Ho Chi Minh city unlocks the potential of waterway tourism

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Ho Chi Minh City is focusing on leveraging its waterway advantages to develop water-based tourism products, deeply integrating local historical and cultural values to establish its brand as a destination.

With its dense network of rivers and canals, including the Saigon River flowing through the city center, Ho Chi Minh City is gradually exploiting its waterway advantages to develop waterway tourism , contributing to positioning the city as a tourist destination.

Accelerate the expansion of the waterway transportation network.
During his return to Ho Chi Minh City after many years, Tom Jones, a tourist from Australia, chose to experience a cruise on the Saigon River in the late afternoon. From the water, he admired the modern buildings of the city center interspersed with riverside residential areas, bustling ports, and the distinctive rhythm of life in the country's largest metropolis.

"This is a completely different perspective on Ho Chi Minh City. I've traveled through many cities with famous rivers around the world , but the Saigon River offers a very unique feeling because of the blend of modernity and local identity," said Tom Jones.

According to the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Tourism, there are currently about 150 businesses operating more than 300 vehicles serving tourists on the river. These vehicles are very diverse, ranging from river buses, cruise ships, restaurant boats to speedboats and tourist boats.

During the period 2026-2030, Ho Chi Minh City aims to further expand its waterway transportation network. The city identifies this as one of the key drivers of tourism development in the near future. Besides maintaining the operation of river bus route No. 1, route No. 2 is expected to be put into operation once the infrastructure is completed. Many routes connecting the city center with new urban areas and tourist destinations are also being studied and investment is being sought.

Simultaneously, the city is researching and calling for investment in many new routes to enhance overall connectivity. These routes will connect the city center with areas such as Phu My Hung, Mui Den Do, SwanBay, Rach Chiec, and Thu Dau Mot. At the same time, Ho Chi Minh City will upgrade its port and inland waterway system to better serve residents and tourists.

According to Dr. Pham Ha, the Saigon River is a unique tourism resource that few cities in the world possess. In the context of increasingly competitive destinations offering distinctive experiences, waterway tourism needs to move beyond mere sightseeing to become a journey of cultural and historical exploration. Today's tourists not only want to admire the scenery but also want to understand the destination.

According to Ha, in many famous cities such as Paris, London, Amsterdam, and Bangkok, river tourism has become an indispensable part of the urban experience. With its diverse ecosystem including urban areas, mangrove forests, the sea, and a rich network of rivers, Ho Chi Minh City has many conditions to develop products with unique characteristics, contributing to enhancing the competitiveness of the destination.

Mr. Toan from Saigon Waterbus, said that the number of passengers and the occupancy rate of waterway tourism products are increasing by an average of 10% to 15% each year. Besides international tourists, the demand for experiences among Ho Chi Minh City residents is also growing.

According to Toan, the development of riverside urban areas and the trend of seeking new experiences within the city center are opening up significant opportunities for waterway tourism. However, to effectively exploit this potential, the tourism industry needs to continue investing comprehensively in port and dock infrastructure and transportation connections. Diversifying products is also crucial to extend the length of stay and increase spending by tourists visiting the city.

Experts believe that, in the context of Ho Chi Minh City expanding its development towards riverside and coastal urban areas, waterway tourism is not only a supplementary product but can also become a new symbol of the city's tourism industry. With proper investment and exploitation, rivers will be more than just transportation routes or sightseeing spaces.

Towards becoming a new symbol of city tourism.
While waterway tourism products previously focused primarily on sightseeing, the current trend is to enhance the depth of the experience.

According to Nguyen Huu An from the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Tourism, the difference of new-generation waterway tourism products lies not only in the means of transport or the quality of service. The core element is the ability to tell stories through journeys connected to the history and culture of the Southern region.

Notably, the creation of tours recreating the 115-year journey of President Ho Chi Minh's departure to seek a path to national salvation, set against the backdrop of waterways, is expected to provide visitors with emotionally rich experiences, making history more accessible and vivid.

"Today's tourists not only want to visit but also want to hear the stories of the destination. When historical and cultural elements are integrated into the itinerary, each trip becomes a profound experience, creating a unique impression and increasing the likelihood of tourists returning," An said.

According to the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Tourism, the city has developed more than 60 tours, routes, and tourism products on the waterway. These products range from short journeys on the Saigon River by river bus, speedboat, and yacht to night-time tourism products combining food and entertainment. The waterway tourism space is also constantly expanding to serve a diverse range of tourists. The city has routes connecting to Vung Tau, Can Gio, Cu Chi, the Mekong Delta region, and even inter-regional routes to Cambodia.

In its future development strategy, Ho Chi Minh City aims to form riverside service complexes linked to the night-time economy, cultural spaces, shopping, and entertainment to enhance the attractiveness of the destination. The system of ports and inland waterways will also continue to be invested in and upgraded to meet the increasing operational needs.

An stated that the new tourist route currently has many favorable conditions for development, as both terminals have been licensed to operate. These terminals include the Bach Dang Wharf and the inland waterway terminal at the Cu Chi Tunnels Historical Site. This is an important foundation for businesses to proactively develop products, connect destinations, and improve service quality.

According to Ms. Nguyen Thi Khanh from the Vietnam Tourism Association, waterway tourism is one of the unique advantages that not many large cities in the region possess. Along with the growing trend of experiential tourism, waterway tourism products have many opportunities to become one of the pillars of Ho Chi Minh City's tourism.

However, to effectively exploit this potential, according to Ms. Khanh, the city needs to continue improving infrastructure planning, riverside docks and services, and investment attraction mechanisms. In particular, the development process must be linked to environmental protection, landscape preservation, and the safeguarding of local cultural values to ensure long-term sustainability.

To unlock the potential of waterway tourism, the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Tourism recommends prioritizing the upgrading of river transport infrastructure, including dredging waterways, constructing modern wharves and piers, and developing riverside services to enhance the visitor experience.

The city also focuses on developing unique products associated with history, culture, and the riverine ecosystem; strengthening regional linkages to form diverse tourist routes. Simultaneously, it implements solutions to protect the environment, control pollution, and treat wastewater and waste.

In particular, Ho Chi Minh City proposed improving mechanisms and policies on land and water surface allocation and leasing to attract investment in the construction of inland waterway terminals.

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