Ho Chi Minh City and Mekong Delta Tourism Cooperation Puts 7.5 Million Visitor Journeys in Focus

Written By: Ankita Neogi Khan

Ankita Neogi Khan

With over 15 years of experience in digital media, I bring a strong foundation in language, journalism, and storytelling to travel reporting. A graduate in English (Honours) from Presidency College with a Master's in Journalism and Mass Communication from the University of Calcutta, I began my career as a content curator before transitioning into travel journalism. I specialise in aviation, tourism trends, destination news, and industry insights, combining meticulous research, accuracy, and compelling storytelling to deliver credible, engaging, and insightful content for a global audience.

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August 30, 2026 10:08 AM

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Ho Chi Minh City and the Mekong Delta will continue developing their partnership in tourism. From 2026 to 2030, there will be the Ho Chi Minh City Mekong Delta tourism cooperation program. This will follow roughly a five-year program that helped over 7.5 million travelers go to the Mekong Delta with travel companies in Ho Chi Minh City. This program will build on more than just joining destinations as well as promotions. The next step will be the engagement of tourism value chains, the forming of joint markets, and longer stays. Ho Chi Minh City will retain its role as a main entrance, and the Mekong Delta locations will be part of the longer tourists’ itineraries of Southern Vietnam.

A New Tourism Partnership Takes Shape

People’s committees from Ho Chi Minh City and Mekong Delta localities signed the new cooperation agreement on August 29. The signing followed a conference reviewing tourism cooperation between 2020 and 2025. Government officials, tourism associations, businesses and representatives from regional destinations attended the meeting.

The gathering also assessed how the previous programme performed during a turbulent period. Most importantly, the regional partnership survived the severe disruption caused by the Covid-19 pandemic. Officials now want to build on that resilience with a more commercially integrated tourism model.

Nguyen Loc Ha, Standing Vice Chairman of the Ho Chi Minh City People’s Committee, outlined the direction for the next phase. He argued that regional connectivity must become a competitive advantage rather than simply an administrative arrangement. That shift places greater emphasis on tourism quality, visitor spending and economic benefits for local communities.

The programme will therefore seek stronger connections between urban tourism and the river region. It will also bring together waterways, ecology, agriculture, culture and island experiences. These components can create more sophisticated journeys across Southern Vietnam.

7.5 Million Visitors Signal Strong Demand

The previous cooperation programme produced measurable results for the Mekong Delta. According to the regional tourism cooperation council, travel companies brought approximately 7.5 million tourist arrivals into the region during 2020–2025. The figure demonstrates the commercial value of connecting the delta with Vietnam’s largest urban tourism gateway.

The programme also helped businesses explore new tourism products and establish interregional routes. Tourism product surveys and business networking initiatives encouraged closer cooperation between destinations and operators. These activities helped establish the foundation for the next five-year strategy.

The broader regional numbers are even more striking. The Mekong Delta recorded more than 63.3 million visitors in 2025, including over 3.6 million international visitors. Tourism revenue exceeded VND80 trillion, representing growth of 29.8 per cent.

These figures suggest that attracting visitors is no longer the region’s only challenge. The next objective is to encourage travellers to stay longer and spend more. That means developing stronger products, smoother connections and more compelling multi-destination itineraries.

Ho Chi Minh City Strengthens Its Gateway Role

The new strategy gives Ho Chi Minh City a more defined role within Southern Vietnam’s tourism economy. Rather than functioning only as a destination, the city is being positioned as a gateway into the Mekong Delta. This could significantly alter how international visitors structure their Vietnam itineraries.

The city already provides strong international connectivity and extensive tourism infrastructure. It offers museums, heritage buildings, restaurants, shopping, nightlife and business facilities. Those strengths can provide the opening stage for longer journeys into the river region.

Ho Chi Minh City welcomed about 8.5 million international visitors in 2025. Domestic arrivals reached approximately 45 million, while tourism revenue reached around VND260 trillion. For 2026, the city has set a target of 11 million international visitors and 50 million domestic visitors.

