Ho Chi Minh City, Venuemagz.com – As part of the 20th International Travel Expo Ho Chi Minh City (ITE HCMC 2026), the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, in coordination with the Ho Chi Minh City People’s Committee, convened the ITE HCMC 2026 High-Level Tourism Forum under the theme “MICE Tourism in the New Era: Sustainability – Connectivity – Opportunity.” The Forum was held at the Saigon Exhibition and Convention Center (SECC) in Ho Chi Minh City.
The Forum brought together senior government leaders, representatives of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, leaders of Ho Chi Minh City, ASEAN tourism ministers and heads of delegation, diplomatic representatives, international organizations, industry associations, experts and tourism businesses from Vietnam and around the world.
The programme was chaired and moderated by Deputy Prime Minister Pham Thi Thanh Tra, Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Lam Thi Phuong Thanh, and Vice Chairman of the Ho Chi Minh City People’s Committee Nguyen Loc Ha, with more than 300 delegates, including leading experts and executives from major domestic and international tourism groups.
The Forum focused on major shifts in the MICE market, the growing imperative for sustainable development, technology adoption, policy frameworks and public-private partnerships, seeking practical solutions to strengthen Vietnam’s competitiveness and progressively establish the country as a leading MICE destination in the region and on the global stage.
Government Calls for a Modern, Green and Globally Competitive MICE Ecosystem
In her keynote address, Deputy Prime Minister Pham Thi Thanh Tra welcomed the Forum’s theme and emphasized the need to develop a modern, interconnected MICE ecosystem with international competitiveness.
The Deputy Prime Minister stressed that Vietnam’s ambition extends beyond becoming a venue for major events. The country seeks to become a trusted partner and a responsible, active contributor to shaping the future of the global MICE industry – making it greener, smarter, more innovative and more sustainable.
For the Mekong sub-region and Southeast Asia, the Deputy Prime Minister called for a shift from fragmented competition towards the co-creation of a regional MICE ecosystem, built around three pillars:
Expanding markets together: Developing multi-country MICE itineraries and joint destination promotion.
Raising quality together: Advancing greener and smarter MICE practices and sharing common standards.
Creating new value together: Connecting MICE with trade, investment, innovation and the cultural and creative industries.
To advance the goal of positioning MICE as a key economic sector, the Deputy Prime Minister called on ministries, sectors and local authorities to focus on four priorities:
1. Strengthening institutions and infrastructure: The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism is tasked with urgently developing a National MICE Development Strategy, establishing mechanisms to attract global MICE groups and upgrading exhibition and convention facilities to international standards.
2. Innovating products and destination branding: Connecting MICE with culture, heritage and the night-time economy, while moving from individual events towards building internationally recognized event brands.
3. Advancing green and digital transformation: Developing green MICE standards, accelerating the application of artificial intelligence and big data, and strengthening the tourism workforce to meet global standards.
4. Strengthening Ho Chi Minh City’s leadership role: The City is encouraged to build on its pioneering position and strive to become a leading MICE hub in the region, while developing ITE HCMC into a major Asian platform for connecting tourism policy and destinations.
The Government also emphasized the importance of translating the Forum’s initiatives and recommendations into concrete policies and actionable programmes, while strengthening cooperation among government agencies, international organizations, industry associations and the business community.
The Deputy Prime Minister concluded with a message of shared progress: “If we want to go far, we must go together; if we want to reach greater heights, we must rise together.”
The spirit of Vietnam, she emphasized, is to connect, accompany one another and create new opportunities for development together.
From Vietnam’s Vision to Global MICE Trends and Opportunities
Building on the Government’s strategic direction, Session 1 – Presentations on MICE Tourism Development broadened the discussion from Vietnam’s development strategy to major shifts in the international market, sustainability requirements and opportunities for regional cooperation.
The session featured Mr. Ha Van Sieu, Deputy Director General of the Vietnam National Authority of Tourism, who presented “Vietnam MICE Tourism: A New Vision”; Mr. David Mann, Chief Economist for Asia Pacific at Mastercard; Ms. Rita Kuan, Market Strategy Manager at the Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC); and Mr. Noor Ahmad Hamid, CEO of the Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) and former Regional Director for Asia Pacific at the International Congress and Convention Association (ICCA).
The presentations approached MICE development from complementary perspectives: Vietnam’s vision and destination competitiveness; data-driven market trends; sustainable MICE development; and the role of connectivity and international events in expanding opportunities for investment, trade and cooperation.
Together, these perspectives raised a central question for the sector: How can Vietnam translate its MICE potential and emerging opportunities into genuine destination competitiveness within the region?
Multi-Stakeholder Dialogue: From Trends to Practical Solutions
Following Session 1, Session 2 – “MICE Tourism in the New Era: Sustainability – Connectivity – Opportunity” expanded the dialogue among international experts and the business community.
Moderated by Mr. Noor Ahmad Hamid, CEO of PATA, the panel featured Mr. David Mann, Chief Economist for Asia Pacific at Mastercard; Ms. Rita Kuan, Market Strategy Manager at GSTC; Mr. Nguyen Van Hai, Director of Market Development at Vinpearl; Ms. Tran Nguyen, Deputy CEO of the Entertainment and Hospitality Division at Sun Group; and Mr. Nguyen Huu Y Yen, Chairman of the Members’ Council of Saigontourist Travel Service Company Limited.
The discussion addressed practical priorities including MICE market trends and data; solutions for organizing greener events and measuring sustainability impacts; innovation and technology adoption; and public-private partnership (PPP) models capable of translating MICE support policies into tangible economic value.
These discussions also addressed key market bottlenecks and explored recommendations that could be translated into policies, action programmes and concrete cooperation models.
Ho Chi Minh City Aspires to Become a Regional MICE Connectivity Hub
For Ho Chi Minh City, MICE development is being approached from a broader perspective – not simply as a means of attracting international events and visitor groups, but as a mechanism for generating economic, trade, investment, knowledge and destination-brand value.
Building on its position as a major economic, commercial and international connectivity hub, Ho Chi Minh City is ready to work alongside the Government, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, localities, the business community and international partners to strengthen the MICE development environment, promote investment, improve workforce capabilities, develop infrastructure, accelerate technology adoption and create MICE products with distinctive local identity, high quality and regional competitiveness.
From this perspective, the value of MICE events extends well beyond the duration of an individual event. It lies in the relationships created after the event, the quality and value of visitors, their spending and length of stay, and the wider economic impact generated across other sectors.
From Forum to Action
With the participation of government authorities, international organizations, industry associations, experts and the business community, the ITE HCMC 2026 High-Level Tourism Forum provided a multi-stakeholder platform for dialogue on the future of MICE, identifying sustainability, connectivity and opportunity as fundamental pillars for strengthening destination competitiveness.
In her concluding remarks, Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Lam Thi Phuong Thanh emphasized the need to incorporate the initiatives and recommendations emerging from the Forum into concrete policies and actionable programmes. She also called on localities to take pioneering roles; businesses to make digital and green transformation core sources of competitiveness; and international organizations to continue supporting Vietnam through data sharing, technical expertise and connections with global events.
This message reinforces the Forum’s overarching direction: MICE is not merely a high-value tourism segment, but an increasingly important platform for cooperation, a driver of economic growth and a new field of competition in global tourism.
From policy to action, connectivity to cooperation, and growth to sustainability, the ITE HCMC 2026 High-Level Tourism Forum contributes to expanding the MICE cooperation platform between Vietnam, the region and the world, towards building a professional, innovative, green and internationally competitive MICE ecosystem.
