Directions to the national tourist center

The new Da Nang City after the merger has all the elements to become a national tourism center of regional and international stature and at the same time a "gateway" to Vietnam tourism in the Central region. Photo: QUOC TUAN

“Rare treasure” of heritage tourism

Past sediments and interactions with many civilizations in the world have left Quang Nam today with valuable heritage layers.

In 1999, Hoi An Ancient Town and My Son Sanctuary were recognized by UNESCO as world cultural heritages. To date, Quang Nam is still the only locality in the country that owns two world cultural heritages. In 2009, Cu Lao Cham - Hoi An was recognized as a World Biosphere Reserve.

In 2017, the art of Bài Chòi in Central Vietnam (Quang Nam is one of the typical cradles) was recognized as an intangible cultural heritage of humanity. And most recently in 2022, the Ngũ Hành Sơn ma nhai (Da Nang City) was recognized by UNESCO as a documentary heritage under the Memory of the World program.

The nature, connection, and value of Quang Nam's world heritage are extremely unique and rare, even at the international level. The world heritage system of Quang Nam - Da Nang is diverse from documents, folk art to scenic spots and architectural complexes. In addition, preliminary statistics of the two localities show that this land has more than 500 relics (provincial/municipal level or higher), national treasures...

Interestingly, the heritages of Quang Nam all have a close “circuit” of intersection. The late Professor Tran Quoc Vuong - a leading historian and archaeologist of Vietnam once commented that the special ecological highlights of Quang Nam are Chua Mountain (at the foot of the mountain is My Son Sanctuary) - Tra Kieu Citadel - Hoi An commercial port - Cu Lao Cham port. These highlights are almost on a straight axis and are connected by the Thu Bon River.

Meanwhile, the scenic spot Ngu Hanh Son is not far from Hoi An (about 20km), the remaining ghost heritage in the mountains today is partly because Hoi An in the past was the largest trading center of Dang Trong, and the Canh Giang waterway (passing Ngu Hanh Son) was the lifeline connecting Hoi An with the world.

According to Mr. Cao Tri Dung - Chairman of Da Nang Tourism Association, among the 5 pillars of Da Nang tourism at present, there are pillars of heritage gateway, cultural - historical tourism. In the future, when combined with the extremely unique heritage tourism foundation of Quang Nam, it will create a big highlight for Da Nang tourism in the future.

Resonance to reach new heights

In fact, Da Nang - Quang Nam tourism in recent years has almost no boundaries and this can be considered the most typical and successful industry connection between the two localities.

Bài chòi is a common intangible cultural heritage of humanity in the Central region, but has a strong influence thanks to tourism in Hoi An. Photo: QUOC TUAN

Mr. Nguyen Son Thuy - Vice Chairman of Quang Nam Tourism Association said: "For a long time, Da Nang tourism has been spread partly thanks to the popularity of Hoi An ancient town. Conversely, whether Hoi An ancient town or My Son can welcome more visitors or not is also partly thanks to the development of Da Nang airport. The unification of Quang Nam and Da Nang will create more positive resonance for the local tourism industry."

Associate Professor, Dr. Pham Trung Luong - Vice President of the Vietnam Tourism Training Association, said that with the existing infrastructure and tourism services, the new Da Nang City after the merger has all the elements to become a national tourism center of regional and international stature, and at the same time a "gateway" to Vietnam tourism in the Central region.

According to Outbox Consulting (a unit specializing in tourism data analysis), the new Da Nang City after the merger will have an international tourist market that is large in scale (about more than 6 million overnight guests) and diverse in structure.

“After the merger, Da Nang can become a mega-brand that meets the diverse needs of tourists. This is an opportunity to elevate the brand position of two destinations from entertainment and cultural resorts into a fully integrated tourist destination brand with multi-layered experiences,” said Mr. Dang Manh Phuoc, CEO of Outbox Consulting.

Source: https://baoquangnam.vn/duong-den-trung-tam-du-lich-quoc-gia-3157128.html