That scale gives Mekong Delta destinations access to an enormous potential feeder market. International travellers can arrive in Ho Chi Minh City before extending their journey towards river communities, agricultural areas and coastal destinations. Domestic travellers can similarly combine city breaks with weekend or longer regional experiences.

The model also benefits travel companies. Operators can develop packages covering several destinations rather than selling isolated excursions. That approach could increase average trip duration while creating more opportunities for hotels, restaurants, guides and local attractions.

Regional Routes Can Become Deeper

The most important change may involve the move from destination links to tourism value chains. A destination link simply connects two places, while a value chain connects the businesses and experiences supporting an entire journey. The latter approach can create broader economic benefits.

For travellers, the difference should become visible through better-designed itineraries. A visitor could combine Ho Chi Minh City’s urban attractions with river cruises, village experiences and agricultural tourism. The same journey could then extend towards wetlands, islands or coastal landscapes.

This transition has major implications for B2B tourism. Hotels, attractions, transport providers and tour operators can jointly design products. Local communities can also participate more directly through food, crafts, agriculture and cultural experiences.

The result could be a more connected tourism economy. Instead of visitors simply passing through several destinations, each stop could add another layer to the overall journey.

Mekong Delta Tourism Has Greater Scale

The Mekong Delta’s recent performance shows why this strategy matters. More than 63.3 million visitors travelled through the region during 2025. International visitors exceeded 3.6 million, while tourism revenue crossed VND80 trillion.

Can Tho provides a particularly useful example of this growth. The city attracted more than 11 million visitors in 2025, including nearly 450,000 international visitors. Tourism revenue approached VND10 trillion during the year.

An Giang also reported substantial tourism activity. The province welcomed more than 24.1 million visitors in 2025, including almost two million international arrivals. Tourism revenue approached VND68 trillion.

These figures demonstrate that the delta is not a niche tourism market. Instead, it has become a substantial regional tourism economy. The challenge now lies in improving the quality and distribution of that demand.

Authorities have previously identified fragmented products and limited premium accommodation as constraints. They have also pointed to overlapping experiences and inadequate regional connectivity. The new value-chain model attempts to address these structural weaknesses.

Travellers Could Discover More

For travellers, the most attractive benefit could be greater itinerary diversity. Ho Chi Minh City provides a dense urban experience, while the Mekong Delta offers a contrasting landscape of rivers, farms and communities. Combining both can produce a richer Southern Vietnam holiday.

The strategy could also encourage travellers to move beyond the familiar one-day Mekong Delta excursion. Longer itineraries allow visitors to experience the region at a slower pace. They also provide more opportunities for local businesses to benefit from tourism expenditure.

Can Tho can serve as an important regional base for river experiences. Ca Mau offers distinctive southern landscapes and coastal ecosystems. An Giang adds cultural and ecological attractions, while Phu Quoc provides an island dimension.

A more integrated regional network could connect these experiences more effectively. For travellers, that could mean less time arranging individual transfers and more time experiencing destinations.

Transport Will Decide The Outcome

The success of the strategy will depend heavily on infrastructure. Tourism cooperation cannot deliver seamless journeys if transport connections remain fragmented. Visitors need reliable roads, waterways, airports and transfer services.

Travel companies also need predictable operating conditions. Coordinated schedules can make multi-destination packages easier to sell. Better connections can also reduce travel time between attractions.

Accommodation presents another important consideration. The region needs enough quality properties to support travellers who want to stay several nights. Higher-value accommodation could also help the Mekong Delta attract premium and experiential travellers.

Government analysis has previously identified shortages in high-end hotels and resorts. It has also highlighted limitations in tourism infrastructure and regional connectivity. Addressing those gaps will be crucial if authorities want to convert visitor volume into higher-value tourism.

The region’s waterways offer another opportunity. River-based travel can become an important part of the destination’s identity. However, operators will need to balance commercial expansion with environmental protection and visitor safety.

Sustainable Tourism Gains Importance

Sustainability will increasingly influence the region’s tourism development. The Mekong Delta’s rivers, wetlands, agricultural landscapes and coastal ecosystems are central to its visitor appeal. Protecting these resources therefore has direct commercial importance.

