Two Vietnamese tourist villages congratulated at the Greater Mekong Subregion meeting

On November 17-19, the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism and the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism hosted the 56th meeting of the Mekong Subregion Tourism Working Group and the International Conference on Sustainable Tourism in the Greater Mekong Subregion.

On the morning of November 17, in Ninh Binh, the 56th meeting of the Greater Mekong Subregion Tourism Working Group (GMS TWG-56) took place.

The event attracted about 70 international delegates from national tourism agencies of the Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS) countries, the Mekong Tourism Coordinating Office (MTCO), the Asian Development Bank (ADB), international partner organizations such as the Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA), the ASEAN Secretariat and prospective partner tourism businesses (Airasia Move).

The meeting took place on the morning of November 17 in Ninh Binh.

Speaking at the opening of the meeting, Deputy Director of the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism - Nguyen Thi Hoa Mai, emphasized: Today's meeting is especially meaningful as we stand at an important turning point in GMS tourism cooperation, with the full recovery of international tourism across the Subregion and the adoption of the GMS tourism strategy 2030.

Our collective focus now is to develop and implement a practical, data-driven, and collaborative GMS tourism marketing action plan 2026-2030.

Looking to 2026 and beyond, successful implementation of the strategy and action plan will depend on close coordination among all GMS member countries, with MTCO serving as the coordinating body and knowledge hub.

Regional marketing plans include activities that are primarily funded and implemented at the national level, so regional cooperation must be based on voluntary agreement, common priorities and common interests.

Deputy Director of the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism - Nguyen Thi Hoa Mai chaired the meeting. Photo: Vietnam National Administration of Tourism

At the meeting, Ms. Suvimol Thanasarakij - representative of MTCO - congratulated Vietnam when two villages were just recognized as "World's Best Tourist Village 2025" namely Quynh Son (Lang Son) and Lo Lo Chai (Tuyen Quang).

“This recognition is a clear demonstration of Vietnam’s strong commitment to preserving local culture, protecting natural resources and promoting sustainable community tourism.

At the same time, GMS countries have made important progress in developing sustainable craft village tourism and community tourism.

Across Cambodia, China, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam, many rural communities are investing in local heritage, conserving nature and improving livelihoods through tourism,” said Ms. Suvimol Thanasarakij.

According to her, this is a remarkable success of the Sub-region, in the context of facing many challenges such as climate change, pollution, market changes and capacity gaps...

MTCO representative affirmed that when countries cooperate, it will bring common benefits, promoting tourism in the Mekong Sub-region to expand and develop dynamically and sustainably.

The GMS TWG-56 meeting took place with the participation of about 70 international delegates. Photo: Vietnam National Administration of Tourism.

At the meeting, delegates actively discussed the tourism situation in 2025 and forecasted trends in 2026; updated MTCO activities; shared national reports on tourism recovery, tourist markets and policies to support the industry.

In particular, the meeting devoted most of its time to discussing the progress of developing the GMS tourism marketing action plan 2026-2030, an important document to realize the GMS tourism strategy 2030 and the Subregion's multinational marketing cooperation orientation.

The plan focuses on four main action groups: developing and promoting transnational tourism routes; promoting sustainable tourism and responsible experiences; enhancing the sharing of data, statistics and market information; and enhancing the role of the Mekong Tourism Forum (MTF) as a public-private partnership platform.

In the afternoon of the same day, member countries participated in a closed session, contributing their opinions on key markets, suitable product themes, proposals for joint promotional activities, coordination mechanisms with businesses and resource mobilization. These comments are an important basis for MTCO to complete the plan, expected to be approved at the Mekong Tourism Forum 2026.

Deputy Director Nguyen Thi Hoa Mai emphasized that the GMS TWG-56 meeting hosted by Vietnam this time is an important preparatory step to build a new, comprehensive marketing plan that is in line with the region's strong recovery trend.

Vietnam hopes that the results achieved will contribute to enhancing general promotion, attracting international visitors, expanding regional connectivity and moving towards sustainable and inclusive tourism development.

GMS was established in 1992, including 6 countries: Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, Myanmar, Thailand and China.

Vietnam has hosted three Mekong Tourism Forums (MTFs) and many GMS Tourism Working Group meetings.

What's interesting about the 'World's Best Tourist Village 2025' in Lang Son? After being honored as the "World's Best Tourist Village 2025", Quynh Son village (Lang Son) attracted the attention of the travel community and was visited by many people.

Source: https://vietnamnet.vn/hai-lang-du-lich-viet-nam-duoc-chuc-mung-tai-phien-hop-tieu-vung-mekong-mo-rong-2463395.html