Eating pho at a 5-star resort is very different because they know how to tell an emotional culinary story.

Asked to suggest keywords to increase the value of Vietnamese tourism, experts at the technology and innovation forum for the tourism and service industry held in Da Nang on the morning of August 26 gave recommendations including cuisine, culture, sustainability, diversity and difference.

Experience Cam Thanh coconut forest is highly appreciated by international tourists about Vietnam tourism - Photo: BD

The forum is part of a series of exhibitions and forums specializing in restaurants, hotels, coffee, food and beverage... being held at the Ariyana International Convention Palace in Da Nang with the presence of about 3,500 businesses.

Vietnam needs more "storytellers"

Presenting statistics on Vietnam's tourism compared to other countries in the world , tourism expert Alice Swe - business manager at STR (Singapore) - said that Vietnam has emerged as a "power" in the world and regional tourism industry.

After COVID-19, Vietnam tourism grew very quickly, especially in the shift of international visitors. While the general tourist population remained stable, the middle and high-end tourist segment increased very quickly, especially in cities such as Da Nang, Phu Quoc, and Ho Chi Minh City.

Ms. Alice Swe said that compared to Southeast Asia, Vietnam's tourism is at the top in terms of growth rate while countries such as Thailand, Singapore, and the Philippines show signs of slowing down or maintaining a stable rate.

However, according to many experts, Vietnamese tourism is still somewhat known as "cheap tourism", the number of visitors is large but the spending value of visitors is not high.

The main reason is that Vietnamese people and businesses do not really know how to tell stories to make tourists spend more.

Ms. Alice Swe shares information about Vietnam tourism on the morning of August 26 - Photo: BD

According to Mr. Pham Ha, Chairman and CEO of LuxGroup, it is necessary to soon change the mindset from "counting customers to calculate money" to "counting money to calculate the number of customers served".

Mr. Ha said that culture, beautiful beaches, and natural landscapes are invaluable resources that many countries crave when thinking about Vietnam. However, many places still do tourism in the same way, have not created their own identity, and do not know how to tell stories to create emotions for visitors.

Taking the example of Vietnamese pho cuisine, Mr. Luong Ngoc Khanh, CEO at H&K Hospitality, said that this is a very famous dish and is truly a specialty - a resource for tourism.

"It's the same bowl of pho but eating it at a street stall is different, but enjoying it at the 5-star Furama resort is completely different. At the resort, people don't just cook a simple dish but tell a story, really creating a lot of emotions" - Mr. Khanh said.

Keywords to enhance the value of Vietnamese tourism

Suggested keywords for Vietnam tourism to promote its value, tourism experts identified 4 factors including cuisine, culture, sustainability, diversity and difference.

Tourism expert Nguyen Hoang Mai believes that the word "strange" is a factor that attracts tourists to any country.

Vietnam is also a "strange" destination. In the eyes of many people, the images of Ha Giang tourism, the experience of rowing a basket boat through the Cam Thanh coconut forest, and sitting on a boat watching the ancient town of Hoi An are very "strange" and curious. Therefore, if we know how to increase the value of these tours, we will be able to exploit higher values.

Ms. Mai and other experts agree that Vietnam tourism is "strange" but always associated with safety factors, and every tourist who comes to experience it feels peaceful and happy.

Therefore, it is necessary to have a promotion strategy and institutionalize this factor to position the brand in the world.

Vietnam tourism forum in Da Nang on the morning of August 26 - Photo: BD

According to Mr. Nguyen Trung Khanh, Director of the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism, in 2024, Vietnam tourism will rank 59/199 countries and territories. This result reflects efforts to invest in tourism development, improve infrastructure, promote digital transformation and apply science and technology.

Ms. Do Thi Hong Xoan, President of the Vietnam Hotel Association, said that there are 3 pillars that are positioning the tourism industry, including the hotel sector in Vietnam at the present stage: technology - comprehensive digital transformation, sustainable development associated with responsible tourism, and redefining customer experience.

Therefore, according to Ms. Xoan, along with cultivating and enhancing cultural values ​​and exploiting unique elements, investing in technology will be the key to helping Vietnam's tourism industry rise up and contribute more revenue.

Horecfex 2025 Exhibition and Forum was held in Da Nang on August 26 and 27. The second time it was held, the largest event in the hotel, restaurant, food/coffee industry in the country gathered 3,500 businesses and hundreds of tourism experts specializing in technology.

Thai Ba Dung

Source: https://tuoitre.vn/an-pho-o-resort-5-sao-rat-khac-vi-nguoi-ta-biet-ke-mot-cau-chuyen-am-thuc-nhieu-cam-c-20250826115744083.htm