Vietnam has great potential for developing MICE tourism.

In recent years, the number of international and domestic MICE (Meetings, Incentives, Conferences, and Exhibitions) tourists has been steadily increasing. It can be said that Vietnam has increasingly outstanding potential for developing MICE tourism.

What is MICE tourism?

MICE tourism is a type of tourism that combines conferences, meetings, and seminars. One of the meanings of MICE is "Meeting," therefore, MICE has the potential to attract a large number of participants. Events in various fields such as economics, sports, culture, and politics all contribute to tourism value for a region. Combining work with relaxation and leisure leads to greater satisfaction and increased work efficiency. These events bring together many participants and involve travel from one place to another, which is what creates the potential of MICE tourism and provides opportunities for tourism businesses.

MICE from major brands

For MICE clients, the first concern is infrastructure. Locations chosen by MICE clients are often resort cities with luxurious hotels and accommodations, and state-of-the-art venues such as stages and conference halls. In addition, high-end spa and resort services are essential to meet their relaxation and entertainment needs. MICE clients also place great emphasis on transportation infrastructure; cities with international or national airports and convenient road networks are highly valued and prioritized. Amenities within the MICE group's accommodation, such as health and beauty services, sports facilities, and shopping, are a great advantage in retaining clients.

The FLC Samson Beach & Golf Resort complex is currently a popular destination for many MICE (Meetings, Incentives, Conferences, and Exhibitions) clients.

Discussing successful brands in this area, Dr. Nguyen Tri Hieu, an MBA with over 30 years of experience in credit and financial institutions in the US, stated: “In the US, this model has been very successful with the Marriott hotel brand. Marriott specializes in large conferences and recently has been building more hotels in secluded coastal and mountainous areas with cool climates, providing conference facilities for large companies with thousands of attendees. In particular, Marriott's strength lies in its large base of repeat customers. Therefore, they use the service annually, leading to a steady stream of customers, and stable pricing is also a plus.”

The potential of MICE tourism in Vietnam

Vietnam is increasingly trusted as the host country for many large-scale cultural and sporting events: the Miss Universe and Miss World Vietnamese competitions held in Nha Trang, the fireworks display competition in Da Nang, the Da Lat Flower Festival, the APEC conference, and the ASEAN Summit in Hanoi… these are typical events that elevate Vietnam's standing in the region and internationally.

Except for Hanoi, the capital city and the economic, political, and social center hosting international and national events, the current trend for MICE groups in the last two years has been to choose resort cities near the capital. While previously MICE clients often chose locations near Hanoi in the North such as Ha Long and Quang Ninh, most recently Thanh Hoa has also attracted many MICE groups with the FLC Sam Son eco-tourism resort complex.

The International Convention Center is located within the FLC Samson Beach & Golf Resort complex, which has hosted numerous large-scale conferences and seminars.

This location has been trusted by many large-scale events and conferences in Northern Vietnam, hosting thousands of guests. It boasts several outstanding features, including its proximity to the capital and airport, and its location on a picturesque coastline. Furthermore, the FLC Sam Son resort complex has nearly 600 rooms, including a 5-star hotel and resort; entertainment and sports facilities: a spa, tennis courts, an 18-hole international standard golf course; and, notably, a 1,300-seat international convention center suitable for various events, conferences, and seminars. With such numerous amenities, the FLC Sam Son resort complex has been a popular destination for MICE (Meetings, Incentives, Conferences, and Exhibitions) clients in recent times and promises to be an ideal destination for MICE in the future.

Economist Dr. Nguyen Tri Hieu also stated, "Currently, the biggest challenge for tourism businesses in Vietnam is how to connect with large corporations to secure a steady stream of regular customers and provide professional and prompt customer service for leisure and conference events."

Overcoming current challenges and developing effective methods for exploiting MICE tourism will open up opportunities for socio-economic development in many areas. The important thing is that Vietnam's tourism sector must strengthen its promotion and introduction of this potential to tourists and tourism partners. Exploiting and developing MICE tourism requires collaboration between tourism businesses, and between the tourism industry and local authorities, to build brand awareness and create attractive tourism programs for both domestic and international visitors.

The Thanh