The Destination Seminar and Business Networking Session will serve as a platform for Vietnamese and Malaysian stakeholders in the fields of travel, aviation, hospitality, and tourism services to explore potential avenues for collaboration. The seminar will also introduce the Visit Malaysia 2026 (VM2026) campaign, which aspires to welcome at least 43 million international visitors in 2026. These events will be held in Ho Chi Minh City on 29 July 2025 at Hotel Nikko Saigon and in Hanoi on 1 August 2025 at Sheraton Hanoi Hotel.

Carrying the theme “Surreal Experiences,” the VM2026 campaign positions Malaysia as a culturally vibrant, welcoming, and enriching destination. It places strong emphasis on innovation in visitor experiences, the development of emerging destinations and the expansion of luxury travel offerings. Furthermore, the campaign is expected to generate positive spillover effects across various related sectors such as hospitality, transport, retail and gastronomy - driving holistic economic growth and ensuring the long-term sustainability of Malaysia’s tourism and cultural industries.

The Launching of VM2026, Malaysia Food & Culture Promotion and Malaysia My Second Home (MM2H) is a public showcase set to take place in both Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi, offering audiences an immersive experience of Malaysia’s rich and diverse cultural, culinary and artistic heritage. Visitors will have the opportunity to experience traditional cultural performances, artisanal crafts and authentic Malaysian cuisine - presenting a vibrant showcase of the nation’s creativity, hospitality and legacy. The festival aims to foster deeper cultural understanding and strengthen people-to-people connections between Malaysia and Vietnam.

Concurrently, MADANI Week, hosted by the Embassy of Malaysia in Hanoi, showcases a cross-sectoral exchange spanning culture, education and trade. Inspired by the “Madani” philosophy introduced by Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, the initiative champions six core values: sustainability, prosperity, innovation, respect, trust and compassion. Together, the programme underscores Malaysia’s commitment to holistic national development and the strengthening of strategic partnerships - particularly with key nations such as Vietnam.

As of July 2025, a total of 164 direct weekly flights operate between Vietnam and Malaysia, underscoring the increasing demand for seamless and accessible connectivity between both countries. The rise in flight frequencies particularly overnight services, has facilitated the development of more flexible and time-efficient travel itineraries. This enhanced connectivity is catalyzing the growth of key travel segments, such as weekend getaways, MICE (Meetings, Incentives, Conferences, and Exhibitions) tourism and “bleisure” (business and leisure) travel - each of which is gaining strong momentum among Vietnam’s expanding middle class, younger travellers and corporate sector.

Malaysia ranks as the second-largest ASEAN source market for Vietnam, after Cambodia, with 266,869 Malaysian tourists visiting Vietnam in the first half of 2025 alone. Conversely, Malaysia welcomed 168,677 Vietnamese arrivals for the same period, reaffirming its continued appeal as a preferred travel destination. These encouraging figures reflect a strong positive growth trend in two-way tourism, highlighting the resilience and growing potential of the bilateral tourism partnership. For the travel and hospitality sectors, this presents promising opportunities for growth, collaboration and deeper regional integration.

Malaysia continues to be a preferred destination among Vietnamese travellers, attributed to its rich cultural diversity, vibrant culinary scene, stunning natural landscapes and comprehensive tourism offerings that cater to a wide range of market segments. Moving forward, Tourism Malaysia is committed to strengthening collaboration with Vietnamese media, influencers and content creators to highlight lesser-known destinations across Malaysia - enhancing the depth and diversity of the Malaysian travel experience.

This event series in Vietnam not only offers a comprehensive showcase of Malaysia’s tourism, arts, culture and gastronomy, but also reinforces people-to-people diplomacy, mutual understanding and cultural connectivity between two close ASEAN neighbours. It marks a significant milestone in Malaysia’s international outreach efforts ahead of the Visit Malaysia 2026 campaign.

About Tourism Malaysia

Malaysia Tourism Promotion Board, also known as Tourism Malaysia, is an agency under the Ministry of Tourism, Arts & Culture Malaysia. It focuses on the specific task of promoting Malaysia as a preferred tourism destination. Since its inception, it has emerged as a major player in the international tourism scene.

The next Visit Malaysia, set to take place in 2026, will commemorate the sustainability of the nation's tourism industry, which is also in line with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UNSDG).

Furthermore, Tourism Malaysia actively endorses the Indonesia-Malaysia-Thailand Growth Triangle (IMT-GT), working towards the realisation of the IMT-GT Visiting Year 2023-2025, with the shared aim of promoting the region as a unified tourism destination. For more information, visit Tourism Malaysia’s social media accounts on Facebook, Instagram, X, YouTube, and TikTok.

For enquiries, please contact:

Amirah Nadiah Mazlan
Director
Tourism Malaysia Ho Chi Minh City
amirahnadiah@tourism.gov.my
Tel: +6019 643 2625

Norshariza Mohd Saad
Deputy Director
Corporate Communications Division
norshariza@tourism.gov.my
Tel: +603 8891 8775