To harness the potential for sustainable tourism.

Faced with the new demands of development, Ha Long aims to become a national and international tourism center; a city of innovation, creativity, heritage, and festivals. To achieve this goal, Ha Long must necessarily promote the development of its heritage economy .

Many of the rocky islands in Ha Long Bay, standing side by side, are imagined to resemble dragons.

The heritage economy depends on resources, namely the system of natural and cultural heritage. The essence of the heritage economy in Ha Long City is primarily based on the exceptional, globally outstanding value of Ha Long Bay and the cultural essence that still exists in contemporary life. Mr. Vu Quyet Tien, Standing Committee Member of the Provincial Party Committee and Secretary of the Ha Long City Party Committee, stated: In recent years, under the guidance and direction of the province, developing the heritage economy has been a strategic goal that Ha Long City has strived to achieve, and has initially reaped many positive results.

From receiving only a few tens of thousands of visitors before being recognized as a heritage site, Ha Long Bay now welcomes millions of visitors annually, contributing to changing the province's economic structure, causing the tourism and service industry to develop rapidly, becoming a key economic sector, and bringing practical and sustainable benefits to the community and locality.

The city has made many efforts to exploit the heritage economy, but also faces numerous challenges, such as: conflicts between ensuring a balance between preservation and development; inadequate infrastructure and technical facilities serving the heritage economy; a shortage of qualified personnel with professional skills, foreign language proficiency, limited business and behavioral culture; and a lack of coordination in exploiting heritage values…

To address difficulties and overcome challenges, on December 26, 2024, the workshop "Promoting the Green Economy, Digital Economy, and Heritage Economy of Ha Long City in the Era of National Development" was held to consult with experts, scientists , and managers to help Ha Long City clarify its understanding of comprehensive and sustainable heritage economic development; and to develop new perspectives and appropriate policies to serve the development of the heritage economy.

With the perspective of needing a vision for the values ​​of the Ha Long Bay World Natural Heritage site, Associate Professor Dr. Duong Van Sau, Faculty of Tourism, Hanoi University of Culture, affirmed: The city should place the development of culture and the promotion of the potential of the Ha Long Bay World Natural Heritage site within the systemic relationship of hundreds of historical sites and scenic spots in the province.

The Lê Thái Tổ temple complex is currently undergoing restoration.

Highly appreciating the values ​​of the Ha Long Bay World Natural Heritage site in the current trend of heritage economic development, Professor Tran Tho Dat, former Rector of the National Economics University in Hanoi, stated: Given the challenges in preserving and developing the Ha Long Bay heritage site today, strong and decisive involvement from the government, all levels and sectors, and the people is urgently needed in coordinating management, preservation, and effective sustainable promotion of the heritage's values.

Overall, the discussions and opinions expressed at the workshop provided important foundations for Ha Long to formulate a strategy for developing its heritage economy. Many contents can be incorporated into the key goals and orientations in the documents of the Ha Long City Party Congress, term 2025-2030, to implement and create breakthroughs in the new term based on new driving forces and production methods, and to develop the heritage economy in the new phase. From there, Ha Long will become a land attracting many investors to test ideas and initiatives in building the city into a world-class service center with high brand value in tourism, cultural industries, heritage economy, and experimenting with new business models associated with innovative startups in the service sector…

Dao Thanh Y women embroider traditional costumes at the Dao Ethnic Culture Preservation Center in Bang Ca commune, Ha Long City, to make souvenirs to sell to tourists.

The city focuses on developing tourism products that combine local cultural experiences (kayaking, visiting floating fishing villages, sailing festivals, singing amidst natural wonders, etc.). More and more performances and demonstrations of traditional culture are being organized in Ha Long, increasing the diversity and attractiveness of tourism products and tours while also leveraging the value of intangible cultural heritage.

To ensure the effective implementation of the heritage economy development policy and its transformation into a new driving force for economic development, Ha Long City is building a specific, scientific, feasible roadmap tailored to the unique characteristics of each heritage site. This will involve developing pilot models, expanding the linkage chain, and encouraging the active participation of the community, which plays a key role and directly benefits from exploiting heritage values ​​to develop the heritage economy.

Tourists immerse themselves in the melodies of music on Ha Long Bay.

The city has been planning the spatial arrangement of historical and cultural relics, creating a harmonious integration between natural landscapes, architectural identity (natural capital), and cultural space (cultural capital) to form a unique and comprehensive tourism resource; planning the system and spatial arrangement of natural heritage, tangible and intangible cultural heritage to serve the development of the heritage economy. Simultaneously, there are comprehensive projects for developing the heritage economy in conjunction with heritage preservation, limiting the frequency of exploiting heritage values ​​for tourism to avoid over-exploitation; and building a public-private partnership mechanism in investing in the restoration, renovation, and exploitation of heritage to promote sustainable economic development.

Source: https://baoquangninh.vn/khai-thac-tiem-nang-kinh-te-di-san-tai-ha-long-3338839.html