Ho Chi Minh City launches Vibrant HCMC shopping season

The city's People's Committee held the launch ceremony on November 11 under the message 'Ho Chi Minh City - Vibrant in Every Experience', marking the start of shopping, consumption, and experiential activities across the city through the final months of 2026 and the 2027 Lunar New Year holiday.

Running from November 1 to February 5, the programme forms part of the city's comprehensive year-end demand stimulus plan, while also aiming to build a shopping, consumption, and services ecosystem for the 2026–2030 period.

Speaking at the ceremony, Truong Minh Huy Vu, Vice Chairman of Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee, said the city was striving to achieve double-digit economic growth in 2026, with the services sector alone expected to expand by 13.84 per cent.

To achieve this target, the city needed sufficiently strong solutions, innovative approaches and concerted efforts from the entire political system, the business community, and residents.

“This is a highly ambitious target. Achieving it requires us to move beyond conventional approaches. We need strong solutions, new ways of doing things, and the concerted efforts of the entire political system, the business community, and the people,” he said.

Truong Minh Huy Vu, Vice Chairman of Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee. Photo: Thai Bao

According to Vu, Vibrant HCMC brings together trade, tourism, culture, sports, technology, and finance into an integrated whole. Within this framework, ‘Shopping Season’ serves as the focal point for turning these connections into transactions, revenue, and tangible benefits for residents and businesses.

Following a period of preparation and implementation, the programme has attracted more than 30 corporate groups, 66 shopping malls, and over 5,000 retail outlets.

Businesses and partners have registered 150 large-scale promotional campaigns, offering total incentives worth more than $10.8 million. Commercial banks have also announced consumer credit packages with a combined value exceeding $400 million.

Building on the resources mobilised, the city aims to generate total transaction value of more than $1.2 billion across commerce and payment platforms, with an additional $400-440 million expected to result from the demand stimulus effect.

A key new feature of the programme is its ‘five-in-one’ connectivity model, combining shopping, entertainment, tourism, e-commerce, and digital payments.

Cultural and sporting events are being linked with accommodation, dining, transport, and retail services, thereby expanding spending and experiential opportunities for residents and visitors.

The city is also incorporating technology into its demand stimulus efforts through the Vibrant HCMC and Hello Ho Chi Minh City information portals, alongside the ‘Shopping Season in Vibrant HCMC’ application.

Under the ‘One QR Code – Multiple Touchpoints’ approach, residents and visitors can access information on events, destinations, and shopping offers more conveniently.

In response to the programme, numerous businesses in retail, e-commerce, tourism, and services have registered promotional activities, product partnerships, and initiatives to expand their sales channels.

Notably, the Imex Pan Pacific Group (IPPG) is participating with around 500 fashion, cosmetics, luxury goods, and restaurant outlets at the city's shopping malls, as well as in the domestic and international terminals of Tan Son Nhat International Airport.

The group currently represents more than 138 international brands in Vietnam. It will roll out promotional offers across its entire network while encouraging brands and suppliers to join the initiative.

The signing ceremony for cooperation in developing the ‘Shopping Season in Vibrant HCMC’ software. Photo: The Organising Committee.

In the e-commerce sector, Southeast Asia’s e-commerce major Shopee is partnering with livestream commerce platform Melive to organise a three-month ‘Superlive’ series during the peak shopping periods of November 11, December 12, and January 15 with 305 sellers registered to participate.

Melive has also proposed the ‘1,000 Melive x Vibrant HCMC 2026 Livestream Shopping Sessions’ campaign on TikTok Shop, which is expected to run through the end of February 2027.

Notably, Shopee's November 11 mega-sale event had taken place, with the participation of Le Minh Trung, director of the Centre for Technical Support and Sustainable Development under Ho Chi Minh City Department of Industry and Trade.

Tiki is rolling out its ‘Legendary Sale Season’ campaign from November 2026 to February 15, 2027, featuring promotional events including 11.11, 12.12, Year End Sale, and the Lunar New Year shopping season.

Discounts of up to 50 per cent are being offered, alongside fixed-price deals starting at $0.44. From December 15, the company plans to pilot 30-minute delivery for selected categories of essential goods, ready-to-eat food, and over-the-counter medicines.

Beyond focusing on shoppers, the programme also aims to support the operations of household businesses and small- and medium-sized enterprises.

Telecom major Viettel is rolling out digital transformation solutions, including six months of free access to its Tendoo sales management software for 10,000 household businesses; support for 500 e-contracts for 600 businesses; and six months of free access to its human resource management software for 600 businesses, subject to applicable conditions.

In tourism and services, Vietravel has registered promotional offers on bookings for 2027 Lunar New Year tours, cashback incentives, and membership benefits.

Local multi-sector business group MENAS has registered 12 categories of shopping, dining, entertainment, and service offers, with 18,000 vouchers expected to be issued throughout the programme.

HCMC Vice Chairman Huy Vu noted that discounts could reach up to 100 per cent in accordance with regulations on trade promotion. However, the city does not encourage businesses to engage in price-cutting competition for its own sake, but instead calls on them to compete through quality, credibility, and customer experience.

“The city plans to extend the programme to wards, communes, special administrative zones, industrial parks, export processing zones, universities, and traditional markets. Priority will be given to workers, labourers, students, and households, while creating favourable conditions for small businesses, household businesses, and market traders to participate,” he said.