Ho Chi Minh City businesses partner to turn experiences into tourism products to boost demand

Businesses in Ho Chi Minh City and the city’s tourism authorities are promoting experiential tourism to stimulate demand, as traveler preferences shift from “sightseeing” to “experiencing.” At the talk show “Ho Chi Minh City - where every life experience can become a tourism product,” held during the Ho Chi Minh City Tourism Festival 2026, representatives said exchanges with locals and living with locals can leave a deeper impression than a fixed sightseeing itinerary.

Shift toward “experiencing” and new holiday products

Ho Chi Minh City is positioned as a destination rich in urban lifestyle experiences, including people, cuisine, and daily rhythms that can generate stories and lasting memories for visitors. Preparations for the 30/4–1/5 holiday and the summer season are underway, with the tourism sector rolling out programs and new products to boost demand.

Mr. Tran Ngoc Dong Quan, Head of the Travel Management Department at the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Tourism, said this year’s festival activities focus on creating experiences that can retain visitors, rather than only promotional activities. Examples include plans for a mass golf tour combined with helicopter views of the city and dining on a cruise ship.

Discounts, cruise experiences, and expanded itineraries

According to Mr. Nguyen Minh Man, Deputy General Director of VinaGroup Travel, helicopter tours offer about a 15% discount on dining and sightseeing on the Elite of Saigon cruise. The promotion runs from 3/4 to 30/8/2026.

Focus Travel Group introduced multiple summer itineraries and plans to launch a 3-day, 2-night Mekong tour for Vietnamese guests departing from Ho Chi Minh City to Go My Tho, with experiences on the La Marguerite cruise ship.

Within Ho Chi Minh City, visitors can explore via double-decker buses, electric cars, river buses, and metro-linked itineraries. Free walking tours are also being expanded to offer greater familiarity and flexibility for travelers.

Refreshing cultural themes and river tourism

Historical and cultural themed tours continue to be updated. River travel—described as a specialty of Ho Chi Minh City—is being refreshed with sunset tours combined with high-end river dining.

A notable program is the “Travel Pass,” jointly implemented by the Department of Tourism and Grab. It offers benefits worth VND 2.5 million per international guest, integrating transportation, dining, and shopping to create a more seamless experience from arrival in the city.

At Cu Chi Tunnels, new activities are being explored, including the night tour “Moon of the Resistance,” Khmer cultural experiences, and related entertainment options for holiday visitors.

Local programs and tourism product development

Local programs such as “Chợ Bình Tây, touch of old times,” “Dấu ấn Tân Định,” “Saigon by night,” and “Saigon welcomes the new day” are being refreshed to be deeper and slower, aligning with modern travel trends.

From the business perspective, Ms. Tran Thi Bao Thu, Marketing - Communications Director of Vietluxtour, said the company is accelerating “Saigon xưa – Saigon today” tours using vintage vehicles to offer luxury and nostalgia, enabling visitors to admire city architecture. The company is also developing green tourism products (ESG) and implementing plastic-free MICE programs with CSR activities in Can Gio and Cu Chi.

On river tourism, An Son Lam, Director of Đông Dương Sailing Co., said there is a need to build products that match tour operator requirements and traveler preferences, particularly for nighttime culinary tourism. While river cuisine has long been a highlight of Ho Chi Minh City, it needs to be elevated to improve overall effectiveness.

Engagement gap and packaging challenges

At the talk show, Outbox’s Net Promoter Score for Vietnamese tourism was highlighted at 24.2, well below Southeast Asia’s regional average of 53.4. The figure suggests that while visitor numbers are increasing, engagement and willingness to revisit or recommend remain limited.

From the Cholon Downtown content creator’s perspective, foreign visitors are less focused on must-visit sites and more interested in local life—what Vietnamese people eat, where they go in the evening, how locals live, and what makes old neighborhoods distinctive. Authentic experiences are seen as helping visitors feel closer to the city.

Regarding ecosystem building, Mr. Nguyen Tien Huy of Localis.vn argued that Ho Chi Minh City does not lack experiences, but lacks effective ways to tell and package them. Visitors may find it difficult to plan, book, pay for, or connect experiences into a coherent journey, which can prevent local values from realizing their full potential. He recommended developing authentic stories tied to local life to deepen connections between visitors and people and culture, and building a “destination alliance” to connect stakeholders and create a cohesive experience chain.