Ho Chi Minh City to become promising tourism megacity after regional merger

Following an ongoing merger that integrates Binh Duong and Ba Ria-Vung Tau Provinces into Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam's economic hub is poised to become a tourism megacity.

This strategic merger urges the creation of unique tourism products to transform Ho Chi Minh City into a leading destination in Asia, thereby boosting the overall growth of the tourism sector and the broader economy.

   Unlocking new tourism space

According to Huynh Phan Phuong Hoang, deputy general director of local travel company Vietravel, the merger allows Ho Chi Minh City to break free from its administrative boundaries and redefine itself as a multi-resource tourism region with urban areas, industry, sea, forest, and traditional culture resources.

With improved infrastructure, high population density, and short travel distances, the city has the potential to become the most dynamic tourism transit hub in Vietnam, Hoang noted.

Tourism products will shift from single-route tours to multi-destination combo experiences lasting two to four days, catering to a wide range of travelers including corporate guests, MICE groups, short-term international visitors, and those interested in new tourism models.

These include short-stay urban wellness experiences for young entrepreneurs and inter-regional routes maximizing expressway infrastructure.

Tu Quy Thanh, director of Lien Bang Travelink, noted that the merger reheats tourist demand by integrating service offerings across provinces, capitalizing on improved transportation and logistics to attract visitors.

   Strategic tourism triangle

Le Truong Hien Hoa, deputy director of the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Tourism, emphasized that the integration will create a mega-regional tourism city combining smart urban areas, creative industries, coastal resorts, and eco-community tourism.

The diversification of tourism products and the expansion of experiential space are expected to increase both length of stay and tourist spending, while reducing connection costs through improved regional infrastructure such as expressways, metro lines, ports, and Long Thanh International Airport.

Ho Chi Minh City will play a central role in event hosting, cultural activities, and smart tourism coordination. Meanwhile, Binh Duong and Ba Ria-Vung Tau will create new experiential development spaces for visitors. This helps make Ho Chi Minh City more bustling, vibrant, attractive, and memorable for tourists.

Dr. Duong Duc Minh, deputy director of the Institute for Tourism Development Research, noted that Ho Chi Minh City is no longer merely a transit point.

It can become a trendsetter in tourism, creating lifestyle and consumption patterns for a new generation of travelers.

Digital technology and smart logistics will allow seamless, personalized travel across the region.

According to Hoa, the merger acts like the creation of a strategic tourism triangle, laying an important foundation for repositioning Ho Chi Minh City as a regional tourism megacity.

Ho Chi Minh City will serve as the center for culture, history, creative industries, MICE, and smart urban development.

Binh Duong will leverage its strengths as a hi-tech industrial zone, logistics hub, and destination for craft village tourism.

Ba Ria-Vung Tau is positioned to lead in international beach resort tourism, eco-tourism, spiritual tourism, golf, and casinos.

Hoa listed key products that the municipal Department of Tourism is renewing, including urban-industrial tours connecting Ho Chi Minh City with Binh Duong's factories, creative zones, and traditional craft villages.

Other experiences include city-sea-island tours offering seamless travel from Ho Chi Minh City to Ho Tram, Long Hai, and Con Dao, and eco-community tours from Can Gio to Long Son and regional mangrove areas.

   Establishing distinctive tourism identity


Dr. Minh pointed out that unlike destinations such as Da Nang, Khanh Hoa, or Hue in the central region, Ho Chi Minh City lacks a distinct tourism identity.

The issue lies not in a lack of resources, but in the absence of impactful product design, Minh noted.

He proposed the development of open cultural spaces within the city where locals and tourists co-create experiences in art, food, and history.

Time-travel themed tours reflecting Ho Chi Minh City's historical and cultural flow, enhanced with interactive technologies and AI, could provide exclusive and memorable journeys.

Involving artists, researchers, businesses, and communities in product creation will ensure distinctive, non-generic experiences with high symbolic value.

The city aims for a tourism growth breakthrough, particularly in high-spending segments such as MICE, island resorts, and cruise travel.

Strategic actions through 2030 include restructuring tourism products by spatial clusters, refining regional goals, implementing special regional policies, and building strong branding strategies, Hoa said.

By 2025, Ho Chi Minh City aims to achieve a 30-40 percent increase in international arrivals and a 15-20 percent rise in domestic tourist numbers.

Additionally, the city targets doubling its revenue from key sectors such as marine tourism, industrial tourism, and international cruise travel.

The city will prioritize high-value, sustainable tourism products aligned with green, creative, and digital trends.

   Driving tourism through digital transformation

Dr. Minh added that in an era of digital, personalized, and global tourism, Ho Chi Minh City has the potential to be a smart destination that not only offers engaging experiences but also leads financial flows based on tourist demand.

Instead of relying on passive spending through package tours, the city can build a personalized tourism ecosystem that stimulates emotional spending behaviors.

Technologies such as big data, AI, and smart payment systems will map individual needs, enabling service providers to offer context-based rather than generic products.

Harnessing this nuanced financial flow can transform Ho Chi Minh City into a sustainable experience economy, Minh added.

According to Huynh Phan Phuong Hoang, in order to form a strong tourism region, it is essential to connect the three localities through three main pillars: policy, infrastructure, and products.

She pointed out that policy coordination involves establishing a regional coordination mechanism, removing interprovincial administrative barriers, and aligning promotion strategies.

Infrastructure linkage focuses on accelerating the development of key transportation routes, connecting airports, seaports, metro lines, and expressways to form an integrated tourism transit network.

As for product linkage, it entails building interprovincial tours based on each locality's strengths, coordinating regional events, and developing a shared ecosystem of tourism services and products.

While cities like Da Nang draw crowds with fireworks festivals and light shows, and places like Hue or Nha Trang host seasonal events, Ho Chi Minh City's future tourism model needs to focus on its unique urban and regional identity--not just big holiday celebrations.

Tourism products should bear the city's signature, focusing on deep cultural, artistic, and culinary experiences, especially vibrant night tours, rather than simple sightseeing.

   Vung Tau - Con Dao to emerge as premier marine tourism corridor

Experts believe the merger with Ba Ria-Vung Tau offers the most immediate opportunity to restructure Ho Chi Minh City's tourism sector.

Improved transport links, including the Bien Hoa to Vung Tau Expressway, Ben Luc to Long Thanh Expressway, and Long Thanh Airport, will alleviate congestion and strengthen accessibility to this province.

With these developments, Vung Tau, Long Hai, Ho Tram, and Con Dao should no longer be seen merely as weekend getaways, but must transform into a world-class coastal resort hubs.

This transformation involves revamping products, services, workforce, and guest experiences, not just branding, said Vu Hong Thuan, acting director of the Ba Ria-Vung Tau Department of Culture, Sports, and Tourism.

Thuan pointed out challenges, including uneven product quality, lack of iconic offerings, absence of a centralized data coordination center, and limited skilled personnel, especially those fluent in foreign languages and experienced in serving international and high-end segments.

Vung Tau - Con Dao are positioned as a top-tier island tourism corridor by 2030.

Integrated with smart urban planning, diverse experiences, and eco-friendly practices, this corridor is expected to become a leading destination in Asia and beyond.

Thanh Ha - Thao Thuong - Dong Ha / Tuoi Tre News

(2025/06/27-17:55)