Vietnam: the Rising MICE Star

Post date: Jun 12, 2012 3:36:40 AM

(Originally published in 2007)

Thanks to Vietnam’s booming economy that grew 8.2% this year through September, Vietnam’s MICE industry is looking bright. Foreign investment, tourism and MICE industry showed strong performance and will continue to grow because of a deep-seated shift in thinking among the country's leaders.

The country had recently hosted high-profile governmental events such as the ASEAN, ASEM and APEC summits. Multinational businesses are also flocking to Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi for corporate meetings. This is despite the fact that there had so far been no official effort to promote the MICE industry.

“We used to have high and low seasons, but now it is high season all year round,” according to Mr Lai Quoc Cuong, director of Vietnam Tours Jsc, a view also echoed by many others in the travel and hotel industry. A hotel marketing personnel from Phuket also concedes to losing some MICE deals to Vietnam.

While the future for Vietnam’s MICE industry is rosy, there are some challenges ahead. First and foremost is the shortage of facilities and hotels. In Hanoi, although several international hotels are operating there, not many were built with required function space and facilities. This inevitably drives the costs up. The situation in Ho Chi Minh City is better, while coastal resort areas and central heritage sites are in need of bigger, international standard five-star hotels to cater to the MICE market.

MICEreview talks to Mr Pham Quang Hung, Director, International Cooperation Department, Vietnam Administration of Tourism, in on the country’s MICE industry and the obstacles on the path of development.