Hai Phong tourism redefines identity and position

After the merger, Hai Phong tourism is making strong changes, gradually affirming its role as the city's key economic sector and an attractive destination on the tourist map.

With its new development space after the merger, Hai Phong is the third largest city in the country, possessing a diverse tourism ecosystem: from cultural heritage, unique festivals, marine and island ecotourism to community tourism, agriculture , traditional crafts, cuisine, and urban tourism.

Lan Ha Bay is one of the destinations for the delegation attending ABAC III. Photo: Xuan Thuy

Hai Phong's strengths lie in coastal and island tourism , with familiar destinations for both domestic and international tourists such as Cat Ba Island, Lan Ha Bay (Cat Hai Special Economic Zone), and Do Son tourist area, along with a system of modern resorts. Now, it also boasts strengths in cultural, historical, spiritual, and ecological tourism with attractive destinations such as the Con Son - Kiet Bac historical site, Thanh Mai Pagoda, the temple of teacher Chu Van An, Tranh Temple, Bia Temple, Mao Dien Confucian Temple, and the Crane Island ecological tourist area. The diversification of tourism types after the merger in Hai Phong provides tourists with more choices.

On the Vietnamese tourism map, Hai Phong possesses unique tourism and service advantages with the Cat Ba archipelago - a World Biosphere Reserve - being the only destination in Vietnam to hold 7 national and international titles: scenic spot, special national monument, world biosphere reserve, national park, marine protected area, member of the club of the most beautiful bays in the world, and world natural heritage site, along with Ha Long Bay.

Panoramic view of the Con Son historical site. Photo: Thanh Chung

Recently, Hai Phong City has added more UNESCO-recognized World Heritage sites, including Con Son Pagoda, Kiet Bac Temple, Thanh Mai Pagoda, Kinh Chu Cave, and Nham Duong Pagoda. This has opened up opportunities for the development of high-quality coastal, cultural, and resort tourism, contributing to making Hai Phong an attractive destination for domestic and international tourists.

Yen Tu - Vinh Nghiem - Con Son, Kiet Bac are not only tangible heritage sites but also spiritual symbols, a testament to the enduring vitality of Vietnamese culture. The UNESCO inscription of this complex of historical sites is a strong affirmation of the nation's cultural identity, intellect, and aspirations for development on the international stage. This is a source of pride, but also a great responsibility to preserve, promote, and pass on to future generations a heritage that will endure through time.

Besides its rich history, long-standing culture, beautiful natural landscapes, and abundant and diverse products, Hai Phong City also boasts a rich and long-standing system of traditional craft villages, encompassing many different trades. In addition to contributing to economic development, creating jobs, increasing income, and improving people's lives, some craft villages are also developing tourism linked to their craft. Therefore, developing unique souvenirs will be an important highlight, creating a distinctive identity for Hai Phong tourism.

According to a representative from the Tourism Management Department of the Hai Phong Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism, after the merger, the city not only has more types of tourism but also expanded its tourism space and rich tourism resources with distinct advantages, contributing to the improvement of tours and routes, extending the length of stay, and increasing revenue for the tourism industry.

The distinct tourism advantages of each merged locality will complement each other, creating a diverse ecosystem that compensates for and overcomes each other's weaknesses, especially the seasonal tourism factor that both localities previously faced. The merger has helped expand development potential, connecting inter-regional infrastructure – roads, waterways, and seaports – more closely, and improving the scale, workforce, and quality of services.

Tourists visit the Dong Man eco-tourism area in Thanh Ha commune, western Hai Phong, during the recent lychee season. Photo: Thanh Chung.

According to statistics from the Hai Phong Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism, the western area of ​​Hai Phong has 3,038 historical sites, including 4 special national historical sites, 142 national historical sites, 280 provincial historical sites, and 11 national intangible cultural heritage sites. The eastern area of ​​Hai Phong has a total of 942 historical sites, including 1 world natural heritage site, 4 special national historical sites, 119 national historical sites, and 435 city-level historical sites. These are valuable resources for the future development of Hai Phong tourism.

According to Ms. Tran Thi Hoang Mai, Director of the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism of Hai Phong, the decisive factors for tourism growth are: unique and diverse tourism products; high-quality services (including infrastructure, transportation, accommodation, professional tourism human resources and other support services); and effective and professional marketing.

The first tourism product in Hai Phong to apply modern digital technology - the "Sacred Traces of Hang Kenh" night tour.

The Hai Phong Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism has been proactively organizing and participating in many tourism promotion and advertising programs. It has collaborated with other units to develop tourism products that keep pace with modern tourism trends. Immediately after the merger, Hai Phong City took strong steps to realize its tourism development strategy, such as launching the "Sacred Traces of Hang Kenh" night tour, using digital technology to revive the Hang Kenh communal house heritage and traditional temple art forms... The night tour has initially been evaluated as a unique product, attracting the attention of both locals and tourists.

Recently, the Hai Phong Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism organized the launching ceremony for the Hai Phong Tourism Souvenir Design Competition with the theme: "The Identity and Mark of Hai Phong City through Souvenirs for Tourists". This is a particularly important milestone, marking the beginning of a journey to elevate the tourism brand of the port city after its merger. At the same time, it creates a breakthrough in tourism promotion and marketing, introducing the image of Hai Phong's land, people, and culture to domestic and international tourists through unique souvenir products.

Hai Phong launches a competition to design souvenir gifts for tourists.

Similarly, coordinating the organization of the ABAC III event (July 2025) along with related activities is also an opportunity for Hai Phong to introduce its unique products and economic models, opening the door to promoting the image of Hai Phong as a high-class, modern, and heritage-rich tourist destination to leaders, experts, businesspeople, and domestic and international tourists.

On this occasion, tourism businesses also promoted the rich cultural identity, exquisite cuisine, unique destinations, and distinctive tourism products of Hai Phong to the international community. With the presence of leading business leaders from the region and the world, this event also opened up great opportunities for attracting investment, cooperation, and economic development, including in the tourism sector, in the coming time.

With a synchronized strategy and long-term vision, Hai Phong City is gradually asserting its role as a dynamic cultural center of the North, aiming to join the UNESCO Creative Cities network and making a positive contribution to the national cultural landscape in the new era.

According to Baodautu.vn (Investment Newspaper)

Source: https://bvhttdl.gov.vn/du-lich-hai-phong-dinh-hinh-lai-ban-sac-va-vi-the-20250811150509165.htm