business momentum

Many businesses in HCM City said the MICE visitor attraction policy for 2026, implemented from late 2025, has created fresh momentum and new opportunities for enterprises to break through on the international stage.

As a result, companies have actively shared the policy with their global partner networks, receiving positive early feedback.

This has raised expectations of a breakthrough increase in MICE arrivals to the city and Việt Nam as a whole this year.

Regarding international visitor attraction, travel and tourism enterprises further noted that while the city’s Department of Tourism has long implemented specific and practical annual promotion programmes, businesses require clearer, more detailed roadmaps.

With clearly defined programmes, enterprises can better integrate them into their products and promote them to international visitors who choose tours specifically tied to events, rather than merely attracting general tourists to Việt Nam in general and HCM City in particular.

Data from digital travel platform Agoda show that searches for accommodation in Việt Nam by international travellers in 2025 rose by 21 per cent compared to 2024, indicating positive momentum heading into 2026.

Commenting on international markets, Vũ Ngọc Lâm, country director of Agoda Việt Nam, said the growing level of interest demonstrates that Việt Nam is steadily reinforcing its position as a leading regional destination, thanks to improved connectivity, enhanced visa policies and diverse tourism experiences.

In terms of accommodation searches, South Korea continued to lead the top five international source markets in 2025, with interest rising by 15 per cent year on year.

Sài Gòn Notre-Dame Cathedral Basilica, a historic landmark set within HCM City’s newly expanded, large-scale integrated metropolis. — VNA/VNS Photo

Brand elevation

HCM City’s tourism sector in 2026 aims to accelerate tourism product development programmes, elevate destination quality, innovate promotional activities and enhance the city’s tourism brand regionally and globally.

To realise these goals, the HCM City Tourism Promotion Centre has announced plans to roll out a wide range of tourism promotion and marketing programmes starting from January 2026.

According to Nguyễn Cẩm Tú, director of the HCM City Tourism Promotion Centre, in order to elevate the city’s tourism brand, most annual, periodic or new promotional programmes must proactively incorporate new formats and experiential content to attract both domestic and international visitors.

Notable events include the 12th HCM City Áo Dài Festival in 2026; the 3rd HCM City River Festival in 2026; the 22nd HCM City Tourism Day in 2026; the Dấu Ấn Hè (Summer Imprints) programme; the 20th International Travel Expo HCM City in 2026 (ITE HCMC 2026); and the 6th HCM City Tourism Week in 2026.

Notably, for the first time, the Nguyễn Huệ Flower Street for Tết, a signature annual tourism event of HCM City, will be organised simultaneously at three locations: Nguyễn Huệ pedestrian street (Sài Gòn Ward), Thủ Dầu Một Ward (former Bình Dương Province) and Vũng Tàu Ward (former Bà Rịa Vũng Tàu Province).

This arrangement reflects the city’s spirit of unity, convergence and post-integration momentum.

Experts note that as HCM City becomes a large-scale integrated metropolis with expanded tourism spaces, richer resources and more diverse cooperation opportunities, it requires a broader vision and stronger coordination.

On this basis, HCM City aims to become a destination where visitors can sense its distinctiveness from the very first moment -- a city of iconic night-time tourism, river tourism, deep cultural and creative experiences, international-standard medical tourism, and MICE tourism commensurate with its regional stature. — VNS