The event marks the first time a city-level festival in Viet Nam has won two awards on the global creative stage, underscoring Ho Chi Minh City’s efforts to shape an integrated tourism–culture–economy model of regional and international significance.
The International Business Awards (IBA) are one of the world’s most prestigious awards, part of the Stevie Awards system in the US, and has been described by the New York Post as the “Oscars of the business world.” In 2025, the IBA attracted more than 3,800 entries from 78 countries and territories, featuring the participation of thousands of leading global organisations, corporations, brands, and media enterprises.
The IBA 2025 judging panel highly commended the festival’s strategic vision, organisational scale, and its powerful cultural, economic, and tourism impact. One judge commented: “The Ho Chi Minh City River Festival 2024 is a pioneering model for integrating heritage, tourism, and economic development. Its inspiring storytelling has transformed the identity of a river city into one of the region’s leading cultural and commercial convergence points.”
Le Hai Yen, General Director of the programme, shared: “This achievement is a powerful motivation for our creative team to keep innovating and delivering increasingly impressive programmes. It also reinforces Ho Chi Minh City’s position as a modern, dynamic river city, that is rich in cultural identity.”
Launched in 2023, the Ho Chi Minh City River Festival is a strategic initiative by the city’s Department of Tourism. It not only offers distinctive tourism experiences but also introduces a new approach to community-based tourism development, connecting residents with the city’s cultural and economic flow.
The festival welcomed over 210,000 visitors in 2023, including 91,000 international guests. The figures soared to 4.5 million participants in 2024, including 1.3 million tourists — 121,000 of whom were international visitors — generating an estimated tourism revenue of 4.25 trillion VND.
According to the organisers, the third edition of the Ho Chi Minh City River Festival will take place from November 29 to December 31, 2025, under the theme “Bridge Across Time.” The event will expand across multiple locations, including Nha Rong – Khanh Hoi – Saigon Port, Bach Dang Wharf Park, the Saigon Riverside Park, Viet Star Wharf (Tan Hung Ward), Crescent Lake – Phu My Hung Urban Area (Tan My Ward), and various tourist sites and landmarks across the city.
