Solutions for Vung Tau - Ho Chi Minh City to retain long-term tourists

VTV.vn - Vung Tau Ward, 2 hours away from the center of Ho Chi Minh City, is considered to need more cultural and entertainment products at night to attract long-stay guests.

Ms. Phuong Thao, living in Cat Lai ward, shared that Vung Tau is a familiar resort destination for her whole family. Every year, Ms. Thao's family usually goes to Vung Tau 2 to 3 times but only stays one night and returns the next day. "My family goes to Vung Tau mainly to swim and eat seafood. There are not many sightseeing activities here, especially in the evening, so my family usually only stays one night."

Most tourists to Vung Tau have the same mentality of staying for a short time because they don't have much experience. Vung Tau is now a ward of Ho Chi Minh City, with the advantage of only being about 2 hours away from the city center, this destination is popular with domestic tourists, but the rate of overnight stays is low. This is a big challenge, affecting revenue and tourism development potential.

Thang Tam Tower, a new check-in address for tourists in Vung Tau ward.

In the first quarter of 2025, Ba Ria - Vung Tau (formerly) welcomed more than 4.5 million visitors, with over 1.25 million staying guests, up 7.6% over the same period, with revenue reaching VND 5,083 billion. By June 2025, the number of visitors continued to increase, with more than 2.1 million, with revenue exceeding VND 2,000 billion. The province's goal for 2025 is to welcome more than 18 million visitors, with revenue reaching VND 19,800 billion, equivalent to an average spending of about VND 1.08 million/visitor. However, the rate of staying in Vung Tau is only about 25-30% of the total number of visitors, lower than Nha Trang or Phan Thiet (usually over 40%), causing the coastal city of Ho Chi Minh City to not fully exploit its advantages. After merging into Ho Chi Minh City, travel businesses have adjusted their products, focusing on short-term packages combined with local experiences, but still recognize the need for strong improvements to extend stays and increase spending.

Ms. Huynh Phan Phuong Hoang, Deputy General Director of Vietravel , said that the company is implementing beach tours, weekend resorts, cultural - spiritual - culinary tours, along with team building and MICE programs. "The company has increased the 2-day-1-night resort package, promoted night experiences such as cuisine, coastal streets, and art shows to retain customers, and at the same time connected to neighboring destinations such as Long Hai - Ho Tram - Con Dao," Ms. Hoang said. This adjustment helps Vietravel diversify its services, from package tours to customized tours for small groups, taking advantage of the close distance to attract individual customers from Ho Chi Minh City.

Ms. Tran Thi Bao Thu, Marketing and Communications Director of Vietluxtour, said that after the merger, the company launched the "New Era Vietnam" product line with the Southeast inter-regional route, providing short-term products of 1-2 nights focusing on Back Beach - Front Beach, Ho May cable car, culinary city tour; partial services such as room booking, car rental; and MICE tourism under 500 guests combined with beach team building. She said the change brought convenience in promotion and procedures, helping to stabilize the number of guests. But both businesses agreed that shifting products was not enough to prolong the stay, requiring more unique experiences and higher-class services.

Although it is a familiar destination for tourists from Ho Chi Minh City and neighboring areas, Vung Tau still faces a major problem with low overnight stay rates, leading to low average spending and untapped tourism potential. Ms. Hoang emphasized that Vung Tau has a lower overnight stay rate than Nha Trang and Phan Thiet; most individual tourists from the city travel back and forth on the same day due to the distance of only 2 hours by car, and they do not need to stay; there are not many attractive entertainment, culinary, shopping or night show activities; the resort ecosystem and large-scale entertainment complexes are still limited, and the resort experience lacks distinction. Vietravel representatives pointed out that the lack of unique products and in-depth services causes tourists to stay for a short time, affecting revenue.

Sharing the same view, Vietluxtour's representative also emphasized that the geographical location (1.5-2.5 hours by road, 90-120 minutes by speedboat) has become a weakness: "The proportion of visitors returning during the day and staying 1 night is higher than that of distant destinations; accommodation facilities are not diversified in the 4-5 star segment, supply is greater than demand at peak times; there is a lack of night products after 8pm, scattered activities, small scale, no 'signature show' or iconic check-in point", Ms. Thu said and added that compared to Nha Trang, Phan Thiet or Phu Quoc, Vung Tau is less attractive in terms of entertainment, relaxation, sea sports, especially for inbound and high-end guests, despite low travel costs. Both businesses believe that the reason comes from Vung Tau's lack of high-end services, night-time economy and wellness - spa - yacht products, making it easy for tourists to leave after a day.

High-end accommodation facilities in Vung Tau ward are not diverse and lack unique products.

To overcome the short-stay situation and increase attractiveness, businesses propose focusing on developing the night-time economy, unique products and infrastructure, aiming to extend the stay from 1-2 nights to 3 nights, while increasing spending and return visits.

Ms. Hoang from Vietravel suggested solutions to develop culinary streets - night markets, organize light shows, water music, regular cultural events; form sea identity services such as night sports, squid fishing tours, canoeing to see the city; promote investment in resort - entertainment - shopping complexes with wellness, MICE, golf to help guests stay longer. According to her, these measures will make a difference, turning Vung Tau into a destination that is not only close but also worth staying, contributing to achieving the target revenue.

Vietluxtour representative proposed three main axes: Signature night experiences with regular unique night events; integrated resort with urban resort with F&B - spa - show - conference - shopping; synchronous transportation chain from pier to hotel - show - cuisine. Ms. Thu suggested that in the next 6-12 months, it is necessary to organize "Vung Tau Bay" walking streets on weekends, Sunset-Night Cruise combo, "Vung Tau after Dark Pass" card. In the medium term of 12-24 months, there should be big festivals, cultural storytelling sea shows and in the next 2-3 years, focus on investing in product infrastructure in 4-5 star hotel chains, building landscape space, lighting, and traffic connections.

"With the signature night show and new infrastructure, Vung Tau can extend the stay to 3 days 2 nights, increase spending, and balance the season," said Ms. Thu.

Mr. Nguyen Tan Ban, Secretary of the Vung Tau Ward Party Committee, at the September 2025 meeting, also proposed to organize major festivals from culture to sports and tourism in Vung Tau to attract tourists, while taking advantage of the landscape and service infrastructure to develop medical tourism, targeting the group of tourists who want to relax and take care of their health. If implemented synchronously, Vung Tau can affirm its position as a "sea capital", contributing to the growth of tourism in Ho Chi Minh City.

Source: https://vtv.vn/giai-phap-de-vung-tau-tp-ho-chi-minh-giu-chan-du-khach-dai-ngay-100250926082615086.htm