ITE Ho Chi Minh City 2026 attracted 47,960 visitors and participants to Ho Chi Minh City over three days from 27 to 29 August. The event marked its 20th edition and became the largest in its history, taking place at the Saigon Exhibition and Convention Center.
More than 520 exhibitors and tourism brands showcased their offerings across 410 booths during the event. Organizers recorded over 21,000 business-to-business meetings between international buyers and exhibitors, facilitating extensive trade connections.
The expo hosted 309 international senior buyers, media representatives, content creators, and media partners from 32 countries and territories. Participation included over 50
multinational companies, tourism businesses, and global MICE organizations. Notable international travel groups attending were TUI Group, Flight Centre Travel Group, Intrepid Travel, JTB, and Thomas Cook India. TUI Group appeared for the first time along with Bunnik Tours, IFC, GetYourGuide, Trip.com, and Uniworld Boutique River Cruises. Exhibitors represented destinations such as Portugal, Bhutan, Cambodia, UAE, South Korea, Indonesia, Malaysia, Maldives, Japan, Thailand, Switzerland, Sri Lanka, and Italy. Within Vietnam, 34 provinces and cities took part, with 26 operating exhibition booths.
Simultaneous to the expo, Ho Chi Minh City hosted three Mekong sub-region tourism ministerial meetings for the first time. The
Cambodia-Laos-Vietnam Tourism Ministers’ Meeting was held on 26 August, focusing on tourism product development and market connectivity. On 27 August, the seventh ACMECS Tourism Ministers’ Meeting and eighth CLMV Tourism Ministers’ Meeting addressed destination connectivity, sustainable tourism, and future regional cooperation. Senior officials’ sessions produced joint documents, strategic directions, and action frameworks covering areas of cooperation.
Bilateral meetings took place between city and tourism officials and representatives including Cambodia’s tourism minister, the International Congress and Convention Association, the Pacific Asia Travel Association, the Global Sustainable Tourism Council, and Qingdao Airlines.
ITE HCMC featured 15 forums, conferences, and specialist seminars with
26 international and 25 Vietnamese speakers. More than 1,100 attendees participated in person, alongside 8,500 online viewers. A high-level forum on MICE tourism attracted over 400 delegates, discussing sustainability, technology, policy, and public-private partnerships. Other sessions covered topics such as artificial intelligence, medical tourism, destination branding, sustainable tourism products, and international market connectivity.
The event expanded its startup component with six Vietnamese and eight South Korean startups participating in the Global Tourism Innovation Startup Investment and Connection Day. These startups focused on artificial intelligence and tourism technology innovations.
International buyers, media representatives, and delegates joined 16 familiarisation and press itineraries
involving more than 400 participants. The itineraries included attractions in Ho Chi Minh City and extended to resorts, golf, and green tourism products outside the city, targeting markets in the United States, Russia, UAE, China, Taiwan, and Malaysia. Destination-focused events featured Hai Phong and Thai Nguyen.
A new heritage and ecological itinerary linked Ho Chi Minh City with Vinh Long in the Mekong Delta. This route combined local experiences with Khmer cultural heritage, adding diversity to Vietnam’s tourism offerings.
The next edition of ITE Ho Chi Minh City is scheduled for September 2027.
