Huong Son enhances the value of relics and scenic spots of Huong Pagoda

Entering a new phase, the locality aims to become a tourism and service center in the South of the capital with two breakthroughs: Digital transformation and cultural industry development.

*The special performance of Te Tieu puppet troupe at the opening ceremony of Huong Pagoda festival left a deep impression on visitors.*

Not commensurate with potential and advantages

Huong Son commune was established on the basis of merging 4 communes: An Tien, Van Tin, Hung Tien and old Huong Son, with a natural area of about 69km², a population of more than 52,600 people. This is a land rich in tradition, converging unique cultural and spiritual values, most notably the complex of historical relics and special national scenic spots of Huong Pagoda.

Considered a “miraculous mountain and water” region, Huong Pagoda possesses a system of pagodas, caves, and valleys associated with Buddhist beliefs and traditional festivals lasting from January to March of the lunar calendar. However, for many years, this valuable potential has not been exploited to its full potential.

According to Vice Chairman of Huong Son Commune People's Committee Vuong Trong Dao, Huong Pagoda was recognized as a special national relic in 2017 and will continue to be recognized as a city-level tourist area in 2024. However, the number of visitors has fluctuated. In 2024, the relic site welcomed nearly 931,000 visitors, down 17% compared to 2023. In just 7 months of 2025, it welcomed 866,000 visitors, reaching 93% of the previous year; it is expected that the whole year of 2025 will exceed 1.2 million visitors, up about 30%. Notably, the number of international visitors has grown significantly: from 2,500 in 2023 to 6,000 in 2024 and reaching 4,500 in just the first 7 months of 2025. This is a positive signal, affirming the growing attraction of Huong Son in the eyes of international friends.

However, comrade Vuong Trong Dao also frankly admitted: “Traffic infrastructure and connections are not yet synchronized; many roads are degraded; wharves and marinas are still limited. Tourism products are still monotonous, promotion work is unprofessional, accommodation and culinary services have not created highlights, and the local community has not caught up with modern service trends.”

Sharing the same view, Deputy Director of Hanoi Department of Tourism Tran Trung Hieu said: “Huong Pagoda has outstanding value, but lacks unique experience products. It is necessary to supplement types such as night tourism, craft village tourism, combining spirituality with culture - ecology. At the same time, it is necessary to improve the quality of services from boat rowers, security guards to management staff. The image of the destination needs to be professionalized, associated with digital transformation to suit many different groups of customers…”.

Many tourism businesses consulted also frankly said that, to increase its attractiveness, Huong Son needs to have more accommodation service facilities, develop tourism products on rivers and streams combined with experiences in craft villages and check-in points; add unique traditional ethnic cultural shows so that tourists can both make pilgrimages and enjoy cultural values.

Many breakthrough solutions

The 1st Congress of the Party Committee of Huong Son commune, term 2025 - 2030 determined to effectively promote all resources, build a strong and comprehensive Party Committee, develop the commune in the direction of rich and civilized rural urbanization; in which, the focus is on making tourism and services become a spearhead economic sector, affirming the position of the tourism and service center in the South of the Capital.

Speaking at the Congress, Lieutenant General Nguyen Thanh Tung, member of the Standing Committee of the City Party Committee and Director of the Hanoi City Police, emphasized: “Huong Son is facing a great opportunity to make a breakthrough. To become a tourism and service center of the capital, the locality must consider digital transformation as a “vital bridge” to manage, promote, and serve tourists; at the same time, develop cultural industry as a “pillar” to diversify products, enhance experiences, and create sustainable attraction. These are two breakthroughs that pave the way for Huong Son to reach national and international levels in the new period.”

Affirming the determination to put the resolution into practice, Party Secretary and Chairman of the People's Council of Huong Son Commune, Tran Duc Hai, said: "We set specific goals: Deeply digitally transform management, operation and service to tourists; develop cultural industry to form unique tourism products, such as night tourism, craft village tourism, religious and ecological experiences. That is the way for Huong Son to become a tourism and service center in the South of the Capital, both preserving heritage values and creating momentum for socio-economic development."

Chairman of Huong Son Commune People's Committee Le Van Trang shared that immediately after establishing the new commune and successfully organizing the Party Congress, the Commune People's Committee urgently coordinated with the city's departments and branches to implement the Plan for preservation, restoration and rehabilitation of historical relics and special national landscapes of Huong Son complex. This plan gradually solves the shortcomings of infrastructure, management, relocation of residents out of the conservation area, creates land for service development, builds diverse tourism products, such as spiritual tourism, ecological tourism, resorts, meditation experiences, landscape parks and beliefs. This is the foundation for Huong Son to aim to become a national tourist area and world heritage site in the future.

At the same time, Huong Son promotes digital transformation, developing cultural industry associated with tourism: Completing telecommunications infrastructure, deploying free wifi at tourist attractions, applying digital technology in festival management, tracing the origin of OCOP products, cashless payment, "4.0 market" model, "Modern one-stop department - sharing - supporting".

In addition, Huong Son commune continues to develop typical agricultural products, such as Huong Tich plum wine, rau sang, cassava... associated with agricultural festivals, OCOP products to promote agricultural economy combined with tourism. Traffic infrastructure, water supply, parking lots are upgraded synchronously; tourist routes, waterways on Yen, Thanh Son, Tuyet Son streams and the Huong Tich, Huong Binh cable car systems are optimally exploited, connecting with the tourist corridor along the Day River and neighboring provinces.

Developing the cultural industry is also an important direction for Huong Son to differentiate itself. Building unique tourism products, such as night tours, experiencing craft villages, cultural and spiritual shows, water sports, etc. will help the relic site prolong the length of stay of visitors, expanding the target group of international visitors and young tourists. At the same time, improving the quality of service staff, professionalizing the destination image, and promoting with digital platforms are key conditions for Huong Son to realize its aspiration to become a tourism and service center of the capital.

With two breakthroughs of “Digital transformation” and “Development of cultural industry”, and the consensus of the entire political system and people, Huong Son is gradually reviving and enhancing the value of the special national relic complex, aiming to become a major tourism and service center of the Capital - a place that harmoniously combines the preservation and promotion of heritage values with sustainable economic development.

Source: Hanoi Moi Newspaper

Source: http://sodulich.hanoi.gov.vn/huong-son-nang-tam-gia-tri-di-tich-danh-thang-chua-huong.html