By Đinh Hồng Kỳ – Tuổi Trẻ Online, August 12, 2025
Imagine that in 10 years, when international tourists mention Ho Chi Minh City, they won’t only talk about its beautiful scenery and cuisine, but also about the wonderful healing and wellness experiences they had here.
After the merger, Ho Chi Minh City has expanded to include a long coastline stretching from Can Gio to Vung Tau, as well as the Con Dao special economic zone—an outstanding advantage for developing marine and island tourism, something the city alone did not previously have.
At the same time, Ho Chi Minh City has long been the country’s leading medical hub, with many hospitals and high-quality healthcare services attracting patients from all over.
The combination of these two advantages opens up an opportunity to form a new key economic sector: medical tourism—targeting international visitors who want to enjoy both leisure and comprehensive healthcare. This is a fast-growing global trend, especially after the pandemic, as people have become more health-conscious in every journey.
The potential of the medical tourism market
According to the Ministry of Health, before COVID-19, around 300,000 foreign visitors came to Vietnam each year for medical treatment, with Ho Chi Minh City accounting for over 40% of the market, leading the country in medical tourism. The city had already established about 30 “health tours” combining sightseeing with services such as general health check-ups, dentistry, and cosmetic surgery. The goal by 2030 is to develop Ho Chi Minh City’s medical tourism products into a regional brand.
Globally, health tourism is a massive market, valued at nearly USD 105 billion in 2022 and projected to reach USD 273 billion by 2030. Asia leads this trend, with “powerhouses” such as Thailand, India, and Singapore.
In 2023, Thailand welcomed about 3 million medical tourists, generating USD 850 million in revenue, and aims to be among the world’s top five medical tourism destinations in the coming years.
Compared with Thailand or Singapore, Vietnam—especially Ho Chi Minh City—has many competitive advantages: medical costs are only 30–50% of Thailand’s, while treatment quality is on par, and in some high-tech procedures even superior.
Many patients from developed countries (the UK, Germany, Australia…) regularly come to Ho Chi Minh City University Medical Center for cosmetic surgery because it costs 6–10 times less than in their home countries, yet offers excellent quality and minimal waiting times. These examples show that the city’s medical brand has already built strong trust with a segment of international patients.
Diversifying health tourism products
Beyond surgery and medical treatment, the expanded Ho Chi Minh City can develop wellness tourism services focused on prevention and holistic health—such as mud baths, therapeutic spas, yoga and meditation retreats, and detox programs.
The Binh Chau hot springs area is a valuable resource that could be developed into an international-standard rehabilitation center, where elderly visitors can relax, soak in mineral springs, and receive physiotherapy for bone and joint pain.
Similarly, high-end seaside resorts in Con Dao and Long Hai could offer yoga and beach meditation packages, mental wellness programs, and stress relief retreats for the global affluent class. The trend of “mental wellness travel” is growing rapidly, with spending from this customer segment 50–100% higher than that of regular tourists.
To develop this new spearhead sector, branding and promotion will be crucial. The expanded Ho Chi Minh City could position itself as the “Vietnam Health Bay Area”, similar to how Bali (Indonesia) is developing a medical tourism hub in Sanur, aiming for revenue of IDR 20 trillion by 2045.
The city could also host an annual international medical tourism fair in Vung Tau or Ho Tram, inviting hospitals, travel agencies, and insurance companies from around the world to network and connect.
Addressing challenges in medical tourism
Naturally, developing medical tourism comes with challenges. Human resources are one—there’s currently a shortage of highly skilled medical staff. Additionally, around 40,000 Vietnamese still go abroad each year for treatment, spending billions of US dollars, which indicates that certain domestic medical fields have yet to win the trust of high-end patients.
If implemented well, this could become a new economic spearhead, generating substantial and sustainable revenue. Combining “healthy people” with “beautiful nature” in a single tourism product would give Ho Chi Minh City a distinctive edge over other destinations.
Imagine that in 10 years, when international visitors think of Ho Chi Minh City, they won’t just think of its beautiful sights and cuisine, but also about the perfect “2-in-1” experience of healing and leisure. That would be a double success—elevating tourism and pushing the healthcare industry into the regional arena—aligning with the goal of making Ho Chi Minh City the ASEAN hub for premium services.
Original article link on Tuổi Trẻ Online: https://tuoitre.vn/tp-hcm-dinh-hinh-mui-nhon-moi-du-lich-bien-gan-voi-cham-soc-suc-khoe-20250812151232934.htm
