When mentioning Da Nang, people often think of the blue coastline, world-class resorts, or the vibrant lifestyle of a tourist city. But for nearly a decade, the city has also been mentioned as a meeting point for international conferences, economic forums, and large-scale international events.
Beside the advantage of coastal tourism, Da Nang is step-by-step building its capacity for MICE, international events, and innovation, expanding the city's role in a new phase of development.
The presence of HORECFEX VIETNAM 2026 this August can also be seen in that very movement. The fact that a technology forum dedicated to the Hotel - Tourism industry is held in Da Nang not only adds another event to the city's conference calendar but also shows the increasing intersection between two growing strengths: the tourism-MICE ecosystem and the ability to adopt new trends in technology and innovation. The event will take place on August 20 - 21 at the Ariyana Convention Centre Da Nang belonging to the Furama - Ariyana Da Nang International Tourism Complex, gathering the professional community, businesses, and solutions that are contributing to shaping the future of the industry.
Events like HORECFEX VIETNAM do not appear in isolation but are built on the foundation of organizational capacity, conference infrastructure, international hospitality experience, and increasingly close coordination between the government, businesses, and the professional community of Da Nang.
The scale of the market is also creating greater pressure for innovation across the industry. In the first seven months of 2026, Vietnam welcomed 13.9 million international visitors, up 13.8% year on year, reaching approximately 56% of its annual target of 25 million arrivals.
The "Hospitality" industry facing an unavoidable transformation
A vacation today starts long before the guest steps into the hotel lobby. The journey of searching for a destination, reading reviews, comparing prices, booking, and payment mostly takes place in a digital environment; during their stay, guests continue to expect faster response times, more convenient processes, and services that increasingly suit their personal needs.
Behind that convenience are a series of operational problems that tourism, hotel, and restaurant businesses must handle every day. Revenue management, energy control, demand forecasting, manpower allocation, ingredient management, customer care, or marketing are all being increasingly influenced by data and technology. AI can help businesses understand customer behavior more deeply; automate repetitive tasks; virtual reality opens up new ways to survey and introduce spaces; real-time translation technology helps bridge language barriers in an industry serving guests from many markets.
The shift is visible not only in visitor numbers but also in the changing mix of source markets. After seven months, China remained Vietnam’s largest market with approximately 3.1 million arrivals, followed by South Korea with 2.4 million. Russia emerged strongly with around 864,000 arrivals, up 174%, while India reached 553,000, up 42.9%, and the Philippines recorded 417,000, up 63.6%. European markets also posted strong growth, reflecting a broader geographical diversification of Vietnam’s international visitor base. For hotels, this means increasingly complex service expectations - from language support and dining preferences to payment methods and personalized experiences - making continuous investment in knowledge, technology and operational capability ever more important.
Service robots at Furama Resort Da Nang are one of the technological applications put into actual operation, supporting transport and service tasks while contributing to improving operational efficiency.
The gap between a technology that impresses on stage and a solution that actually creates operational efficiency, however, remains very large. Businesses not only need to know what's new in the market but must understand which solution fits their scale, what resources need to be invested, whether the team is capable of adopting it, and what value that technology will create after implementation.
It is precisely the gap between “seeing technology” and “putting technology into operation” that HORECFEX VIETNAM 2026 aims to address. The program's announcement also clearly identifies the goal of not only introducing new solutions but creating conditions for businesses to access applicable technology and enhance competitive capacity.
HORECFEX VIETNAM 2026 - “Everything You Need” for a transforming industry
Taking place on August 20 - 21 at the Ariyana Convention Centre Da Nang, HORECFEX VIETNAM 2026 is positioned as the Hospitality & Tourism Forum for Technology, Innovation & Procurement. The official website currently expects the program to gather more than 4,500 attendees, over 100 booths, more than 80 speakers, and over 40 in-depth discussion sessions.
HORECFEX VIETNAM is the meeting point for the Hotel - Tourism service community, where technology, innovation, and new industry trends are connected through workshops, demonstrations, and professional sharing.
More noteworthy than the numbers is this year's theme: “EVERYTHING YOU NEED - Knowledge, Technology, Supply, and Connection”. These four elements can be seen as four steps of the same transformation journey. Knowledge helps businesses understand what is changing; Technology turns those insights into tools and solutions; Supply determines the ability to put solutions into operation; and Connection creates conditions for knowledge, technology, and resources to find the right partners, the right market, and continue to create value after the event. This is also how HORECFEX VIETNAM is positioned in this year's announcement - a comprehensive connection platform, rather than a mere equipment exhibition.
That spirit is reflected right in the program's partner structure. HORECFEX VIETNAM 2026 is accompanied by MENAS Group and AnhTris Holdings as Co-hosts; along with the Diamond Sponsor group including Phu Long, Hai Tran Media & Airs and TIM Corp. This list also partly shows the openness of the ecosystem the program wants to build: alongside hotel businesses are units operating in real estate, lifestyle, HORECA supply solutions, media, and the F&B ecosystem.
The exhibition space at HORECFEX VIETNAM 2025 gathered businesses and solutions from many fields in the Hotel - Tourism ecosystem, from technology, equipment, and ingredients to operations and F&B, creating a direct connection point between actual needs and solutions for the industry.
HORECFEX VIETNAM also chooses to bring technology closer to attendees through practical experiences. Right at the press conference announcing the program, Rokid smart glasses were applied with the ability to display subtitles and multi-language real-time translation; Meta Quest 3 allows for 360-degree space experiences; OrionStar, KEENON, and Unitree Robotics robots were introduced in scenarios related to reception, F&B, security, and rescue. The point is not the novelty of the equipment, but the question behind them: how a technology can help hotels serve better, resorts operate more efficiently, and staff have more time for customers?
