Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia Forge New Tourism Collaboration

Hanoi: The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism hosted the first Cambodia-Laos-Vietnam Tourism Ministers' Conference in Ho Chi Minh City on August 26, establishing a ministerial-level tourism cooperation mechanism among the three countries. According to Lao News Agency, the conference adopted a joint action plan for 2026-2028 aimed at realizing the 'One Journey, Three Destinations' initiative, enhancing competitiveness, and developing cross-border tourism products. Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Lam Thi Phuong Thanh emphasized the significance of this conference as a milestone in transforming the direction agreed upon by the three Prime Ministers in Ho Chi Minh City in February 2025 into practical cooperation mechanisms. Previous meetings among national tourism agencies in Vientiane, Phnom Penh, and Ho Chi Minh City laid the groundwork for this collaboration. Thanh highlighted the traditional friendly ties and complementary potential as conducive conditions for tourism development. Sharing the Mekong River, and boasting distinctive cultural and natural heritage and increasingly convenient transport networks, Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia have a strong foundation for building a common destination with a distinct identity and solid appeal on the global and regional tourism map. She advocated for long-term tourism cooperation to establish 'One Journey, Three Destinations' as a shared tourism brand that contributes to inclusive development. The action plan should set specific targets and measurable outcomes to monitor and evaluate progress at each stage, rather than stopping at broad orientations. The countries were also encouraged to coordinate closely and present a unified stance at multilateral tourism forums, including ASEAN, the Greater Mekong sub-region, UN Tourism, and the Pacific Asia Travel Association, thereby elevating their tourism profile. Chairman of the Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee Nguyen Van Duoc stated that the 'One Journey, Three Destinations' initiative would gradually presen t the three countries as a chain of complementary destinations. Tourists could experience diverse cultures, landscapes, and values in a single journey, thus extending their stays, enriching their travel experiences, and spreading the economic benefits of tourism to more localities. With strengths in air connectivity, trade, and a large cluster of companies across the tourism value chain, Ho Chi Minh City aims to become a hub connecting the three-country journey with international markets. Duoc noted that improved coordination on information, tourism products, transportation options, and market promotion would turn the initiative from a promotional message into tangible tourism products. Ho Chi Minh City is ready to collaborate closely with tourism authorities, localities, and businesses from the three countries to implement the joint initiative, focusing on product connectivity, market promotion, development of cross-border routes, and stronger business-to-business exchanges, he added. Participants agreed that the second conference would be held in Laos in 2027. In 2025, Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia welcomed 31.3 million foreigners, an increase of 10.2% from 2024, including 3.2 million visitors from within the three-country bloc, accounting for 10% of total foreign arrivals. Tourism revenue approached 45.6 billion USD. During the first quarter of 2026, the three countries attracted 16.6 million foreigners, including 1.6 million intra-bloc arrivals. The 2026-2028 joint action plan identifies six priority areas, including developing joint tourism products and improving travel and transport connectivity; joint marketing, promotion, and branding; public-private partnerships and product linkages, including the promotion of Vietnamese, Lao, and Cambodian cuisine; capacity building and experience sharing among tourism officials; sustainable and community-based tourism; and strengthening cooperation with international partners.