Ho Chi Minh City: local gastronomy and culture, pillars of the tourist offer for summer 2026

As the 2026 summer season approaches, Ho Chi Minh City’s tourism sector is witnessing a profound shift in travelers’ expectations, who now favor destinations offering both immersion in nature and authentic local experiences.

 

Chao Show presents the cuisine of the three regions of Vietnam through nine emblematic Vietnamese dishes. Photo: VNA

 

To meet this growing demand for gastronomic discovery and local cultural identity, companies in the sector are multiplying innovative initiatives by combining traditional heritage and modernity.

 

According to Vu Ngoc Lam, national director of Agoda Vietnam, tourists are today more demanding in the choice of their stays, giving absolute priority to establishments benefiting from positive reviews and offering quality culinary offerings. This trend encourages travel agencies in the southern megalopolis to design new products that combine gastronomy and national culture. These products help to strengthen the city’s destination brand image.

 

Among these new features, the show “Chao Show”, produced by the Dau An Show company, stands out for a daring fusion between traditional music, gastronomy from the three regions of Vietnam and contemporary stage technologies.

 

Tran Minh Hoang, commercial director of Chao Show, specified that this project is based on an orchestra composed of thirty traditional instruments, meticulously restored by craftsmen from all over the country, in order to perform contemporary works with authentic regional sounds. The show notably uses Immersive Audio technology, a first in Vietnam and one of the most advanced sound technologies in Asia, offering each viewer a 3D sound experience. This innovation transforms Vietnamese folk music into a unique auditory experience, giving it a resolutely contemporary sound depth.

Nguyen Thi Ngoc Tram, a 25-year-old tourist, hailed this experience as a unique emotional journey that she now wishes to share with her friends and loved ones.

In parallel with these private initiatives, the city’s travel agencies are renewing their flagship offers in order to boost summer attractiveness. The Suoi Tien cultural tourism site has announced the 22nd edition of the Suoi Tien Farm Festival, which this year will offer a fruit buffet, a recreated floating market and a “hammock station” typical of the west of the country. A culinary record is even expected with the presentation of beef-based dishes combined with twenty-six varieties of fruit.

 

For its part, Dam Sen Park will host the “Flavors of the South” gastronomic festival, a celebration of ethnic diversity highlighting the culinary traditions of the Kinh, Hoa, Khmer and Cham communities.

 

From an institutional point of view, the Ho Chi Minh City tourism department is embarking on a profound transformation of its development strategy. Nguyen Cam Tu, director of the city’s Tourism Promotion Center, indicated that the “Footprints of Summer 2026” program will support tour operators in the creation of enriched thematic circuits.

 

The municipality’s ambition for the current year is based on a reassessment of local tourist resources and the development of products specific to each district. Particular emphasis will be placed on the growth of night tourism, supported by public-private partnerships, including nights in museums and live performance programs.-VNA/VIÂ