AI robot solutions introduced at the HORECFEX Vietnam 2026 press conference, illustrating the ability to apply technology to reception, service, security, and operational support activities in the hotel - tourism industry.
Reality at the Furama - Ariyana Da Nang International Tourism Complex has also shown part of that mindset. Ms. Ariyana robot is used to support reception, guidance, and information provision, while Furama Resort Da Nang step-by-step applies AI to content and customer experience. Technology, in this approach, does not appear to replace the essence of the "hospitality" service industry but to support the operational team to devote resources to tasks that require more observation, sophistication, and human interaction.
Right at Furama Resort Da Nang, technology is increasingly integrated into operations and customer experience, but the core role remains supporting the service team to understand guests better, respond more appropriately, and spend more time on interactions that create a unique mark in each stay.
Opportunities are not just for those running hotels
HORECFEX VIETNAM is not only aimed at those directly managing hotels or resorts. The four values of Knowledge - Technology - Supply - Connection also open up different access points for businesses, suppliers, professionals, and the younger generation in the hotel-tourism ecosystem.
What distinguishes HORECFEX VIETNAM is its ability to bring multiple parts of the industry into one shared space: hoteliers, operators, restaurants, suppliers, technology companies, experts, investors and the next generation of hospitality professionals. Rather than requiring each group to attend separate events, HORECFEX VIETNAM creates a common platform where industry professionals can access knowledge, discover technology and supply solutions, and meet potential partners capable of addressing real operational needs. This structure allows the event to serve as one of the largest gathering points for Vietnam’s hotel and tourism community, bringing much of the industry’s value chain together over two days.
Technology - for businesses and technology solution providers
HORECFEX VIETNAM creates opportunities for units developing artificial intelligence, automation, data management, energy management, or solutions to enhance customer experience to directly approach hotels, resorts, restaurants, and tourism businesses. This is not only a place to introduce products but also an occasion for suppliers to listen to actual operational problems, better understand market needs, and seek opportunities to put solutions into application.
In-depth discussion sessions at HORECFEX VIETNAM bring practical perspectives on issues shaping the Hotel - Tourism service industry, while opening up opportunities to connect, exchange experiences, and update new trends from domestic and international experts.
Supply - for suppliers of products and services serving hotels, restaurants, and the food & beverage sector
For product and service providers, HORECFEX VIETNAM opens up opportunities to directly approach hotel systems, resorts, restaurants, and units looking for solutions for investment, upgrading, and operation. The scope of supply ranges from food, beverages, kitchen equipment, and housekeeping products to healthcare, furniture, and facilities. Through this, "Supply" is not only present in the exhibition area but becomes a link connecting the actual needs of businesses with products and solutions capable of going into operation.
“Supply” at HORECFEX VIETNAM is not only present in the exhibition area but is also expanded through thematic sharing sessions on products, ingredients, and practical problems of the hotel - tourism industry.
Connection - for investors, operators, businesses, and partners looking for cooperation opportunities
At HORECFEX VIETNAM, the value of connection lies not only in bringing many businesses into the same space but in the ability to create meetings that meet the right needs at the right time. Investors can find solutions suitable for operational problems, suppliers have the opportunity to directly approach decision-makers, and businesses can expand their partner network beyond familiar relationships.
An exchange at the event can start from a very specific need - finding a product, a technology, or a partner - but the real value is only formed when that meeting continues to develop after the event. It is the ability to turn a conversation into a cooperation opportunity, a need into a solution, and a contact into a long-term relationship that makes the meaning of "Connection" in HORECFEX VIETNAM.
Meetings at HORECFEX VIETNAM create conditions for investors, operators, and suppliers to directly exchange needs, find partners, and expand cooperation opportunities.
Knowledge - for professionals, experts, managers, and the younger generation
The system of forums, in-depth presentations, and discussion sessions at HORECFEX VIETNAM brings perspectives on issues directly shaping the industry, from artificial intelligence, hotel management, revenue optimization, food & beverage, and human resources to sustainable development. For students and young people, this is also an opportunity to more clearly observe changes in the labor market, new skills being required, and career paths forming at the intersection of technology and tourism.
HORECFEX expands the space for accessing technology and industry knowledge for the younger generation, creating opportunities for students and newcomers to the Hotel - Tourism field to directly observe, experience, and connect with the actual professional environment.
For businesses, a specialized forum can significantly shorten the journey of finding solutions and partners. Instead of approaching technology through sales documents, managers can directly observe products, ask questions to suppliers, hear the experiences of units that have implemented them, and consider the possibility of application in their own model. B2B activities at HORECFEX VIETNAM are also designed to connect investors, operators, experts, and suppliers in the same space.
Beside professional activities, HORECFEX VIETNAM also creates direct meetings between businesses and suppliers - where many cooperation opportunities can start from exchanges at the event.
For professionals, more than 40 in-depth sessions open up opportunities to access issues shaping the industry, from AI, hotel management, revenue management, sales & marketing to F&B, sustainable development, and human resources. Knowledge here is not just content heard and then left in the conference room; real value appears if a new perspective helps a business adjust its strategy or makes a professional look back at the skills they need to supplement.
Looking at it that way, the four elements Knowledge - Technology - Supply - Connection do not exist separately. Knowledge helps identify problems, technology brings solving tools, supply creates conditions for solutions to become reality, and connection is the link that brings those resources together. It is this link that helps HORECFEX VIETNAM expand its value beyond the scope of a mere forum or exhibition area.
HORECFEX VIETNAM 2026
Theme: “EVERYTHING YOU NEED - Knowledge, Technology, Supply, and Connection”
Time: 20/08/2026: 8:00AM - 5:00PM | 21/08/2026: 8:00AM - 9:00PM
Location: Ariyana Convention Centre Da Nang
Register for free: HERE
