Global AI Wire
DA NANG, Vietnam – August 18–
HORECFEX Vietnam 2026, the Hospitality & Tourism Forum for Technology, Innovation & Procurement, will take place August 20-21 at the Ariyana Convention Centre Da Nang, part of the Furama - Ariyana Da Nang International Tourism Complex. Organized under the theme "Everything You Need - Knowledge, Technology, Supply, and Connection," the forum gathers the professional community, businesses, and technology solutions working to shape the future of the hotel and tourism industry.
HORECFEX VIETNAM 2026 Theme: “EVERYTHING YOU NEED - Knowledge, Technology, Supply, and Connection” Time: 20/08/2026: 8h00 - 17h00 | 21/08/2026: 8h00 - 21h00 Location: Ariyana Convention Centre Da Nang Register for free: HERE
Da Nang is widely associated with its coastline, world-class resorts, and the lifestyle of a tourist city. For nearly a decade, however, the city has also served as a meeting point for international conferences, economic forums, and large-scale events. Organizers said HORECFEX Vietnam 2026 reflects that same movement: a technology forum dedicated to the hotel and tourism industry does not simply add another entry to the city's conference calendar, but signals the increasing intersection between two growing strengths — the tourism-MICE ecosystem and the industry's capacity to adopt new technology and innovation. Events of this kind, the organizers noted, are built on a foundation of organizational capacity, conference infrastructure, international hospitality experience, and close coordination between government, businesses, and Da Nang's professional community.
The scale of the market is also increasing 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.
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.
A hospitality industry facing unavoidable transformation
A vacation today begins long before the guest steps into the hotel lobby. Searching for a destination, reading reviews, comparing prices, booking, and payment now take place largely in a digital environment, and during their stay guests continue to expect faster responses, more convenient processes, and services suited to their personal needs.
Behind that convenience is a series of operational challenges that hotel, restaurant, and tourism businesses handle daily. Revenue management, energy control, demand forecasting, staffing, ingredient management, customer care, and marketing are all increasingly shaped by data and technology. Artificial intelligence can help businesses understand customer behavior more deeply and automate repetitive tasks; virtual reality opens new ways to survey and present spaces; and real-time translation helps bridge language barriers in an industry serving guests from many markets.
The shift is visible not only in visitor numbers but 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 geographic diversification of Vietnam's 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 more important.
The gap between technology that impresses on stage and a solution that creates real operational efficiency, however, remains wide. Businesses need to know not only what is new, but which solution fits their scale, what resources it requires, whether their team can adopt it, and what value it will create after implementation. It is precisely this gap between "seeing technology" and "putting technology into operation" that HORECFEX Vietnam 2026 aims to address, creating conditions for businesses to access applicable technology and strengthen competitive capacity.
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.
"Everything You Need" for a transforming industry
According to its official program, HORECFEX Vietnam 2026 is expected to gather more than 4,500 attendees, over 100 booths, more than 80 speakers, and over 40 in-depth discussion sessions. That scale builds on clear growth across previous editions. On the first day of HORECFEX Vietnam 2025 alone, the event welcomed 3,500 attendees, more than 120 brands, and over 90 speakers; participants represented 20 countries, with international experts accounting for 40% of the line-up. The organizers position HORECFEX Vietnam as one of the largest events for the hotel, restaurant, and food service industry in Vietnam, and as an annual meeting point for the domestic and regional community — closer in character to an international industry forum than a single-market event.
More notable than the numbers, organizers said, is this year's theme: "Everything You Need - Knowledge, Technology, Supply, and Connection." The four elements are framed 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 the conditions for knowledge, technology, and resources to find the right partners and continue creating value after the event. On that basis, the organizers describe HORECFEX Vietnam as a comprehensive connection platform rather than a mere equipment exhibition.
