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By the end of May 3, Ho Chi Minh City’s Department of Tourism said that from April 25 to May 3 (the Hung Kings’ Temple holiday period, including April 30 and May 1), international visitors to the city were about 190,000, while domestic visitors were about 1.5 million. Total tourism revenue for the period was about 8.7 trillion dong.
To prepare for the summer and the peak holiday period, the city’s Tourism Department said that in the early days of April, the tourism sector focused on stimulus activities, launching nearly 1,000 new tourism products and services.
In addition to traditional tours, travel companies have introduced thematic offerings centered on cultural and historical experiences. They also combined high-quality services with more diverse ways to travel and explore, including by road, river, metro, sports, and creativity. During the holidays, destinations such as Suoi Tien, Dam Sen, and Thao Cam Vien became popular “cooling-off” spots.
According to Nguoi Lao Dong newspaper, many travel companies—including Saigontourist, Vietravel, BenThanh Tourist, Vietluxtour, Dat Viet Tour, Vina Group, Tugo, Thuan Phong, 4U Tour, Chim Cánh Cụt Travel, and BestPrice Travel—launched stimulus packages with discounts of up to 41%, with prices from 599,000 dong per guest. Demand for both domestic and international tours rose sharply during the holiday.
Ms. Doan Thi Thanh Tra, Deputy General Director of Saigontourist Travel Service, said that during the holiday period from April 24 to May 4, the company served international visitors to Vietnam, Vietnamese traveling abroad, and domestic tourists, with total guests served reaching 12,660.
For international arrivals, Saigontourist served 4,660 visitors to Vietnam, including two cruise ships—Star Voyager—docking at Ha Long Bay and Da Nang on April 28–29, carrying 1,500 travelers from China and Singapore. The Mein Schiff 6 docked at Ha Long Bay on May 2, bringing 2,460 European travelers, mainly from Germany and Austria.
About 2,000 Vietnamese travelers chose itineraries of 4–8 days, mostly multi-generational family groups, to 28 destinations including Laos, Korea, Japan, Russia, China, Thailand, and Bhutan. In the domestic market, the company served about 1,700 individual travelers, focusing on 16 coastal and domestic discovery itineraries.
Ms. Tran Thi Phuong Linh, Marketing and IT Director at BenThanh Tourist, said that despite rising transportation costs—especially airfares—tour programs remained stable compared with the same period last year, helping drive tourism stimulus. BenThanh Tourist reported positive demand growth, serving about 9,500 visitors in total, up 10% year-on-year.
In the domestic market, with hot weather, destinations with milder climates or beaches continued to attract visitors. Trips to the northern mountains, Da Lat, Phan Thiet, Nha Trang, and Phu Quoc were reported as stable, mainly centered on short-stay resort products.
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