Transforming heritage into a resource for development.
Exploiting and promoting the value of cultural heritage is not only a conservation task but also an important driving force for promoting socio-economic growth, positioning tourism brands, and elevating the status of Hai Phong.
Báo Đại Đoàn Kết•03/10/2025
Water procession ceremony at Con Son Pagoda. Photo: Hai Phong Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism.
Over the two days of September 27-28, the Con Son - Kiet Bac historical site (Tran Hung Dao ward, Hai Phong), part of the Yen Tu - Vinh Nghiem - Con Son - Kiet Bac complex of historical sites and scenic spots, welcomed approximately 65,000 visitors, a significant increase compared to the same period in 2024. According to Ms. Nguyen Thi Thuy Lien, Head of the Con Son - Kiet Bac Historical Site Management Board, this figure demonstrates the exceptional appeal of this world heritage site, even before the main festival day of the 2025 Con Son - Kiet Bac Autumn Festival.
Besides World Heritage sites, Hai Phong also boasts 9 special national monuments and monument clusters, 257 national monuments, 722 city-level monuments, and 33 national treasures. Not only is it rich in tangible heritage, Hai Phong also has two intangible heritage sites recognized by UNESCO: the Practice of the Mother Goddess Worship of the Vietnamese People (Representative Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity) and Ca Tru Singing (Intangible Cultural Heritage in Need of Urgent Safeguarding), along with 24 national intangible heritage sites, over 1,200 traditional festivals, and numerous craft villages.
Ms. Tran Thi Hoang Mai, Director of the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism of Hai Phong City, said: In recent years, Hai Phong has paid attention to and focused on preserving and promoting the value of tangible and intangible cultural heritage. The city has allocated significant resources to restore and renovate historical and cultural relics. From 2021 to the present, the city has provided nearly 38 billion VND in aid and mobilized over 146 billion VND from social contributions to renovate 70 relics, and allocated over 3,000 billion VND to renovate and invest in infrastructure and transportation connections at these relic sites.
With the motto of transforming historical sites and heritage into human resources that create economic value, the city has approved a policy of exploiting heritage values with specific projects, plans, and programs. Many creative programs with unique characteristics have been implemented, such as: television stage shows, "Lighting Up the Theater," promoting Cat Ba Heritage on CNN, applying digital technology at Hang Kenh communal house, etc. All have yielded positive effects. As a result, tourist routes and destinations associated with heritage are becoming increasingly attractive. Many thematic products have been developed, such as: "Famous Figures of Vietnam," "Truc Lam Zen School," "The Vietnamese Path of Academic Excellence," spiritual tourism, and craft village tourism...
In addition, the system of festivals taking place throughout the year, from spring festivals at historical sites, summer festivals with the Red Phoenix Flower Festival, Do Son Buffalo Fighting, and Cat Ba Sea Festival; to autumn festivals at Con Son - Kiet Bac historical site and winter festivals with the Trang Trinh Nguyen Binh Khiem festival, has contributed to making Hai Phong a vibrant and unique destination.
Despite achieving many positive results, the exploitation of heritage values has not yet reached its full potential. Ms. Mai noted: Currently, heritage conservation efforts are sometimes inconsistent. Tourism and service infrastructure is limited; tourism products linked to heritage are not truly diverse and unique. The human resources working in tourism and culture are not yet truly systematic and professional.
The city's tourism sector hopes to organize more international events at the heritage site, develop night tourism and live performance theater; mobilize diverse resources through public-private partnerships, establish a Cultural Heritage Conservation Fund, and secure international funding. Simultaneously, the city focuses on training professional personnel and promoting multi-channel communication to bring the image of the heritage site closer to the community and international tourists.
Leveraging the advantages of its two World Heritage sites and its unique system of historical relics, Hai Phong is facing a great opportunity to transform its heritage into a sustainable development resource, creating momentum for breakthroughs in the new era.
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