Ho Chi Minh City targets 20 million international visitors by 2030

Ho Chi Minh City is implementing new strategies to bolster its tourism sector, specifically targeting 20 million international visitor arrivals by 2030. This target is expected to account for 40% to 44% of Vietnam’s total international arrivals.

To achieve this, the city is focusing on MICE tourism (meetings, incentives, conferences, and exhibitions). Recent reviews of the 2022–2025 MICE program show improved coordination between government agencies and businesses. The city aims to shift its focus from merely increasing visitor volume to maximizing the economic value and spending of each arrival. Future directions include restructuring MICE products to be more integrated, potentially linking the central business district's financial services with industrial and exhibition strengths in neighboring areas like Binh Duong.

Industry experts emphasize the need for accurate statistical methods to distinguish between total visitors and individual arrivals, particularly in the cruise sector. There is also a strategic push to attract higher-spending travelers from North America, Northern Europe, and developed Asian markets, rather than relying solely on low-spending budget travelers. Developing waterway tourism is also identified as a key way to provide the deeper, experiential travel that international visitors increasingly demand.