Vietnam’s 2025 provincial merger that saw Ho Tram commune absorbed into Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC) municipality, coupled with heavy investment in infrastructure, have led to a strong uptick in interest in the coastal area that sits about two hours from HCMC city.
Timothy Tan, vice-president of sales and marketing at The Grand Ho Tram, said the July 1, 2025 merger, which saw Vietnam reduce its provinces and major cities from 63 to 34, has proved to be a “big advantage” for the coastal destination.
“It now gives HCMC a coastal playground, which it never had before. We see it as a great example of how you can boost tourism numbers. Now, HCMC is growing from mainly city tourism to include corporate and leisure travel in coastal areas,” he told TTG Asia during ITE HCMC 2026.
He added that the shake-up to boundaries has given additional opportunities to raise awareness about the destination, with improved access between Ho Tram and HCMC shaving about 30 minutes off transport time to 2.5 hours.
In addition, the new Long Thanh International Airport, which is expected to start operations in December, is conveniently situated between HCMC and Ho Tram, with the 42-kilometre Ho Tram-Long Thanh Airport Expressway, which broke ground on July 1, expected to further cut travel time to about one hour.
“This puts the area in a very advantageous position. You can go to HCMC for the city experience, shopping and nightlife and then easily add on an extra two or three nights at the beach,” Tan said.
The Grand Ho Tram is gearing up for its latest phase two opening – the 575-key Ixora Grand Ho Tram by Fusion in Q4’26. It will join InterContinental Grand Ho Tram, Holiday Inn Resort Ho Tram Beach and Ixora Ho Tram by Fusion.
Tan said while phase one is focused on offering more of a resort experience, the second phase is a mixed development, also comprising condominiums and residential villas. He added that it is already drawing strong interest from long-haul markets, as well as Russia and Australia.
“We have created a new destination here at Ho Tram. A lot of projects are now eyeing up the area because they have seen what we have achieved, the improved infrastructure and the opening of the new airport,” he said.
