Every year, Nha Trang - Khanh Hoa welcomes a large number of tourists , but the production and sale of souvenirs in this coastal region still face many limitations. To improve this, the Provincial People's Committee will soon organize a competition to design souvenir products for Nha Trang - Khanh Hoa tourism.
Improvements to the display space.
One afternoon in mid-September, Jung So Min and her boyfriend (a tourist from South Korea) visited the Chili Pepper souvenir shop (30 Nguyen Thien Thuat Street, Nha Trang City). The souvenirs here were quite beautifully arranged, and the staff were very friendly. After the initial greeting, the shopkeepers let customers browse freely without pestering them like at market stalls. The souvenirs were clearly priced, so customers could choose items that fit their budget, such as: traditional Vietnamese conical hats, ceramic figurines of young women, postcards featuring beautiful Nha Trang scenery, bamboo woven trays, straw bags, brocade items, etc. For just 20,000 VND, tourists could buy a small, pretty postcard with images of the Tram Huong Tower or the Ponagar Tower as a gift for loved ones. After browsing, Jung So Min chose to buy a cute little cyclo (rickshaw) to commemorate her trip to Nha Trang.
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| Jung So Min and her boyfriend are browsing souvenirs at the Chili Pepper souvenir shop. |
Opened in May, the souvenir and handicraft section on the 5th floor of the Gold Coast Shopping Centre covers an area of 3,200 m² and currently houses 7 souvenir stalls along with Sống Concept (a complex featuring unique recycled handicrafts, fashion made from recycled materials, and products extracted from nature). A wide variety of souvenirs are available, from items made of bamboo, coconut shells, and seashells, to lacquerware, ceramics, shoes, and straw bags… The stalls are arranged very logically and beautifully, exuding the traditional flavor of Vietnam. According to Ms. Nguyen Thi Lanh, the founder of Sống Concept, the biggest weakness in Vietnamese souvenirs is not the quality of the goods themselves, but the space in which they are displayed. Souvenirs increase in value significantly when they are beautifully displayed and when they truly "live" within their cultural context. Therefore, when the Gold Coast Shopping Centre opened its souvenir and handicraft display area, she came up with the idea to organize the Living Concept by selling souvenirs. She also regularly organizes workshops on playing the zither, teaching how to paint conical hats, painting, etc., to honor and introduce traditional Vietnamese culture to tourists and locals.
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| Lacquered souvenirs at Co Bamboo shop (Gold Coast Shopping Centre). |
We need specific product samples.
Besides the two locations mentioned above, Nha Trang now has many souvenir shops along Hung Vuong, Nguyen Thien Thuat, and Biet Thu streets, with Dam Market being the most numerous. The variety of souvenirs is greater than before. However, the unique character of Nha Trang souvenirs remains rather weak. Aside from souvenirs made from seashells, postcards, and magnets printed with Nha Trang landscapes, tourists find it very difficult to find truly unique Nha Trang souvenirs. Therefore, while many tourists visit souvenir shops, the number of actual purchases is not high. “We wanted to find items that would remind us of Nha Trang, but there weren't many. The souvenirs here are quite similar to those in Da Nang , only differing in the printed or engraved names of destinations…,” commented Robert Anke (a German tourist) after visiting several souvenir shops at Dam Market.
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| Ms. Yang Song Hee and her mother-in-law made lanterns at the Potique Hotel as souvenirs to commemorate their trip to Nha Trang. |
Tourism is a comprehensive economic sector. Besides accommodation, food, entertainment, and recreational services, the souvenir business also generates significant revenue if properly invested in and exploited. Before the Covid-19 pandemic, Khanh Hoa province welcomed 7 million overnight visitors per year. In the first eight months of 2023, the province received over 5 million overnight visitors, including more than 1.2 million international tourists. With such a large number of tourists, the opportunities for producing and selling souvenirs are immense. Unfortunately, due to a lack of investment and insufficient attention, the province's tourism sector has not been able to fully capitalize on this potential. During the closing ceremony of the Nha Trang - Khanh Hoa Sea Festival 2023, Mr. Nguyen Tan Tuan, Deputy Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee and Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee, once again expressed regret over the limited availability of souvenirs that are characteristic of Nha Trang - Khanh Hoa. “If there were souvenirs bearing the symbols and emblems of the Nha Trang - Khanh Hoa Sea Festival, tourists would certainly buy them as gifts for their loved ones. Without such gifts, we not only lose the opportunity to earn money, but also miss the chance to promote the image of Nha Trang - Khanh Hoa to the international community,” he expressed. Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee Nguyen Tan Tuan assigned the Department of Tourism to lead the planning and organization of a competition to design souvenir products for Nha Trang - Khanh Hoa tourism, serving the province's foreign relations efforts and contributing to improving the quality of souvenirs from the land of agarwood.
Regarding this matter, Ms. Nguyen Thi Le Thanh, Director of the Department of Tourism, said that the department has drafted a plan to organize a competition for designing souvenir products for Nha Trang - Khanh Hoa and is currently seeking opinions from relevant departments and agencies to supplement and finalize the plan before submitting it to the Provincial People's Committee for promulgation. Hopefully, when this competition is held, Khanh Hoa's tourism industry will have more distinctive souvenir product designs to serve the gift and souvenir needs of tourists.
XUAN THANH
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