Community-based tourism can help distribute economic benefits more widely. Local families can participate through food experiences, handicrafts, accommodation and agricultural activities. Such models can create more authentic encounters while supporting local livelihoods.

Agricultural tourism offers another significant opportunity. Visitors can move beyond simply viewing orchards or farms. Operators can build experiences around harvesting, cooking, food production and local traditions.

Ho Chi Minh City is also developing its own green tourism agenda. The city has increasingly promoted sustainable accommodation and environmentally responsible tourism businesses. Stronger regional cooperation could extend those principles into the Mekong Delta.

The result could be a broader Southern Vietnam tourism proposition. Urban sustainability, river conservation and community tourism can reinforce one another. That would give the region a stronger position among travellers seeking responsible experiences.

International Markets Offer New Potential

The partnership arrives as Ho Chi Minh City expands its international tourism ambitions. During the first eight months of 2026, the city recorded about 7.77 million international visitors. Domestic arrivals reached around 35.5 million during the same period.

Tourism revenue reached approximately VND259.7 trillion, representing growth of 48.8 per cent. Those figures underline the city’s growing capacity to feed demand into neighbouring destinations.

The city’s international tourism business ecosystem can also support the Mekong Delta. Trade fairs, travel buyers and international operators provide channels for promoting regional products. A coordinated Southern Vietnam proposition can be easier to market than several disconnected destinations.

The 2026 International Travel Expo Ho Chi Minh City further illustrates this potential. The event was expected to bring together more than 520 exhibitors and brands. It also anticipated 260 international buyers and around 21,000 pre-arranged B2B appointments.

For regional tourism companies, such platforms can provide access to international distribution networks. The next challenge will be turning those meetings into commercially viable multi-destination products.

How The New Model Differs

The 2020–2025 programme primarily demonstrated that cooperation could survive disruption and generate visitor flows. The 2026–2030 programme is more ambitious because it focuses on the structure behind those flows. It seeks to connect markets, products, businesses and destinations.

This represents a notable evolution in tourism policy. Instead of measuring success primarily through activities and visitor numbers, authorities are looking towards economic quality. Longer stays, higher expenditure and stronger local participation provide more meaningful indicators.

The approach also reflects a broader trend in destination management. Tourism regions increasingly compete through complete experiences rather than individual attractions. Connectivity therefore becomes a product advantage rather than simply an infrastructure issue.

What Travellers Should Expect Next

Travellers should watch for more combined Ho Chi Minh City and Mekong Delta packages during the 2026–2030 period. These could include city stays followed by river journeys, agricultural experiences and coastal extensions. The strongest products are likely to combine several experiences without making the itinerary feel rushed.

Visitors should also consider spending more than one day in the Mekong Delta. Longer stays can provide deeper cultural encounters and reduce the pressure of fast excursions. They can also expose travellers to smaller communities that receive less attention from conventional day tours.

Can Tho remains an important gateway for river-based experiences. Ca Mau offers southernmost landscapes, while An Giang provides cultural and ecological attractions. Phu Quoc adds beaches and island experiences to the wider Southern Vietnam proposition.

Travellers should verify transport schedules and seasonal conditions before booking. River excursions can depend on weather and water conditions. Travellers should also choose responsible operators that respect communities and environmental regulations.

For official information, visitors can consult the Vietnam National Authority of Tourism and the Ho Chi Minh City Government Portal when planning regional travel.

Southern Vietnam Targets Greater Tourism Value

The next phase in Ho Chi Minh City Mekong Delta tourism cooperation will not just concern increased visitor numbers. That region already has considerable visitor numbers. The goal now is to move beyond volume to quality.

Ho Chi Minh City has the visitor numbers and international connectivity to be an excellent gateway to the region. The Mekong Delta region has riparian culture, agriculture, and abundant waterways to offer something unique. Combining these would strengthen the value of Southern Vietnam tourism.

The new cooperation agreement highlights a shift towards developing integrated tourism value chains. It permits simultaneous development of tourism products, sharing of markets and resources, as well as the offering of more comprehensive multi-stop travel.

Tomorrow will show how cooperative implementation of tourism partnerships will strengthen Volare’s regional connectivity and enhance tourism offerings in Southern Vietnam.