The 20th Ho Chi Minh City International Travel Expo (ITE HCMC 2026) took place from August 27 to 29, 2026, at the Saigon Exhibition and Convention Center (SECC) in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, attracting nearly 48,000 visitors. The event recorded more than 21,000 business-to-business meetings, making it the largest edition in the expo’s history.
Organized under the direction of the Vietnam Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Ho Chi Minh City People’s Committee, ITE HCMC 2026 ran with the theme “Vibrant Connections – Global Destinations.” The expo brought together tourism authorities, international organizations, travel and MICE companies,
buyers, media, content creators, and members of the public to foster trade and international cooperation.
High-Level Forums and Regional Cooperation
The High-Level Tourism Forum on MICE tourism featured attendance by Deputy Prime Minister Pham Thi Thanh Tra alongside over 400 government, industry, and business representatives. This forum focused on advancing Vietnam’s tourism development and new market connectivity through discussions with policymakers and business leaders.
Simultaneously, the expo hosted ministerial meetings for the CLV (Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam), ACMECS (Ayeyawady-Chao Phraya-Mekong Economic Cooperation Strategy), and CLMV (Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Vietnam) tourism collaborations, including their Senior Officials’ Meetings. These gatherings aimed to boost regional tourism diplomacy, sustainable development,
and cross-border market accessibility using Ho Chi Minh City as a strategic platform.
Bilateral Engagements and Industry Partnerships
Delegations from the Cambodian Ministry of Tourism took part in multiple bilateral meetings along with representatives from the International Congress and Convention Association (ICCA), Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA), Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC), and Qingdao Airlines. Discussions concentrated on institutional partnerships, destination promotion, and tourism development cooperation.
Familiarization Trips and Public Programming
ITE HCMC 2026 arranged sixteen familiarization and press-trip itineraries that exposed more than 400 ministers, mayors, international buyers, media representatives, and content creators to diverse Vietnamese tourism assets. These included cultural, heritage, culinary, and urban experiences in Ho Chi
Minh City, along with regional resort, golf, ecological, and green tourism offerings in southern Vietnam.
The public segment of the expo combined tourism products, travel offers, regional cuisine, One Commune One Product (OCOP) items, and cultural performances. This direct engagement aimed to stimulate travel demand by connecting tourism enterprises with consumers.
Historical Context and Future Plans
Founded in 2005, ITE Ho Chi Minh City has established itself as Vietnam’s premier annual international travel expo and a significant trade platform within the Mekong subregion. The event fosters connections between destinations, sellers, buyers, travel professionals, and media partners through business matching and strategic alliances supporting both inbound
and outbound tourism.
The 21st edition of the expo is scheduled from September 9 to 11, 2027, again at SECC in Ho Chi Minh City. The event will continue facilitating international travel-trade relations and expanding opportunities for Vietnam’s tourism growth.
