The ITE HCMC 2026 High-Level Tourism Forum convened in Ho Chi Minh City from August 27 to 29, focusing on advancing the Meetings, Incentives, Conferences, and Exhibitions (MICE) sector. Held at the Saigon Exhibition and Convention Centre (SECC), the Forum attracted 300 delegates including senior government officials, ASEAN tourism ministers, diplomatic representatives, and tourism experts from Vietnam and abroad. The event’s theme was ‘MICE Tourism in the New Era: Sustainability – Connectivity – Opportunity’.
Forum Leadership and Focus Areas
The program was chaired and moderated by Deputy Prime Minister Pham Thi Thanh Tra, Minister of Tourism Lam Thi Phuong Thanh, and Vice-Chairman of the Ho
Chi Minh City People’s Committee Nguyen Loc Ha. Discussions concentrated on major trends in the MICE market, the need for sustainable development, integration of new technologies, policy frameworks, and enhancing public-private partnerships to strengthen Vietnam’s standing as a competitive regional MICE destination.
Participation and Scale of the Event
The 20th edition of the International Travel Expo Ho Chi Minh City (ITE HCMC) ran concurrently with the Forum from August 27 to 29, 2026. It brought together over 500 businesses and brands representing more than 45 countries and territories, as well as 34 provinces and cities within Vietnam, highlighting the event’s broad international and domestic reach.
Government Initiatives and Regional Strategy
Vietnamese
officials signaled ambitions to move beyond simply hosting large-scale events toward actively shaping the global MICE industry’s future. Deputy Prime Minister Pham Thi Thanh Tra emphasized transitioning from fragmented regional competition to collaborative creation of a unified MICE ecosystem in the Mekong sub-region and Southeast Asia. Meanwhile, the Minister of Tourism called for coordinated efforts by ministries and local authorities to prioritize key areas for MICE sector growth.
Leadership stressed the necessity of converting forum recommendations into actionable policies. Deputy Prime Minister Pham Thi Thanh Tra underscored the need for collective effort, stating that achieving greater progress depends on cooperation
among all stakeholders.
Context of ITE HCMC and MICE Importance
The ITE HCMC is an annual international tourism trade promotion event overseen by Vietnam’s Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Ho Chi Minh City People’s Committee. The MICE industry remains a strategic priority for Vietnam’s tourism development, with the Forum’s theme reflecting a focus on sustainability, connectivity, and opportunity as essential elements in evolving the sector.
