Ho Chi Minh City, September 4, 2025, the High-Level Tourism Forum with the theme of Shaping the Future of Tourism: Towards Digital and Green Transformation will officially open at the Conference Room, 2nd Floor, SECC Exhibition and Convention Center, Ho Chi Minh City, from 10:00 AM to 12:30 PM on September 4, 2025. 

In the context that the global tourism industry is experiencing strong growth opening up breakthrough opportunities in market access, destination management, and personalized visitor experiences. It also poses challenges regarding competition, adaptation, innovation in sustainable and green development models, and the application of digital transformation for tourism development. Therefore, shaping a development strategy for the future is necessary. Within the framework of the Ho Chi Minh City International Travel Expo – ITE HCMC 2025, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, in coordination with the Ho Chi Minh City People’s Committee, is organizing the High-Level Tourism Forum with the theme of Shaping the Future of Tourism: Towards Digital and Green Transformation to discuss digital and green transformation solutions. It will also enhance competitiveness, expand international cooperation, and promote the sustainable development of Vietnam’s and the region’s tourism industry.

The Forum will be chaired and directed by Mr. Mai Van Chinh, Member of the Party Central Committee, Deputy Prime Minister of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam; Mr. Nguyen Van Hung, Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism; Mr. Nguyen Van Duoc, Member of the Party Central Committee, Deputy Secretary of the City Party Committee, and Chairman of the People’s Committee of Ho Chi Minh City; Mr. Ho An Phong, Deputy Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism; and Mr. Nguyen Van Dung, Member of the City Party Committee and Vice Chairman of the People’s Committee of Ho Chi Minh City. Also attending the Forum will be Mr. Tran Van Thuan, Deputy Minister of Health, Mr. Nguyen Trung Khanh, Chairman of Vietnam National Authority of Tourism, and other leaders representing departments, agencies, and institutes under the Ministries of Culture, Sports and Tourism, Industry and Trade, Health, Public Security, and Foreign Affairs, as well as leaders of People’s Committees and representatives from tourism management departments and tourism promotion centers of provinces and cities.

Regarding international guests and delegates, the Forum was attended by the following representatives: Mr. Huot Hak, Minister of Tourism of the Kingdom of Cambodia; Mr. Phyo Zaw Soe, Deputy Minister of Hotels and Tourism of Myanmar; Mr. Harry Hwang, Regional Director for Asia and the Pacific of the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UN Tourism); Ms. Thapanee Kiatphaibool, Director General of the Tourism Authority of Thailand; Ms. Kang Da Eun, Secretary General of the TPO General Assembly; Mr. Sergei S. Azarenkov, General Director of the State Budgetary Institution of Saint Petersburg “Convention and Exhibition Bureau”; Mr. Javanshir Bayramov, Deputy Executive Director of the Azerbaijan Tourism Board; along with representatives of the leaders of TPO member cities, diplomatic agencies, international organizations, leading international tourism experts, and senior leaders of global tourism corporations. The Forum was also attended by representatives of management agencies, local leaders, associations, tourism businesses, experts, scholars, and press agencies both domestically and internationally.

The opening speech at the High-Level Tourism Forum by Mr. Nguyen Van Hung, Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism, emphasized that “the forum aimed to facilitate exchanges, experience sharing, learning, collaboration, and the proposal of innovative solutions and ideas to promote digital and green transformation, with the goal of creating a sustainable, smart, and globally-adapted future for the tourism industry”. 

The Era of Strong and Urgent Transformation in the Global and Vietnamese Tourism Industry

The global context is entering a strong transformation era. The tourism industry faces the urgent need to restructure towards sustainability, adaptation, and creativity, with digital and green transformation as the two strategic pillars. This is not only an inevitable trend but also a key driver to help the tourism industry improve management efficiency, expand markets, personalize visitor experiences, and apply big data to the decision-making process, thereby enhancing national competitiveness and the quality of tourism experiences. 

In Decision No. 882/QD-TTg, which issued the National Action Plan on Green Growth for the period 2021-2030, the Vietnamese Government emphasized the prioritization of developing tourism types towards green growth and the development of green tourism products. Furthermore, in Resolution No. 82/NQ-CP on tasks and solutions to accelerate the recovery and development of sustainable tourism, the Government continued to direct the tourism industry to develop and implement the Green Tourism Action Program for the period 2023-2025, contributing to affirming Vietnam’s strong commitment to the process of integration and adaptation to the world’s sustainable development goals.

Responsible Tourism, Moving Towards Net-Zero – Shaping the Future of the Tourism Industry

In parallel with digital transformation, a major and increasingly urgent trend of global concern is green transformation. This is a top priority for nations in the current context as a driving force toward economic recovery and prosperity, environmental sustainability, and social equity. 

For Vietnam, adapting to climate change is both a responsibility and an opportunity to accelerate green transformation and sustainable development. This contributes to fulfilling the commitment to gradually phase out coal-fired thermal power by 2040 and achieve net-zero carbon emissions by 2050, which Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh announced at the 26th UN Climate Change Conference (COP26). 

Therefore, responsible tourism and moving towards Net-Zero are not just trends but the future of the tourism industry. To achieve the goal of reshaping how tourism explores the world, close cooperation is needed among governments, businesses, local communities, and tourists. Key factors will include policies that encourage sustainable tourism, educational programs to raise awareness, and continuous innovation in technology. 

