Ho Chi Minh City: The new fashion tourism hotspot in Southeast Asia?

With social media-fuelled demand for young Vietnamese brands and a growing international customer base, Ho Chi Minh City is emerging as an unexpected fashion tourism destination and a strategic opportunity for Vietnam’s place branding.

From ‘made in Vietnam’ to ‘designed in Vietnam’

In recent years, Vietnam has seen a strong rebound in international tourism, with Ho Chi Minh City at the centre of this resurgence. Alongside its well-known attractions of street food, nightlife, and historical sites, a new reason for visiting is taking shape: fashion.

“More and more, we’re seeing tourists arrive in Ho Chi Minh City with a shopping wish list already on their phones. They walk into independent stores with TikTok videos and Instagram posts saved, asking specifically for young Vietnamese brands they have discovered online,” said Ms Rebecca Morris, an associate lecturer in Fashion Enterprise at RMIT Vietnam and retail expert who has worked in Vietnam’s retail sector for nearly 20 years.

On platforms like TikTok and Instagram, hashtags such as #vietnamshoppinghaul and #vietnamlocalbrand showcase hype streetwear, traditional clothing with contemporary edge, and trendy outfits from local labels. TikTok Shop further blurs the line between content and commerce, making it easy for international users to discover and buy from Vietnamese brands.

According to Ms Corinna Joyce, Program Manager of the Bachelor of Fashion (Enterprise) at RMIT Vietnam and a fashion business consultant, this shift signals more than just a passing trend.

“Vietnam has long been known as a manufacturing base for global fashion brands,” she noted. “What we are seeing now is a move towards recognition of Vietnam as a source of original fashion design, especially among younger, social media-savvy travellers.”

Fashion tourism in Ho Chi Minh City

Behind the social media buzz is a measurable trend. Several fashion retailers and independent labels in central Ho Chi Minh City told RMIT researchers that a majority of their in-store customers are visitors from overseas, including tourists, short-term travellers, and regional visitors from around Asia. Some brands estimate that between 60 and 70 per cent of their customers are international – a figure that underscores the growing role of fashion as part of the city’s tourism offer.

At multi-label concept store Rue Miche, international shoppers now form a significant share of daily foot traffic.

“On weekends, it’s not uncommon for us to see more foreign customers than locals,” said Ms Christina Vu, co-founder of Rue Miche. “Many of them tell us they discovered our store or one of the brands we stock on TikTok or through fashion influencers. They come specifically to find something trendy they can’t get back home.”

Ms Vu added that tourists from all over the world visit their Union Square store, but their boutique store on Phung Khac Khoan street welcomes mostly Asian tourists.

Ho Chi Minh City-based gender-neutral fashion brand, The Idiot, has experienced a similar pattern.

“We used to think of tourists as a small bonus, but now they are one of our main customer groups,” Mr Huynh Dang Que, founder of The Idiot, explained. “People come in with screenshots from social media and ask for particular pieces they’ve seen online. They’re interested in the story behind the brand as much as the clothes themselves.”

According to Ms Morris, this represents a new kind of visitor behaviour. “These aren’t just casual souvenir shoppers,” she said. “They are building their trip around discovering local brands, exploring specific neighbourhoods and taking home a piece of contemporary Vietnamese style.”

Fashion tourism as place branding

For place branding experts, this organic rise in fashion tourism opens up a strategic opportunity.

“Place branding is about more than logos and slogans,” said Associate Professor Giannina Warren, place branding scholar and Senior Program Manager of the Professional Communication program at RMIT Vietnam. “It’s about the lived experiences and stories that visitors take home and share. Fashion tourism fits naturally into a broader narrative of Ho Chi Minh City as a young, creative, and entrepreneurial city.”

She noted that Vietnam is already exploring more established forms of tourism from food and coffee culture to medical tourism as ways to diversify its offer and strengthen its national image. Fashion can play a similar role.

“When international visitors discover independent Vietnamese brands and share their experiences online, they are contributing to a new story about Vietnam,” Associate Professor Warren said. “It is no longer only ‘made in Vietnam’ for global labels, but ‘designed in Vietnam’ by local creatives.”

According to the RMIT academic, aligning this emerging fashion tourism with Vietnam’s broader creative economy agenda could bring both economic and reputational benefits. Local designers and small brands gain new markets, while the country enhances its soft power by showcasing its cultural and creative capabilities.

Turning a trend into a strategic advantage

To fully harness this momentum, coordinated efforts between tourism authorities, local government and industry could help transform scattered success stories into a recognisable city and national brand.

One opportunity lies in developing fashion-focused experiences for visitors to Ho Chi Minh City, such as curated maps of local fashion streets, guided shopping tours, or collaborations with key retailers to create shopping routes. Another is to support city-wide fashion events that highlight young Vietnamese designers to international audiences, particularly in districts already popular with tourists.

“Many of these initiatives are already happening informally,” Ms Morris observed. “But with more structured support – for example, promotion through official tourism channels or partnerships with hotels and tour operators – they could have a much bigger impact.”

At the same time, universities and education providers have a role to play in sustaining this ecosystem. Programs such as the Bachelor of Fashion (Enterprise) at RMIT Vietnam are training students in fashion business, branding and retail, equipping graduates to work with or launch local labels that can compete in both domestic and international markets.

“Our graduates are entering an industry that is changing rapidly,” Ms Joyce said. “They are not only thinking about how to sell in Vietnam, but how to speak to global audiences through digital platforms. That mindset is essential if Ho Chi Minh City is to maintain and grow its reputation as a fashion destination.”

For Associate Professor Warren, the key is to recognise that the trend is already underway.

“International visitors are voting with their feet and their wallets. They are coming to Ho Chi Minh City to discover Vietnamese fashion. With coherent communication, supportive policy and continued investment in creative talent, Vietnam can turn this organic wave of interest into a long-term advantage for both its tourism sector and its national brand,” she concluded.\

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Masthead and thumbnail images: Rue Miche