Ho Chi Minh City, the jewel of the Vietnamese south, reaffirmed its position as one of the world’s foremost destinations at the World Travel Awards (WTA) 2025.
During the ceremony held on 13th October in Hong Kong, Ho Chi Minh City came away with the top honours in four categories.
These were:
- Asia's Leading Business Travel Destination 2025, the fourth time that the city has taken the win in the category;
- Asia's Leading Festival & Event Destination 2025, HCMC’s fourth consecutive win (2022–2025);
- Asia's Leading City Tourist Board 2025 which it won for a third consecutive year, having taken the win in 2023 and 2024; and
- Asia's Leading Coastal City Break Destination 2025 for Vung Tau, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, the area’s first win in the category.
These four prestigious awards not only honor the city’s relentless efforts toward sustainable tourism development, but also mark an important milestone in promoting the Vibrant Ho Chi Minh City brand.
As such, Ho Chi Minh City stands as an inviting, friendly, and dynamic destination, confidently moving forward with the global tourism industry’s robust growth.
With regard to these triumphs, HCMC Department of Tourism deputy director Bui Thi Ngoc Hieu enthused: “Being continuously recognized by the international community at the 2025 World Travel Awards is a great honor and a powerful motivation for the city’s tourism sector to keep innovating and creating. Our goal is to position Ho Chi Minh City as a leading tourism hub in the Asia-Pacific region.”
Standing tall as a mega tourism city
Along with a slew of previous awards, Ho Chi Minh City’s four wins at WTA 2025 serve as a powerful testament to the city’s prestige, attractiveness, and sustainable growth potential.
This success reflects not only the city’s ongoing efforts to improve service quality and diversify tourism products, but also highlights its image as a dynamic, modern, and creative metropolis that remains deeply rooted in cultural identity, a unique strength that continues to captivate both domestic and international visitors.
Notably, Vung Tau, previously part of Ba Ria - Vung Tau province and now under Ho Chi Minh City following recent administrative reorganisation, was recognised for the first time as Asia’s Leading Coastal City Break Destination 2025.
This milestone further enhances the image of Vietnam’s coastal and island tourism, while expanding the visibility of Ho Chi Minh City’s tourism brand across the region and the world.
National pride
Alongside Ho Chi Minh City’s outstanding achievements, Vietnam was also honored with two prestigious titles at WTA 2025; namely Asia’s Leading Destination 2025 for a seventh consecutive year, and Asia’s Leading Heritage Destination 2025 for a third year in a row.
These awards are a source of great national pride, reflecting the robust, comprehensive, and sustainable growth of Vietnam’s tourism industry in recent years.
Several destinations, businesses, and organizations across Vietnam were also recognised in other categories.
These were:
- Hanoi - Asia’s Leading City Destination and Asia’s Leading Short Break Destination;
- Hoi An - Asia’s Leading Cultural City Destination;
- Ninh Binh - Asia’s Leading Emerging Destination;
- Van Don- Asia’s Leading Regional Airport;
- Phong Nha - Ke Bang - Asia’s Leading National Park;
- Moc Chau - Asia’s Leading Regional Nature Destination;
- Vietnam Airlines- Asia’s Leading Airline Brand;
- VietJet Air - Asia’s Leading Customer Experience Airline; and
- Bamboo Airways - Asia’s Leading Regional Airline.
A tourism star in Asia and beyond
In the first nine months of 2025, Ho Chi Minh City welcomed approximately 5.8 million international visitors and 29 million domestic visitors, with an estimated tourism revenue of VND184.629 trillion.
That said, the city is well on track to achieve its 2025 targets of welcoming ten million international visitors and 50 million domestic tourists.
These impressive figures demonstrate the city’s strong appeal and reaffirm its role as a “mega tourism metropolis” - the vibrant center of a cultural, riverine, and modern identity triangle.
Indeed, the awards received by Vietnam and Ho Chi Minh City at WTA 2025 are not only a recognition of achievements but also a strong source of inspiration and motivation for the country’s tourism sector to continue affirming its position on the global tourism map.
In the context of increasing global competition, preserving cultural identity, protecting natural resources, enhancing service quality, and constantly innovating are the golden keys for Vietnam to continue rising and shining as one of the brightest stars of Asian tourism.
