Ho Chi Minh City has entered 2026 holding its strongest hand yet for corporate events. A new city resolution, a wave of fresh venue supply, and steadily improving transport have combined to make Vietnam’s business capital more attractive than ever for companies planning conferences, incentives, and large team gatherings.
A first-of-its-kind incentive policy
In December 2025, the Ho Chi Minh City People’s Council approved Resolution No. 62, a policy designed to attract groups attending conferences, seminars, and exhibitions combined with tourism. What makes it notable is its permanence: rather than the short-term, administrative support offered in the past, the city has written MICE incentives into a formal legal framework that runs through 2030.
According to the city’s Department of Tourism, the support targets qualifying corporate groups—reported to apply to delegations of 100 or more staying at least three nights—and rewards events that promote Ho Chi Minh City internationally as a business destination. For planners, that signals a city competing seriously for corporate budgets against regional rivals like Bangkok and Singapore.
The numbers behind the momentum
The ambition is concrete. The city expects to welcome roughly 110 MICE delegations in 2026, with combined spending topping VND 1 trillion (about US$40 million), according to Vietnam News. By 2030, the target rises to 270 delegations. MICE tourism, officials note, tends to bring higher per-visitor spending and longer stays than leisure travel.
Why HCMC keeps winning corporate events
- Named Asia’s Best MICE Destination for four consecutive years at the World MICE Awards.
- More than 80 four- and five-star hotels offering over 17,700 rooms.
- Over 60 venues built for large-scale conferences and exhibitions.
- SECC in District 7 scales to roughly 10,000 attendees for major events.
New venues and better connectivity
Supply is keeping pace with demand. The JW Marriott that opened in District 1 added the area’s largest pillar-free hotel ballroom—around 818 square metres, seating about 600 for a banquet or up to 1,200 for a reception—giving planners a fresh premium option downtown.
Getting people between venues is getting easier, too. The expanding metro network is trimming cross-district travel times, making it realistic to pair a morning conference with an afternoon offsite. Further out, the long-awaited Long Thanh International Airport is moving toward completion, promising to ease pressure on Tan Son Nhat and add capacity for inbound delegations.
A flagship event to anchor the calendar
The year’s marquee industry moment lands in late summer: the 20th International Travel Expo Ho Chi Minh City (ITE HCMC 2026) runs August 27–29 at the Saigon Exhibition and Convention Center, under the theme “Vibrant Connections – Global Destinations.” For companies eyeing the city, it’s a useful signal of how active and well-connected the local events ecosystem has become.
What it means for corporate planners
The takeaway is simple: 2026 is a strong year to bring a corporate event to Ho Chi Minh City. Policy support, new ballrooms, and faster transit lower both cost and risk—but the same momentum means peak dates (year-end and the post-Tet window) will fill early.
The practical move is to lock venues and dates well ahead, and to work with a local partner who can navigate the new incentives, the venue landscape, and the logistics in one place. That’s exactly where a Saigon-based team earns its keep.
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Sources: Ho Chi Minh City People’s Council (Resolution No. 62/2025); Ho Chi Minh City Department of Tourism; Vietnam News; World MICE Awards; ITE HCMC 2026 organisers. Figures cited as reported in early 2026.
