Vietnam is stepping up its MICE marketing as Simon George discovered at the 19th ITE HCMC show. It is a trend only likely to be enhanced by government buy-in and key infrastructure catalysts.
The International Travel Expo Ho Chi Minh City is getting bigger and bigger, participation figures suggest, testament to the government investment in tourism and Vietnam’s growing appeal as a MICE destination. The 19th iteration of the event (ITE HCMC 2025) saw 520 exhibitors, more than 250 international buyers from over 30 countries, representatives from 28 provinces across Vietnam and 28,000 trade visitors descend on the Saigon Exhibition and Convention Center (SECC) in Ho Chi Minh City, 4–6 September 2025, with 12,600 B2B appointments organised. Two other events, Export Forum 2025 and Connecting International Goods Supply Chains, ran concurrently with the ITE HCMC show.
Aimed at developing MICE tourism and trade, Vietnam’s premier annual travel event was endorsed by Ho Chi Minh City People’s Committee and the Ministry of Culture, and sports and tourism minister Mr Nguyen Van Hung, who, in an opening speech, outlined the objective to make Ho Chi Minh City (and the Mekong delta) a leading regional tourist hub. He set out three key government initiatives to facilitate the process:
(i) accelerate the tourism industry’s digital and green transition;
(ii) expand sustainable tourism; and
(iii) facilitate the visa regime.
Infrastructure game-changer
A key catalyst nearing completion set to significantly increase both the city’s and the country’s MICE potential is Ho Chi Minh City’s new airport, Long Thanh International Airport. Costing $12.8bn and scheduled to begin commercial flights next year, the airport will alleviate the congestion issues that can plague Tan Son Nhat International and play a key role in fulfilling the government’s tourism aims.
The government is also planning to build a new high-speed rail link connecting the capital Hanoi in the north and Ho Chi Minh City in the south, although completion is at least five years off.
MICE as economic motor
ITE HCMC 2025 is clearly a conduit for economic growth. Vietnam’s GDP is forecast to grow from 8.3% currently to 8.5% in 2026 and inbound visitors are on the rise. The number of international visitors to Vietnam in August was estimated at 1.68m, 7.8% up month-on-month and 16.5% up year-on-year, according to Vietnam’s National Tourism Administration. In Jan–August, it is estimated that there were 13.9m visitors, c.22% up year-on-year, with China, Korea, Taiwan and Japan the biggest inbound markets. For context, Ho Chi Minh City contributes 22% of Vietnam’s gross regional domestic product.
Dressed for the event part at ITE HCMC
One exhibitor at ITE HCMC 2025, Phuong Anh Nguyen, director of sales & marketing at the Sofitel Saigon Plaza, for which MICE is a key revenue generator, told CMW it had been a successful show:
“ITE HCMC 2025 has been a breath of fresh air. From the scale of the expo to the meaningful industry connections forged, it’s clear that this year’s show reflects growing confidence in Vietnam’s business events future.
“The MICE sector provides a unique opportunity to unlock business potential, not only for hospitality companies but for the destination and local business community. Client recollections of meetings and conferences may fade over time, but they will remember special dining experiences or a unique private event in a historical building.”
ITE HCMC is benefitting from a 20%-plus boom in visitor numbers to Vietnam
Buyer attendee Marie Kaalund Winther, managing director of Lotusrejser, a new brand launched by a Danish travel agency focusing on south-east Asia, praised the quality of the meetings:
“The sellers are genuinely interested and they know your market, so you can have a decent dialogue.”
She did flag some logistical issues, however:
“My challenge has been to get to all my meetings on time because not all of them are held in the same section of the exhibition centre and you don’t have a map to show you the route you need to take.”
Winther qualified her criticism by mentioning the exhibition’s “amazing” volunteers who helped her navigate the whole meetings process.
In the ascendant
Much can change in a decade. In his talk on corporate and social responsibility on MICE tourism at the Beach-Leisure & MICE Travel Mart in Da Nang in 2016, Florian Beranek of UNIDO (United Nations Industrial Development Organisation) stressed that Vietnam was a new destination for MICE and cautioned that the return rate of tourists to the country was low. Since then the country’s appeal as a MICE tourism destination has grown considerably, as ITE HCMC’s own growth and national flight data show.
Tourists and businesses alike are now coming to Vietnam in their numbers, attracted by its vibrant cities, dynamic business environment, culture, safe environment, hospitality and its diverse range of conference venues and incentive travel experiences.
To get a flavour of Vietnam’s vibrant commercial capital and to experience its sights and sounds, our group travelled on several modes of transport. An open double-decker bus with guide gave us a historical tour stopping at the city’s famous war museum with US military memorabilia (aircraft, helicopters and tanks) outside and providing a sharp reminder that the Vietnam war ended 50 years ago. From there it was onto one of the city’s largest indoor markets for some shopping and to hone our negotiating skills.
War museum pieces are major exhibits in Vietnam
Escaping the thousands of mopeds on the city’s streets, we hopped on a water bus for a more serene view of the city from the Saigon River, which historically has served as a key trade route.
To experience the city at night, we donned crash helmets and hopped on the back of Vespas for an adrenalin-fuelled ride and a view of the nocturnal cityscape with all of its neon and high-rise buildings courtesy of Vespaadventures.com – the ride of my life. From there it was onto East West Brewing to relax and sample six different types of beer (lagers and IPAs).
Going underground
Located some two hours’ drive outside Ho Chi Minh City, a visit to the Cu Chi tunnels, an elaborate network of interconnecting tunnels, gave our group a real insight into the ingenuity and resourcefulness with which the Vietcong and local people managed to live and fight during the Vietnam war.
In 2025, Vietnam’s tourism and MICE industries are very much above ground and thriving and with economic winds in this southeast Asian country’s favour, the meetings and events future looks bright.