Con Son - Kiep Bac: Awakening heritage potential

Con Son - Kiep Bac is the intersection of three axes of value: Truc Lam - Duc Thanh Tran - Ma Nhai Kinh Chu.

With the orientation of turning tourism into a spearhead economic sector, the locality aims to attract 4 million visitors each year, creating momentum for investment projects worth thousands of billions of VND, awakening heritage potential and turning culture into a source of sustainable growth.

EXPERIENCED TOURISM PROMOTES THE ECONOMY

In July 2025, the Con Son - Kiep Bac complex was officially recognized by UNESCO as a World Cultural Heritage. This event is not only a source of pride for local people but also marks an important turning point in the strategy of turning culture into a resource for sustainable economic and tourism development.

This place, once a "spiritual land of talented people" associated with Tran Hung Dao, Nguyen Trai, Huyen Quang, is now awakening in the rhythm of heritage economy, where the past and present meet on the same stream.

Nestled between green valleys and majestic mountains, Con Son - Kiep Bac is the intersection of three axes of value: Truc Lam - Duc Thanh Tran - Ma Nhai Kinh Chu. The ancient Con Son pagoda, the majestic Kiep Bac temple, Thanh Mai pagoda covered in red maple leaves every autumn. All create a unique spiritual and cultural space, where the spirit of Truc Lam Zen permeates every stone slab and tree canopy.

Hai Phong is shaping Con Son - Kiep Bac as a center of cultural, spiritual and ecological tourism .

That heritage is not only a thousand-year memory, but is also becoming a living economic asset, as the number of people flocking to it is increasing. During the 2025 Con Son - Kiep Bac Autumn Festival alone, the relic site welcomed more than 320,000 visitors, bringing in a large source of revenue for the local accommodation, service, transportation and culinary system. This number is expected to increase more than tenfold, reaching 4 million visitors/year, after the relic is officially recognized by UNESCO.

Realizing the potential of heritage, Hai Phong city is shaping Con Son - Kiep Bac as a cultural, spiritual and ecological tourism center of the Northern Delta. New tourism products are constantly being launched, from the tour "Following the footsteps of the Three Patriarchs of Truc Lam", "One journey - five destinations of world heritage", to the experience of woodblock printing, calligraphy, and tasting Kiep Bac lotus tea.

These models help tourists live in heritage, enjoy culture and participate in creativity, creating a tourism value chain with clear economic spillover.

During the Culture, Tourism and Trade Promotion Week of the Con Son - Kiep Bac Autumn Festival 2025, more than 30 units and 200 3-5 star OCOP products were introduced. Traditional craft village spaces such as mother-of-pearl inlay, silk weaving, pottery making, gold and silver crafting became an "open stage" for artisans to perform and connect businesses. Each handicraft product, each regional specialty such as green bean cake, perch vermicelli, carries a story, value and opportunity for community economic development.

A NEW JOURNEY OF A LEGACY

Being recognized by UNESCO is not only a title, but also a driving force for the locality to develop heritage associated with economic efficiency. The local government is planning to implement the Thanh Long Lake Ecotourism Project with a scale of 1,380 hectares, total investment capital of more than 10,000 billion VND, lasting 8 years. When completed, the project is expected to attract 5-7 million tourists each year, creating a strong boost for regional tourism.

In parallel, the Luc Dau river tourism model is being researched, connecting riverside relic sites, combining the enjoyment of Quan Ho art and Cheo singing, creating unique products, both preserving identity and expanding the market.

Being recognized by UNESCO is not only a title, but also a driving force for localities to develop heritage associated with economic efficiency.

According to the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism of Hai Phong, the rapid increase in the number of visitors is leading to the development of ancillary services: accommodation, restaurants, transportation, tour guides, contributing to the shift of labor structure from agriculture to tourism services.

Along with this strategy, the province aims to make tourism a spearhead economic sector, contributing increasingly to local GRDP, in line with the Government's target of national GDP growth reaching 8-10%/year from 2026 onwards.

From the silent imprints of history, Con Son - Kiep Bac is truly "awakening". Each festival and each tourism product that is opened not only contributes to preserving the heritage, but also creates a sustainable economic resource for the people.

Amidst the ringing of temple bells and the bustling crowds of people during the festival season, one can clearly feel a new rhythm of life, the rhythm of a heritage that is becoming a driving force for development, carrying the aspirations of the sacred land on its journey of integration and reaching out to the world.

Source: https://vneconomy.vn/con-son-kiep-bac-danh-thuc-tiem-nang-di-san.htm