The 20th Ho Chi Minh City International Travel Expo (ITE HCMC 2026) will be held from 27 to 29 August 2026 at the Saigon Exhibition and Convention Center (SECC) in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. This edition is the largest since ITE HCMC’s inception in 2005 with more than 520 exhibitors and 260 international buyers participating. The event’s theme is ‘Vibrant Connections – Global Destinations.’
Organising Bodies and Support
ITE HCMC 2026 is organised under the direction of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the People’s Committee of Ho Chi Minh City. The Vietnam National Authority of Tourism and the Ho Chi
Minh City Department of Tourism jointly manage the expo, supported by the Ho Chi Minh City Tourism Promotion Center and C.I.S Vietnam Advertising & Exhibition Joint Stock Company.
Growth in Business Matching and Hosted Buyers
The number of B2B appointments has increased more than eight-fold compared to earlier editions, reaching 21,000 scheduled appointments. The hosted buyers programme, the only one of its kind in Vietnam, will bring 260 senior international buyers from Asia, the Middle East, Europe, North America, and Oceania. Buyers-Sellers Speed Dating will be held on 26 August, with B2B Business Matching sessions on 27 and 28 August.
Diplomatic Engagements and International Partnerships
Simultaneously, Ho Chi Minh City will host
three Tourism Ministers’ Meetings of Mekong subregional cooperation frameworks during the event. Participants include international organisations such as United Nations Tourism, the Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA), the Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC), and the Thailand Convention & Exhibition Bureau (TCEB). Corporate partners involved are Google, Mastercard, EuroCham, and the Korea Tourism Organisation (KTO).
Tourism Forum and Public Activities
The Tourism Forum on 27 August carries the theme ‘Shaping the Future of MICE Tourism: Innovation, Sustainability and Global Connectivity.’ It will convene government officials, tourism leaders, and representatives from GSTC, TCEB, PATA, Mastercard, and Google, addressing trends including artificial intelligence, destination brand management, medical tourism,
and tourism technology startups. The expo will also feature thematic workshops, presentations, networking, artistic performances, cultural exchanges, culinary experiences, and interactive activities for the public.
Phạm Huy Bình, director of the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Tourism, stated, “The 20th anniversary of ITE HCMC 2026 is not simply a milestone in time; it also reflects the Expo’s growing maturity in terms of scale, quality and standing. Over the three days of the event, Ho Chi Minh City is honoured to host the Tourism Ministers’ Meetings of Mekong subregional co-operation frameworks, while also bringing together a series of thematic forums
addressing the trends shaping the future of tourism, including artificial intelligence (AI), destination brand management, medical tourism and tourism technology start-ups.”
