The 20th ITE HCMC 2026: “VIVIOUS CONNECTIONS – GLOBAL DESTINATIONS” | News
After the success of 19 editions, the 20th International Travel Fair Ho Chi Minh City (ITE HCMC 2026) will be officially unveiled under the theme “Vibrant connections – global destinations.”
The event is led by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the People’s Committee of Ho Chi Minh City, and organized by the Ministry of Tourism of Ho Chi Minh City in coordination with relevant partners.
ITE HCMC 2026 will take place from August 27 to 29, 2026 at the Saigon Exhibition and Convention Center (SECC), alongside a series of satellite activities in Ho Chi Minh City.
ITE HCMC 2026 – A 20-year milestone
Marking its 20th edition, ITE HCMC 2026 underlines its position as one of the leading tourism events in Vietnam and Asia, while strengthening Ho Chi Minh City and Vietnam’s growing global presence.
More than a conventional trade fair, the event serves as a leading international platform for tourism promotion, bringing together government agencies, industry stakeholders, experts, media and global buyers to drive innovation and create new value in an increasingly greener, smarter and more sustainable tourism landscape.
The theme ‘Vibrant Connections’ reflects a borderless tourism ecosystem, where digital innovation and artificial intelligence converge with cultural heritage to enable more flexible, scalable and results-oriented collaboration between governments, industry stakeholders and global partners. “Global Destinations” underlines the ambition to enhance Ho Chi Minh City’s global tourism profile, positioning ITE HCMC as a strategic regional hub where international visitor flows, products, market trends and cross-border partnerships converge.
Scale and strategy for international market coverage
ITE HCMC has been honored as “Asia’s Best Trade Show” at the World MICE Awards for two consecutive years, 2024 and 2025, confirming the event’s prestige and quality on the international stage. The event further strengthens its leadership in Vietnam through a professionally curated, large-scale Hosted Buyers program, bringing together key partners from priority markets. More than a trading platform, ITE HCMC enables Vietnamese destinations to showcase themselves globally while providing a focused forum for industry trends, insights and innovation.
The ITE HCMC 2026 continues to expand in size and impact and is expected to welcome more than 520 exhibitors, 34 Vietnamese venues and 260 international buyers from more than 32 countries and territories (+10% YoY), along with more than 30,000 visitors (+15% YoY). The event is expected to facilitate more than 20,050 B2B meetings, encouraging direct engagement between international and Vietnamese tourism companies.
As a key driver of Vietnam’s tourism industry, Ho Chi Minh City continues to proactively adjust its international visitor market strategy toward diversification, stronger adaptability and economic efficiency, while maintaining MICE and high-value travel segments to help stabilize the industry’s overall performance.
Inbound tourism in Vietnam is currently driven by Northeast Asia (55%), followed by Southeast Asia (20%) and Australia and India (6%). Ho Chi Minh City reflects a similarly diversified structure, with visitors from Northeast Asia (44%), Southeast Asia (15%), North America (14%), Oceania (7%) and South Asia (6%). This diversified base allows the city to adopt a more flexible promotional strategy, reduce dependence on internal markets and increase resilience amid global volatility.
In response to geopolitical tensions and global disruptions impacting air connectivity and travel demand, Ho Chi Minh City is recalibrating its tourism strategy toward broader market coverage, risk diversification and prioritization of high-recovery regions. While Middle East-related disruptions may impact certain long-haul and transit-dependent markets, they also provide opportunities to increase arrivals from more stable regions such as Northeast Asia, Russia and Central Asia, Australia and India.
Under this approach, Northeast Asia and the United States remain core markets for maintaining volume and stability. Western Europe (including Germany) and Australia are prioritized for higher value growth, while Southeast Asia and India continue to serve as stable sources to balance the market and limit geopolitical risks.
Against this backdrop, ITE HCMC 2026 strengthens its role as a leading international tourism platform, driving inbound growth and market diversification through targeted B2B matching, promotion and strategic engagement, enabling destinations and companies to expand their partnerships and enhance their global positioning.
Moreover, the expo also attracts strong interest from international media, with the participation of 60 news agencies and globally recognized KOLs/travel bloggers, increasing Ho Chi Minh City’s visibility in global tourism markets.
ITE HCMC 2026 provides a powerful platform for Vietnamese and international tourism businesses to connect, collaborate and unlock new growth opportunities in a dynamic, world-class trading environment. As a strategic meeting point, especially for companies from the Lower Mekong region, the expo promotes meaningful partnerships, showcases diverse and competitive tourism products, and opens access to emerging business models that are shaping the future of sustainable travel. It will also enable local and industry players to showcase Vietnam’s distinctive destinations and curated experiences, positioning Ho Chi Minh City as a vibrant gateway to the region for travelers around the world.
Featured activities
This year’s expo is designed with a series of highly professional activities and broad influence:
• High-level tourism forum: discussion on smart destination management policies, green infrastructure and renewable energy in tourism, while promoting circular business models and sustainable tourism infrastructure.
• International Tourism Conferences in Vietnam in 2026: the 8th Meeting of Senior Officials (SOM) and the 8th Meeting of Tourism Ministers of Cambodia – Laos – Myanmar – Vietnam (CLMV); the 7th Tourism Ministers Meeting of the Ayeyarwady – Chao Phraya – Mekong Economic Cooperation Strategy (ACMECS); and the first meeting of Cambodia – Laos – Vietnam (CLV) Tourism Ministers.
• Heritage Experience Tours: Pre- and post-trip destination programs for media and international buyers, introducing waterway tourism products, rural ecotourism and distinctive local craft villages.
• Travel Fun Fair Day: a vibrant tourism promotion space with thousands of promotional tours and creating a multicultural exchange playground.
Commenting on the 20-year journey of International Travel Expo Ho Chi Minh City (ITE HCMC), a representative of the leadership of the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Tourism shared:
“Over the past twenty years, ITE HCMC has not been merely a trade fair, but has become a bridge that connects the essence of Vietnamese tourism with the flow of regional and global tourism. Entering its twentieth year, ITE HCMC 2026 has a historic mission: to be not only a meeting place, but also a place for creating breakthrough solutions for a new era of tourism – an era of smart connectivity, green development and sustainable cooperation.
With the theme ‘Vivid Connections – Global Destinations’, we affirm the pioneering role of Ho Chi Minh City’s tourism industry in leading the transformation from ‘traditional tourism’ to a ‘green and digital tourism ecosystem’, thereby strengthening international competitiveness. ITE HCMC 2026 is the strongest commitment for a Vietnam that is proactively integrating, ready to break through and steadfastly raise its position on the tourism map of the future.”
Ho Chi Minh City International Travel Scholarship (ITE HCMC 2026)
ITE HCMC 2026 is being implemented under the leadership of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the People’s Committee of Ho Chi Minh City, organized by the Vietnam National Tourism Authority and the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Tourism, with the Ho Chi Minh City Tourism Promotion Center and partners coordinating its implementation.
Website: www.itehcmc.travel
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/itehcmc.internationaltravel
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/vibranthochiminhcity/
