Chasing New Markets: How Vietnam's Travel Industry Is Going Global — Recap of the Travel Massive Saigon Event with Airwallex

Thanks to over one hundred travel professionals who joined us at Sofitel Saigon Plaza for our industry insights and networking evening last week, supported by Airwallex.

The event, hosted by Saigon Travel Massive and co-presented by Airwallex, brought together hoteliers, DMCs, tour operators, travel agencies, and travel-tech companies for an afternoon of case studies, panel discussion, and industry networking.

How do you find your next inbound market — and actually turn that awareness into visitor arrivals?

As competition for international visitors intensifies and traveler behavior keeps shifting, more destinations and travel businesses are looking past their traditional source markets for growth. That was the throughline for the session: not just why new markets matter, but how companies on the ground in Vietnam are actually breaking into them.

Nghiep Le, Senior Manager and VN Commercial Lead at Airwallex, spoke to the financial infrastructure side of market expansion — the practical realities of collecting, holding, and moving money across borders as travel businesses scale into new geographies.

We then heard from Thang Phan, CEO of Aravinda Travel and BDM at SJourney Luxury Train, shared his experience building new source markets from the operator side.

The solo presentations fed into a panel discussion moderated by Hao Tran, founder and CEO of Vietcetera, joined by:

• Thang Phan — CEO, Aravinda Travel and BDM, SJourney Luxury Train
• Chau Nguyen — Founder, Urbanist Travel
• Alistair Minty — General Manager, Sofitel Saigon Plaza

Together, the panel unpacked the strategies, partnerships, and challenges behind successful inbound market expansion — offering practical perspectives that’s hard to get outside a room like this one, drawing on experience across tour operations, boutique travel, and hospitality.

The session drew over 100 attendees spanning hotels and resorts, DMCs and tour operators, travel tech, media, and more. Represented organizations included: Abercrombie & Kent Vietnam, Six Senses (Con Dao and Ninh Van Bay), Furama Resort Đà Nẵng, Crowne Plaza Phu Quoc, Centara Mirage Resort Mui Ne, Destination Asia, Discova, Khiri Travel Vietnam, SiteMinder, Pandaw Cruises, Vespa Adventures, L’Alya Ninh Van Bay, Trails of Indochina, Collective (Lacàph & BOLD84), Heads on Pillows, and Cimigo just to name a few.

Following the formal program, networking drinks were sponsored by co-host Airwallex — plus a lucky draw to close out the evening. Attendees left with new contacts, plenty of ideas, and a clearer picture of what it takes to grow beyond a familiar source market.

— Thanks to everyone who attended and see you at our next event!

Thanks to our co-host, Airwallex

This event was made possible by Airwallex, a global fintech company providing cross-border payments, multi-currency accounts, and embedded financial services — helping travel businesses move money internationally without the friction of traditional banking. Learn more and sign up at airwallex.com/vn-en.

Want to attend events like these? Join the Saigon Travel Massive — our local chapter in Vietnam connects hundreds of hotel brands, DMCs, tour operators, tourism boards, investors, and KOLs.