HCM CITY — Hồ Chí Minh City’s Department of Tourism has officially launched its 2025 summer tourism stimulus programme, unveiling a series of cultural and culinary experiences aimed at reinforcing the city’s image as a vibrant, welcoming and diverse destination.

Key highlights include the “Find Your Flavour” food tour series and “The Essence Shines”, a multi-sensory art performance.

Running from July to August, “Find Your Flavour” aims to become a key offering of this summer by integrating activities such as food passports, interactive games, videos, and all-in-one culinary city tours in partnership with local travel agencies and restaurants.

Meanwhile, “The Essence Shines”, developed by the municipal Department of Culture and Sports, uses cutting-edge video art, light, sound, and spatial motion to depict iconic literary and artistic works from the city’s last five decades. The programme also features creative side events including comic creation contests, digital art exhibitions on HCM City history, children’s painting sessions and weekend art playgrounds.

According to the Department of Tourism, the initiative serves as both an artistic showcase and a creative learning space, inspiring cultural engagement, especially among the youth. Blending traditional art with modern technology, it highlights HCM City as a creative hub where culture is shared in a fresh, friendly way.

Recently, the digital travel platform Agoda ranked HCM City as the top destination for short getaways in Việt Nam. Dubbed the "city that never sleeps", it offers a dynamic mix of street food and nightlife, catering to the growing preference among Vietnamese travellers for quick, energy-recharging trips.

Vũ Ngọc Lâm, Director of Agoda in Việt Nam, noted that short trips are making it easier to explore cultural centres and lesser-known destinations, with Vietnam’s diverse landscapes and intercity connectivity offering plenty of opportunities for both short and extended journeys.

HCM City attracted nearly 1.64 million foreign visitors in the first three months of this year, up 18.2 per cent from the same period in 2024, the city’s Department of Tourism said.

During the period, the southern economic hub also welcomed over 8.57 million domestic tourists, marking a year-on-year increase of 6.3 per cent.

Total tourism revenue rose 26.7 per cent year-on-year to VNĐ56.66 trillion (US$2.21 billion), achieving 21.8 per cent of the 2025 plan. VNA/VNS