The Ho Chi Minh City Department of Tourism officially launched its promotion campaign “Vibrant Ho Chi Minh City” on October 14, linking destination branding directly with authentic products, services, and digital experiences.
A central initiative of the campaign is standardizing the brand identity guidelines for “Vibrant Ho Chi Minh City” to ensure consistency across government bodies, tourism enterprises, and partners.
The city’s tourism offerings are categorized into five key pillars: culinary tourism, medical tourism, cultural, heritage and craft village tourism, river, maritime and eco-tourism.
This categorization aims to highlight core competitive advantages while helping businesses align products for joint promotion and service integration. Concurrently, the department is accelerating digital transformation through its discoverhcmc.com platform.
The digital platform features interactive experience maps for custom route lookup and event tracking, alongside AI-powered itinerary planners based on length of stay, budget, and visitor preferences. It also offers partner analytics tools to track interactions, check-in frequency, and peak visitor interest times, enabling businesses to assess campaign effectiveness and adapt services.
Additionally, the “Ho Chi Minh City Check-in Journey - 360 Degrees Vibrant” program connects heritage sites, museums, architectural landmarks, waterfront spaces, craft villages, and eco-tourism spots.
The initiative incorporates local narratives and introduces the Vibrant Pass feature, allowing users to scan QR codes at check-in points, accumulate reward points, earn badges, and access promotional offers.
Media ambassadors, artists, influencers, and content creators are also engaging in experiential trips to promote the five signature product pillars. Promotions prioritize accurate information, authentic feedback, and practical guides for travelers.
A key highlight of the city’s 2026 tourism agenda is the introduction of the Ho Chi Minh City - Vibrant Award. Envisioned as an annual event, the award honors organizations, businesses, individuals, and innovative products contributing to local tourism. Featuring 32 categories across 10 groups, the inaugural presentation ceremony is scheduled for January 2027.
Alongside the main campaign, the department is conducting a video clip contest titled “Ho Chi Minh City - Tastes & Stories,” the 4th Ho Chi Minh City Innovative Startup for Tourism Competition (HIST 2026), and a tourism souvenir design contest through the end of the year.
Regarding regional tour linkages, expanded spatial planning enables multi-destination routes rather than standalone attractions, particularly targeting short-stay travelers.
From the city center, visitors can access coastal destinations like Ho Tram and Long Hai, or natural resorts in Binh Chau and Con Dao. Day trips connecting central urban areas with craft villages, orchards, and riverside eco-zones in neighboring Binh Duong are also operational.
For MICE segment travelers, business delegates can pair conference schedules with coastal or eco-resort excursions, expanding business trips into leisure experiences within a single itinerary.
Beyond existing routes, themed products under research include industrial tourism and craft village experiences in Binh Duong, spiritual tourism combined with wellness in Ba Ria - Vung Tau, and medical tourism connecting high-quality hospitals in Ho Chi Minh City with coastal resort facilities.
Mr. Pham Huy Binh, Director of the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Tourism, stated that the city's tourism sector is entering a new development phase with expanded space, richer resources, and higher quality requirements. He emphasized that communication strategies must remain anchored in real product quality and service devotion.
During the first nine months of 2026, the city welcomed over 8.5 million international visitors and nearly 40 million domestic tourists, generating tourism revenue exceeding VND280 trillion ($11.2 billion).
The city aims to reach 11 million international arrivals, 50 million domestic visits, and VND330 trillion ($13.2 billion) in total revenue for the full year 2026, supporting double-digit regional economic growth targets.
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