International tourists visit Ho Chi Minh City's downtown area by double-decker bus. (Photo: VNA)

The objectives were revealed by the municipal Department of Tourism at a meeting held on December 30 to review the 2025 performance and set forth orientations for next year.

To achieve these targets, the city will amend its Tourism Development Plan through 2030, focusing on redefining its vision, development direction, core values, growth indicators, priority markets, products, and branding strategy. The city also aims to strengthen comprehensive socio-economic and tourism linkages with regions and localities nationwide to capitalise on regional strengths and enhance competitiveness.

The department’s Director Pham Huy Binh said that in 2026, the sector will prioritise high-quality and in-depth tourism products; improve service quality and competitiveness; promote digital transformation in management, promotion and services; and enhance human resources development to meet integration and sustainable development needs. Connectivity with other localities will also be boosted to create seamless tourism chains, thus enriching visitor experiences and contributing to socio-economic growth.

Vice Chairman of the municipal People’s Committee Nguyen Van Dung highlighted that the city’s tourism sector has maintained positive momentum in 2025, recording about 8.56 million international visitors, 45.6 million domestic tourists, and revenue of VND278 trillion.

These results, he said, reflect both the sector’s strong efforts and its shift towards a more professional and sustainable development approach.

Director of the Vietnam National Authority of Tourism Nguyen Trung Khanh emphasised that HCM City should continue to play a leading role in driving Vietnam’s tourism sector. He urged closer coordination with businesses, improved investment conditions, facilitation of innovation, and effective implementation of the two-tier local administration model in tourism management.