HO CHI MINH CITY — Tourism Malaysia deepens ties with the Vietnamese
travel trade and Malaysian business community through a series of industry
activities in Ho Chi Minh City, led by Mr. Mohd Amirul Rizal Abdul Rahim,
Director General of Tourism Malaysia. The engagements provide an opportunity to
expand business cooperation, raise awareness of Malaysia as a tourism
destination and explore new business opportunities in the Vietnamese market, in
support of the Visit Malaysia 2026–2027 (VM2026–2027) promotional efforts,
which have been extended through 2027.
During the visit, Mr. Mohd Amirul Rizal engages with key travel
agents and tourism industry stakeholders through networking sessions, including
a luncheon and dinner. The discussions provide opportunities to exchange views
on market trends, changing consumer preferences and potential areas for
collaboration to further grow tourist arrivals from Vietnam to Malaysia.
The programme also includes a session with the Malaysia Business
Chamber Vietnam (MBC), involving Malaysian companies and private sector
representatives based in Ho Chi Minh City. The meeting facilitates closer ties
between the tourism industry and Malaysian businesses in Vietnam, particularly
in promoting Malaysia’s diverse tourism products and experiences.
Beyond leisure travel, Tourism Malaysia is highlighting selected
tourism segments with potential in the Vietnamese market, including Malaysia My
Second Home (MM2H), medical and wellness tourism, Meetings, Incentives,
Conferences and Exhibitions (MICE), and educational tourism. These segments
complement Malaysia’s broader tourism offerings and support opportunities for
longer stays, repeat visits and more diverse travel purposes.
Mr. Mohd Amirul Rizal Abdul Rahim, Director General of Tourism
Malaysia said, “Vietnam remains an important market for Malaysia, supported by
strong air connectivity and close people-to-people ties between our two
countries. Direct engagement with the Vietnamese travel trade enables us to
better understand market needs, strengthen industry relationships and identify
new opportunities to grow tourism flows to Malaysia.”
He added that closer collaboration with Vietnamese travel agents and
Malaysian private sector partners is important in broadening the range of
Malaysian tourism products and experiences available to the Vietnamese market.
“Malaysia offers a wide range of tourism experiences beyond
conventional leisure travel. There are opportunities to further promote
Malaysia for business events, education, medical and wellness tourism,
long-stay programmes and other specialised travel segments. By expanding these
offerings, we can provide Vietnamese travellers with more reasons to discover
Malaysia and encourage longer and repeat visits,” he said.
The visit forms part of Tourism Malaysia’s continued efforts to
expand its presence in Vietnam through joint promotional activities,
familiarisation programmes, product development and business-to-business
initiatives with local industry partners.
Malaysia welcomed 217,121 visitors from Vietnam between January and
August 2026. During the same period, air connectivity between the two countries
recorded 167 weekly flight frequencies, with a total seat capacity of 31,037
seats. Tourism Malaysia continues to work closely with airlines, travel agents,
tourism associations and industry partners to leverage existing air
connectivity, enhance destination awareness and facilitate travel to Malaysia.
-Tourism Malaysia.