Medical Tourism in the Trend of Digital and Green Transformation

Along with all other aspects of the country’s socio-economic life, Vietnam’s tourism industry is being strongly promoted toward digitalization, greening, and sustainability, in line with global trends and the country’s practical needs. Within this context, medical tourism is also a high-potential field that is increasingly receiving attention from the international community. Digital transformation is enhancing service quality, while green transformation is shaping the standards for sustainable development. Medical tourism promises to be a breakthrough direction, delivering economic benefits while helping to elevate Vietnam’s position on the global tourism map through a tourism-health care product.

Medical tourism is emerging as a potential field, harmoniously combining high-quality healthcare services and unique tourism experiences, contributing to enhancing Vietnam’s image and competitiveness as a destination. 

To realize this direction, a Ceremony to Announce the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Ministry of Health on cooperation for the effective and sustainable development of medical tourism for the 2025–2030 period was held within the framework of the High-Level Tourism Forum. Deputy Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Ho An Phong and Deputy Minister of Health Tran Van Thuan exchanged the MoU under the witness of Deputy Prime Minister Mai Van Chinh and other delegates. This is a significant milestone, creating a legal foundation and providing direction for close cooperation between the two sectors, which will help Vietnam’s medical tourism develop professionally, sustainably, and integrate internationally. 

To thoroughly achieve the goals in the effort to shape the future of the tourism industry by heading towards digital and green transformation, the Forum focused on important discussion sessions, such as:

Discussion Session 1: An Overview of the Role of Digital and Green Transformation in the Development of Vietnam’s Tourism

In the first session, delegates focused on discussing the current situation, exchanging solutions, and proposing actions aimed at creating a sustainable tourism future.

– Presentation on “Tourism in Transition: Powering Sustainability through Digital, Green & Global Innovation” by Mr. Harry Hwang, Regional Director for Asia and the Pacific of the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) offered an in-depth and multi-dimensional perspective on the trends of digital and green transformation in international tourism, along with policy recommendations and cooperative models that countries, including Vietnam, can learn from and implement.

Presentation on “Green Transformation in Tourism Empowering Communities Through Responsible Innovation” by Mrs. Natalie Kidd, Asia CEO of the Intrepid Travel Group, a global pioneer in sustainable tourism, who shared her perspectives and practical experience on the greening journey of the tourism industry.

Presentation on “Embracing Travel Intelligence, Driving the Future of Tourism” by Mr. Olivier Ponti, Director of Data Monitoring and Marketing at ForwardKeys, a world-leading tourism data analysis company, who analyzed in-depth reports and the latest updates on international travel flows, visitor behavior trends, and valuable forecasts for the tourism industry in the upcoming period.

Discussion Session 2: Solutions for Digital and Green Transformation in Tourism

(Moderator: Dr. Daniel Chong Ka Leong, Head of the School of Service and Tourism Management – Sunway University)

Expanding the perspectives from international experts, managers, and businesses, speakers from leading regional tourism organizations, businesses, and management agencies, such as Dr. Ha Van Sieu, Vice Chairman of the Vietnam National Authority of Tourism, and Assoc. Prof. Dr. Pham Hong Long, Chairman of the Council for Science and Training at the Faculty of Tourism Studies, University of Social Sciences and Humanities, Vietnam National University – Hanoi, held an in-depth discussion on solutions for digital and green transformation in tourism.

In his directive speech at the Forum, Mr. Mai Van Chinh, Member of the Party Central Committee and Deputy Prime Minister of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam, affirmed: “We need to strongly transform our growth model, taking digital transformation as the driving force to enhance service quality, visitor experience, and management efficiency; and green transformation as the foundation to build a tourism industry that is in harmony with nature and is responsible towards the community and the environment.”

He shared six major directions:

Firstly, continue to perfect institutions and innovate thinking about tourism development. We need to shift from a “growth at all costs” mindset to a “sustainable development” mindset. We must move from viewing tourism solely as a service industry to recognizing it as a creative, interconnected, and value-sharing economic sector—a convergence of culture, economy, environment, and technology.

Secondly, strengthen actions and expand international cooperation in digital and green transformation. This involves the strong application of smart governance models and the sharing of data and knowledge to jointly build a smart, green, and sustainable tourism ecosystem.

Thirdly, global commitment and action. It is proposed that this Forum research and develop a Set of Principles on “Digital and Green Tourism”—a common standard framework to encourage nations and businesses to apply, so that global tourism develops harmoniously, responsibly, and sustainably. Vietnam is ready to participate, contribute positively, and be a responsible member of this initiative.

Fourthly, promote regional and sectoral connection. Develop sustainable tourism value chains, linking tourism with agriculture, culture, environment, and science and technology. This will help form unique, distinctive, in-depth, and highly competitive products.

Fifthly, invest strongly in human resource development. Focus on training a workforce with digital skills and knowledge of sustainable development. Cultivate creativity, flexible adaptability, and international integration to create a generation of “pioneering soldiers” in building a modern and humane tourism industry.

Sixthly, support the business community, including small and medium-sized enterprises. It is necessary to continue studying and supplementing appropriate mechanisms and policies, providing technological support and training, encouraging business investment, promoting public-private partnerships, and developing effective tourism business models, with a priority on digital and green tourism models.

And he also believes that “With a common vision and decisive action, we will create a sustainable tourism future, serving people and for the people. Vietnam, with its unique cultural identity and magnificent natural landscapes, is ready to embrace and warmly welcome friends from across the five continents. The Vietnamese government is committed to creating the most favorable conditions to work with the business community, investors, experts, and people to unanimously implement digital transformation and green transformation, making tourism a strong driving force for sustainable development, a “bridge of hearts,” bringing Vietnam to the world and bringing the world to Vietnam”.