HCMC POSTS RECORD TET TOURISM REVENUE

Foreign tourists take a group selfie together in front of the Central Post Office in downtown HCMC - PHOTO: HOAI PHONG

HCMC – HCMC generated an estimated VND12.15 trillion in tourism revenue during the 2026 Tet holiday, up 42.9% from the same period in 2025. This marked the highest tourism revenue ever recorded by the city during a Lunar New Year (Tet) break.

During the nine-day holiday from February 14 to 22, the city welcomed about 4.32 million visitors, an increase of 35% year-on-year. International arrivals reached 170,000, up 51.7% compared with Tet 2025. Average hotel occupancy stood at around 75%, up 10 percentage points.

The Department of Tourism said the results were driven by coordinated cultural, tourism, and festival activities held across the city, creating strong demand for urban tourism and short-stay travel.

Major attractions in the city center, including Nguyen Hue Flower Street, Tao Dan Park, and the traditional Tet flower market, drew large crowds of residents and visitors.

Nearby coastal destinations such as Vung Tau, Long Hai, Ho Tram, and Ho Coc also saw increased overnight stays, mainly from visitors traveling from HCMC and southeastern provinces.

Gia Lai Province welcomed an estimated 848,000 tourists during Tet 2026, up 16% year-on-year. Overnight stays reached around 117,000, an increase of 25.5%. Tourism revenue was estimated at VND900 billion.

Vinh Long reported approximately 210,178 visitors, up 10.3% from a year earlier. International visitors accounted for 29,374 arrivals, up 26.1%. Tourism revenue reached VND189.1 billion, an increase of 14.4% year-on-year.

Khanh Hoa Province welcomed around 735,000 visitors during the first seven days of the Tet holiday, up more than 12.1% compared with the same period last year, according to the provincial Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism.

Source: The Saigon Times