'Awakening' the potential of the midland region.

Located in the heart of the Northern Midlands and Mountains region, Thai Nguyen has long been known as the "tea capital" of Vietnam. Furthermore, this land possesses a rich and diverse system of tourism resources, from natural landscapes to cultural and historical depth. However, within the overall picture of Vietnamese tourism, these potentials have not yet been exploited to their full potential.

Dung Tan tourist area (Song Cong ward) is likened by visitors to a "royal garden".

In recent years, tourism in Thai Nguyen has seen positive developments. By 2025, the province is expected to welcome over 7.3 million visitors, generating nearly 7,447 billion VND in revenue. However, compared to its potential, the results achieved are still not truly commensurate. The majority of tourists visiting Thai Nguyen still choose day trips, rarely staying for extended periods, leading to low added value from tourism.

One of the major limitations of tourism in Thai Nguyen today is the lack of distinctive, in-depth, and unique tourism products. Although there are experiential services such as tea picking, tea processing, and tea tasting in famous tea-growing regions like Tan Cuong, La Bang, and Trai Cai, these activities remain isolated and have not yet become complete tourism products.

Furthermore, tourism services lack uniformity. The accommodation system, entertainment services, and especially nighttime activities are limited. This makes it difficult for tourists to have more choices for experiences, thus shortening their length of stay.

The linkages between destinations within and outside the province are not yet truly effective. Tourist tours and routes lack diversity and regional connectivity, leading to a failure to fully exploit the potential of each locality.

Ms. Ha Thi Bich Hong, Director of the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism of Thai Nguyen province, shared: Thai Nguyen has many advantages for tourism development, however, the exploitation is not yet truly commensurate. Besides, the locality also faces some difficulties such as the lack of synchronized transportation infrastructure to tourist areas and limited attraction of investment from businesses and investors.

From a business perspective, these difficulties become even more apparent. Many tourism businesses believe that attracting tourists is difficult, but retaining them is even harder when products are not attractive enough and services do not meet the increasingly high expectations of tourists.

Ms. Nguyen Thi Oanh, Deputy Director of Dung Tan Tourism Co., Ltd., expressed her concern: Thai Nguyen's tourism lacks a distinctive feature and hasn't fully exploited its existing potential. We must create entertainment complexes and resorts to attract tourists to Thai Nguyen.

Despite its limitations, tourism in Thai Nguyen is opening up new opportunities, especially for local people. In tea-growing regions, farmers are no longer solely engaged in agriculture but are gradually participating in tourism activities. This participation not only brings new income but also contributes to the preservation and promotion of traditional cultural values. This is a crucial foundation for sustainable tourism development.

To truly make tourism a key economic sector, Thai Nguyen needs to implement a comprehensive set of solutions. First, it's crucial to focus on developing distinctive tourism products with unique characteristics. Tourism linked to tea culture could become a flagship "brand" if properly and professionally invested in. Furthermore, the development of experiential tourism, community-based tourism, and ecotourism should be promoted, linked to resource conservation and improved service quality.

Ba Be Lake - the "mirror of the sky" in Northern Vietnam.

Strengthening regional linkages is also one of the important solutions. Connecting Thai Nguyen with neighboring localities will contribute to the formation of attractive tourist tours and routes, extending the length of stay for tourists. Along with that, digital transformation in tourism needs to be promoted, from advertising and promotion to management and service provision.

The application of technology will help bring the image of Thai Nguyen tourism closer to domestic and international tourists. In addition, improving the quality of human resources in tourism, enhancing the investment environment, and attracting businesses to participate in tourism development are also key factors.

It is clear that Thai Nguyen's tourism sector is facing many opportunities for development, but also numerous challenges. "Unleashing potential" is not just a matter for the tourism industry alone, but requires the involvement of the entire political system, the business community, and the people.

Source: https://baothainguyen.vn/van-hoa/du-lich-thai-nguyen/202603/danh-thuctiem-nang-vung-trung-du-f0c6d13/