That spirit is reflected in the program's partner structure. HORECFEX Vietnam 2026 is accompanied by MENAS Group and AnhTris Holdings as co-hosts, along with a Diamond Sponsor group that includes Phu Long, Hai Tran Media & Airs, and TIM Corp. The list reflects the openness of the ecosystem the program aims to build: alongside hotel businesses are companies operating in real estate, lifestyle, HORECA supply solutions, media, and the F&B ecosystem.
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.
Technology brought into practice
HORECFEX Vietnam also brings technology closer to attendees through hands-on experience. At the press conference announcing the program, Rokid smart glasses were used to display subtitles and multilingual real-time translation; Meta Quest 3 headsets enabled 360-degree space experiences; and robots from OrionStar, KEENON, and Unitree Robotics were introduced in reception, F&B, security, and rescue scenarios. The emphasis, organizers said, is not the novelty of the equipment but the operational question behind it: how technology can help hotels serve better, resorts operate more efficiently, and staff devote more time to guests.
That mindset is already visible at the Furama - Ariyana Da Nang International Tourism Complex, where the Ms. Ariyana robot supports reception, guidance, and information, while Furama Resort Danang and Furama Villas Da Nang have begun applying AI to content and customer experience. In this approach, technology does not replace the essence of hospitality but supports operational teams so they can focus on tasks requiring observation, care, and human interaction.
Opportunities beyond hotel operators
HORECFEX Vietnam is not aimed only at those directly managing hotels or resorts. The four values open different access points for businesses, suppliers, professionals, and the younger generation across the ecosystem, bringing hoteliers, operators, restaurants, suppliers, technology companies, experts, investors, and the next generation of hospitality professionals into one shared space over two days.
For technology and solution providers, the forum creates opportunities for companies developing artificial intelligence, automation, data management, energy management, and customer-experience tools to approach hotels, resorts, restaurants, and tourism businesses directly. It serves not only as a place to introduce products, but as an occasion for suppliers to hear real operational problems, understand market needs, and find opportunities to put solutions into practice.
For suppliers of products and services, HORECFEX Vietnam opens direct access to hotel systems, resorts, restaurants, and businesses seeking solutions for investment, upgrading, and operation. The scope of supply ranges from food, beverages, and kitchen equipment to housekeeping, healthcare, furniture, and facilities, making "Supply" a link between real business needs and solutions ready for operation.
For investors, operators, and partners, the value of connection lies in creating meetings that meet the right needs at the right time. Investors can find solutions suited to operational problems, suppliers can approach decision-makers directly, and businesses can expand their networks beyond familiar relationships. The real value forms when an exchange that begins with a specific need — a product, a technology, or a partner — develops into cooperation after the event.
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, experts, managers, and students, the system of forums and more than 40 in-depth sessions addresses issues shaping the industry, from artificial intelligence, hotel management, revenue optimization, and F&B to sales and marketing, human resources, and sustainable development. For students and young people, it offers a clearer view of labor-market changes, emerging skills, and career paths forming at the intersection of technology and tourism. For businesses, a specialized forum can shorten the search for solutions and partners: rather than approaching technology through sales documents, managers can observe products directly, question suppliers, and hear from peers who have implemented them.
Taken together, the four elements do not exist separately. Knowledge identifies problems, technology provides the tools, supply makes solutions viable, and connection brings those resources together — the link that extends HORECFEX Vietnam's value beyond that of a single forum or exhibition. Registration is free and available through the official HORECFEX Vietnam registration page. Further information is available on the HORECFEX Vietnam website.
About HORECFEX Vietnam
HORECFEX Vietnam is the Hospitality & Tourism Forum for Technology, Innovation & Procurement, connecting hotels, resorts, restaurants, F&B businesses, and tourism enterprises with technology providers, industry experts, and international partners through its exhibition, conference program, live technology demonstrations, and business networking activities. It is positioned by its organizers as one of the largest annual events for the hotel, restaurant, and food service industry in Vietnam.
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Media Contact:
PHUONG ANH
HORECFEX
marketing@furamavietnam.com
