Tourists spend over $8bn in Ho Chi Minh City during January-October

This figure reached nearly 72 percent of the city’s 2025 target of VND290 trillion ($11 billion).

During the 10-month period, more than 6.5 million international tourists arrived in Ho Chi Minh City, a year-on-year increase of 17.7 percent.

In October alone, the city welcomed 705,000 foreign travelers.

Domestic tourism also performed well, attracting over 33 million visitors during the same period.

The department noted that October maintained a positive growth momentum, as the city prepared for the year-end travel season and welcomed several large international tour groups.

Ho Chi Minh City has been strengthening partnerships and marketing efforts in key markets.

Cultural and community events have also enriched the city’s offerings.

Notably, the Nghinh Ong (Whale Worship) - Can Gio Festival, a type of spiritual and cultural tourism, draws strong interest from both domestic and international visitors.

Travel firms boost performance ahead of year-end

Tran Thi Bao Thu, a representative from Vietluxtour, told Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper on Monday that inbound arrivals handled by the company between January and October rose by around 35 percent compared with the same period last year.

The tour operator’s domestic MICE (Meetings, Incentives, Conferences, and Exhibitions) segment also grew by an average of 30 percent.

She said the inbound market mainly consists of travelers from Europe, the United States, Australia, and Northeast Asia.

They tend to prefer mid- to high-end services (three–five stars) and are especially drawn to Vietnamese cuisine and coastal destinations.

Many of these tourists spend more than half of their time in Vietnam engaging in leisure, sports, and resort experiences in major cities and seaside regions.

In preparation for the peak inbound travel season, from the third quarter of 2025 to the end of the first quarter of 2026, Vietluxtour has been refreshing and optimizing its products and services, focusing on MICE, coastal leisure, culinary experiences, and green tourism.

Other travel companies are also expanding their portfolios to meet rising demand for year-end and Tet (Lunar New Year) holidays, aligning their marketing and business strategies to achieve growth targets of 30 percent or more for 2025.

40% surge in international tourist arrivals targeted in 2025

With two months remaining in the year, Ho Chi Minh City is expected to see international visitor arrivals increase by as much as 40 percent in 2025.

To sustain this momentum, the city is emphasizing digital transformation and green initiatives across management and operations, while diversifying key tourism products such as marine, industrial, and cruise tourism.

Currently, Ho Chi Minh City is home to 7,211 tourism-related businesses, including 1,815 tour operators and 5,396 accommodation establishments offering 92,468 rooms.

The city also boasts a network of 9,540 licensed tour guides, underscoring its status as Vietnam’s leading tourism hub.