MICE tourism is the "golden goose", what should Vietnam do to exploit it?

(Dan Tri) - Many MICE tourists (tourism activities combined with seminars, conferences, incentives, events) coming to Vietnam are willing to spend a lot of money. The question is what Vietnam needs to do to attract more visitors.

On the morning of September 26, the Vietnam Tourism Association (VITA) coordinated with the Vietnam MICE Tourism Association to organize a MICE tourism business connection event (MICE EXPO 2025) with the theme "Heritage and Technology - Driving force for MICE development in the new era".

Mr. Ha Van Sieu assessed that MICE tourism is one of the fastest growing sectors of Vietnam's tourism industry (Photo: Organizing Committee).

Speaking at the event, Mr. Ha Van Sieu, Deputy Director of the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism, assessed MICE tourism as one of the important, strategic and fastest growing tourism types in the Vietnamese tourism industry.

According to a report by the World Tourism Organization, global MICE tourism revenue is expected to reach about 1,400 billion USD by 2025. In which the Asia- Pacific region plays a key role, Vietnam is considered a potential destination for MICE tourism in the region.

However, although considered a "gold mine", according to many experts, Vietnam has not yet fully exploited the source of tourists from this type of tourism.

Sharing at the event, Mr. Dang Manh Phuoc, CEO of The Outbox Company, said that statistical models show that MICE tourism in Vietnam is growing positively, but there is still a gap compared to leading regional markets such as Singapore or Thailand.

Besides the conference activities, MICE EXPO 2025 also has connections between MICE tourism businesses (Photo: Tran Thanh Cong).

Statistics show that the majority of MICE visitors come to Vietnam for the purpose of attending meetings, seminars and exhibitions.

Of these, the group of guests attending business meetings - especially sales meetings - accounts for the highest proportion. This is considered a competitive advantage of Vietnam thanks to the scale of the domestic consumer market of more than 100 million people, attracting many large brands to organize events to meet agents, introduce products...

“The average stay of MICE visitors in Vietnam is 4-5 nights, with spending of about 500-1,000 USD (13.2 million VND - 26.4 million VND) per trip. Notably, nearly 30% of visitors spend up to 2,000 USD (more than 52 million VND), showing the huge spending potential of this group of tourists,” Mr. Phuoc emphasized.

In addition to attending conferences or exhibitions, MICE visitors are also interested in experiencing local cuisine and short-term sightseeing activities in Vietnam. This is considered a great opportunity for travel companies to introduce cultural and heritage tours, contributing to promoting the image of Vietnam and creating a deep impression on international visitors.

Giving advice to help Vietnam attract MICE tourists and create impressive products, Dr. Trinh Le Anh (Vice President of Vietnam MICE Tourism Association) said that heritage and technology are not two opposing forces. They are two wings of a pair of wings, together helping Vietnam MICE Tourism take off and reach far.

“The combination of these two elements can create a new “playing field” – where the value of a MICE destination is not only measured by square meters of convention center, but by the depth of unique cultural experiences supported by technology.

Heritage provides content, stories, and emotional depth. Technology, in turn, provides the means, scale, and intelligence to tell heritage stories more compellingly, pervasively, and effectively than ever before,” said Dr. Trinh Le Anh.

Dr. Trinh Le Anh believes that the combination of two factors, heritage and technology, can create a new "playground" - a place to create the value of a MICE destination (Photo: Organizing Committee).

According to Dr. Trinh Le Anh, if a high-class MICE product is like a living body, then heritage is the soul, and technology is the body in the digital age.

Vietnam has a competitive advantage when owning 8 World Cultural and Natural Heritages recognized by UNESCO and 16 Intangible Cultural Heritages registered by UNESCO. Regarding tangible cultural heritage, Vietnam has unique event spaces that are not found anywhere else in the world, such as the Imperial Citadel of Thang Long or the Ancient Capital of Hue.

In addition, the Vice President of the MICE Tourism Club said that the country has more than 2,000 craft villages and villages with crafts. Vietnam has a huge "warehouse" of events with about 8,000 large and small festivals held annually along with top performing arts.

"Vietnam has traditional knowledge and crafts, especially cuisine. By 2024, Vietnam's culinary tourism industry is estimated to be worth about 7 billion USD.

Instead of a typical European-Asian menu, 5-star hotels have organized "Guest Chef Dinner" events, inviting folk culinary artists to perform and tell the story behind each dish, elevating the party into a profound cultural experience," said Mr. Trinh Le Anh.

Mr. Trinh Le Anh said that to turn potential into real competitive strength, Vietnam needs a synchronous strategy: Building a MICE brand based on heritage; developing smart infrastructure; training high-quality human resources; and encouraging public-private cooperation.

Source: https://dantri.com.vn/du-lich/du-lich-mice-la-con-ga-de-trung-vang-viet-nam-lam-gi-de-khai-thac-20250926200856756.htm