Locating the "spiritual cultural tourism map" in the South of Hanoi

With many heritage resources and a dense system of relics, Thanh Liet ward has great potential to develop cultural and spiritual tourism in the South of Hanoi. This is also the content discussed at the Conference "Improving service quality and connecting tourist destinations of Thanh Liet ward with travel agencies in Hanoi in 2025" held on the morning of December 9, organized by the Hanoi Department of Tourism in coordination with the People's Committee of Thanh Liet ward.

Tourists watch a performance of the Bong dance from Trieu Khuc village. Photo: Hoang Lan.

"Gold mine" of cultural and spiritual tourism

Located in the south of the capital, Thanh Liet ward is an ancient land within the Thang Long - Hanoi cultural space, home to many unique tangible and intangible heritage sites. According to the People's Committee of Thanh Liet ward, the ward officially commenced operations on July 1, 2025, based on the merger of most of the natural area and population of the communes of Thanh Liet and Tan Trieu (formerly Thanh Tri district); a portion of the natural area and population of Ta Thanh Oai commune (formerly Thanh Tri district); and the wards of Dai Kim (formerly Hoang Mai district); Ha Dinh and Thanh Xuan Bac (formerly Thanh Xuan district); and Van Quan (formerly Ha Dong district).

The ancient beauty of Quang An Pagoda. Photo: Hoang Lan.

According to Nguyen Anh Tuan, Vice Chairman of the People's Committee of Thanh Liet Ward, Thanh Liet Ward is a land of outstanding people and historical significance, the birthplace of famous national heroes and prominent figures in Vietnamese history. It is the hometown of two great Vietnamese figures: the philosopher Chu Van An – a revered teacher of all ages and a UNESCO World Heritage figure recognized in 2020; and General Pham Tu, a general of the Early Ly Dynasty who made significant contributions to the founding of the Van Xuan Kingdom.

Thanh Liet ward currently preserves many national-level historical sites such as: Noi Temple, Ngoai Temple, Quang An Pagoda, and the Trieu Khuc complex; the Trieu Khuc festival and the Bong Drum dance were recognized as National Intangible Cultural Heritage in 2019. In addition, Thanh Liet is also the "cradle" of many traditional craft villages of Hanoi such as weaving, silk production, and the making of the "quai thao" (a type of traditional Vietnamese stringed instrument)... This is a unique tourism resource for developing cultural, festival, and craft village tourism products.

A survey team from the Hanoi Department of Tourism, with the participation of travel agencies, visited and surveyed Long Quang Pagoda as a tourist destination. Photo: Hoang Lan.

Mr. Nguyen Anh Tuan also informed that the locality is gradually developing and exploiting tourism products and programs with three types: cultural and spiritual tourism; school tourism and cultural and historical education; and traditional craft village and culinary tourism. Currently, the ward proposes focusing on implementing the project to build the Chu Van An Memorial Park with a total area of ​​approximately 100 hectares, including memorial structures, museums, historical sites, and ecological areas to serve the rest and entertainment needs of the people and tourists.

Ngoai Temple is located within the Chu Van An Memorial Park. Photo: Hoang Lan

“Going forward, the ward will install additional lighting systems at tourist spots; upgrade and beautify the entire historical site landscape; replace signs with new ones featuring maps of tourist attractions along with explanatory descriptions; and upgrade tourism infrastructure such as building parking areas and installing public restrooms…”, Mr. Nguyen Anh Tuan shared.

Developing tourism based on historical sites.

Assessing the tourism potential of Thanh Liet ward, Deputy Director of the Hanoi Department of Tourism Tran Trung Hieu said that Thanh Liet has unique tourism resources to develop cultural, festival, and traditional craft village experience tourism products, contributing to the strategy of developing new tourism products for Hanoi.

Conference "Improving service quality and connecting Thanh Liet ward's tourism destinations with travel agencies in Hanoi city in 2025". Photo: Hoang Lan

Mr. Tran Trung Hieu suggested that, to develop tourism effectively, Thanh Liet needs to leverage the value of its tangible and intangible cultural heritage system in conjunction with the development of various tourism types: cultural tourism, craft village tourism linked to creativity and cultural industries, and experiential tourism focusing on festivals and traditional arts. In addition, the locality needs to strengthen connections with travel agencies, promote the formation of tours and routes, and establish links with neighboring tourist destinations, thereby building a chain of distinctive tourism products for Thanh Liet to meet the diverse needs of domestic and international tourists.

"With its existing historical sites, heritage, and planned projects, Thanh Liet should aim to become a new highlight on the map of cultural, spiritual, festival, and traditional craft village tourism in the capital, contributing to the diversification of Hanoi's tourism products," Mr. Tran Trung Hieu expressed.

At the conference, tourism experts and travel agencies contributed many ideas and solutions to promote the cultural values ​​and historical relics of Thanh Liet as an advantage for tourism development. According to Associate Professor Dr. Duong Van Sau, former Head of the Tourism Department, University of Culture, to improve the quality of the destination, it is necessary to improve the quality of tour guides at the site and clarify the hidden value of local relics and culture. “Thanh Liet could become an attractive destination suitable for spiritual tourism and educational tourism. Going forward, Thanh Liet needs to closely coordinate with city departments and agencies to clean up the To Lich and Kim Giang rivers… then more attractive river tourism products can be developed,” Associate Professor Dr. Duong Van Sau suggested.

Deputy Director of Hanoi Department of Tourism Tran Trung Hieu speaks. Photo: HL

According to Vu Van Tuyen, Director of Travelogy Vietnam, the system of historical relics in Thanh Liet ward is a "gold mine" for Hanoi tourism. Thanh Liet is the southern gateway to Hanoi, making it quite convenient for inbound travel businesses to exploit and bring tourists on their journey from Ninh Binh to Hanoi. However, to develop professional tourism, Mr. Vu Van Tuyen believes that the historical sites need more cultural experience spaces such as opening classes in Han Nom (classical Chinese characters used in Vietnam), calligraphy, doctoral training, and experiencing traditional crafts in the area around the temples and pagodas, especially at the Chu Van An Memorial Park.

Contributing to the discussion, Nguyen Thanh Luan, Director of Hat De Tourism Company, suggested that Thanh Liet needs to strengthen its communication on digital platforms to increase awareness and promote the destination to more international tourists. Meanwhile, according to Ms. Nguyen Thi Lan Huong from the Vietnam Institute of Culture, Arts, Sports and Tourism, to retain tourists longer, the locality needs to create a culinary map with restaurants that can cater to large groups of visitors.

Responding to the feedback received, Chairman of Thanh Liet Ward People's Committee Bui Huy Hoang stated that in the coming time, the ward will continue to invest in and renovate historical sites so that Thanh Liet can become a cultural and spiritual tourism destination, thereby creating attractive tour packages and contributing to the development of tourism in the capital city.

Source: https://bvhttdl.gov.vn/dinh-vi-ban-do-du-lich-van-hoa-tam-linh-o-phia-nam-ha-noi-20251210093305657.htm