Night Economy: An Underexploited Gold Mine

The night-time economy has been contributing great value to the capital. Hanoi is constantly striving to diversify its experiences to better serve the needs of its residents and visitors. However, this "gold mine of the night" still has much untapped potential.

20 products that attract tourists "after sunset"

Tourists to Hanoi have more and more options to explore at night. For those who love traditional culture, performances such as “Quintessence of the North” or Thang Long water puppetry are must-see destinations. If you are passionate about history, you can visit Thang Long Imperial Citadel to enjoy “Decoding the Imperial Citadel”, participate in the “Sacred Night” experience at Hoa Lo Prison, or go to the Temple of Literature to admire “Quintessence of Confucianism”.

For tourists who love the city space, activities such as cycling, electric cars, cyclos, or double-decker buses will bring an exciting experience. Those who like to walk also have many options: in addition to the Old Quarter and Hoan Kiem Lake, the walking space has been expanded to streets such as Ngoc Khanh, Ngu Xa, Tran Nhan Tong, and even Son Tay ancient citadel. It is impossible not to mention the " culinary paradise" of Hanoi. Just take a walk around Tong Duy Tan, Ta Hien, or Dong Xuan night market, and visitors will have the opportunity to fully enjoy the unique flavors of the thousand-year-old city.

Vibrant culinary space at Ta Hien Street.

Hanoi has launched more than 20 night tourism products, forming 7 walking streets. In 2024, the city will welcome 27.86 million tourists, including 6.35 million international visitors, bringing in total revenue of about 110.52 trillion VND - a significant increase compared to the previous year.

Despite certain achievements, according to experts, Hanoi still has many limitations that need to be overcome to improve the quality of the night economy. Associate Professor Dr. Nguyen Ngoc Son (National Economics University) pointed out that the lack of synchronous planning has caused night businesses to often be located near residential areas, affecting people's lives. On the other hand, in some areas, the lack of cultural and artistic programs or the situation of soliciting and littering by street vendors has ruined the urban beauty. Spontaneous parking lots that rip off tourists are also a difficult problem.

In particular, many tourists need more diverse new experiences. Dr. Nguyen Van Dang (Ho Chi Minh National Academy of Politics) found that in famous "cities that never sleep" such as Bangkok, Sydney or New York, the diversity and novelty of night-time economic activities are the factors that help maintain attraction. If new things are not continuously created, entertainment will face the risk of being saturated with demand. The phenomenon of Ngu Xa walking street and Nguyen Van Tuyet food street being crowded when they opened but then deserted after a period of opening, shops closing early at around 9:30 pm, businesses returning their premises and ceasing operations... shows the challenge in the process of developing the night-time economy, not just increasing the quantity is effective.

Creating a modern night-time economic space

According to experts, there needs to be a full awareness of the role of the night-time economy in tourism development, especially in extending the length of stay and increasing spending by visitors. Planning separate, closed night-time economic zones is a solution to reduce the impact on people's lives, while at the same time investing properly in infrastructure, security and environmental sanitation.

The "Eight Wards and Thirteen Alleys" model in Gansu (China) is a typical example with more than 12 million visitors and thousands of new jobs. Associate Professor Pham Trung Luong, former Deputy Director of the Vietnam Institute of Tourism Research, said that it is necessary to adjust or add to the general planning separate night-time economic zones, separate from residential areas to avoid affecting community life. Along with that, it is necessary to decentralize the authority for localities to develop their own plans and policies for night-time economic development; diversify night-time economic services, combine the exploitation of local cultural and culinary values ​​with modern lighting effects.

Train Street - A check-in spot not to be missed at night in the capital.

In the tourism development plan until 2030, Hanoi plans to build 6 tourism spaces, of which Dong Anh is one of the key areas. The Capital Planning with a vision to 2050 identifies the need to focus on exploiting and developing the special values ​​of the West Lake area, the Old Quarter, the Old Town... Dong Anh, with its favorable infrastructure, will be a promising breakthrough, while West Lake has the potential for cultural values, festivals, music... promising to create a modern night-time economic space, bringing different experiences to tourists.

Hanoi Opera House: A highlight in creating a classy night-time economic space

One of the cultural and artistic infrastructure projects that is expected to create a big boost for Hanoi's night-time economy is the Hanoi Opera House. With a floor area of ​​up to 45,000 m2, 6 times the area of ​​an 11-a-side football field. The theater has two auditoriums, of which the opera auditorium has 1,815 seats (more than 3 times larger than the Hanoi Opera House), and the multi-purpose auditorium has from 1,010 to 2,000 seats.

Hanoi Opera House converges the pinnacle of art.

“The Hanoi Opera House is like a musical island, where world-class art programs can be held,” shared architect Renzo Piano, who received the prestigious Pritzker Prize.

According to experts, the Hanoi Opera House can become the “locomotive” in creating a civilized nightlife lifestyle – a true nighttime cultural and entertainment center, bringing Hanoi closer to the world’s famous “cities that never sleep”.

Focusing on systematic investment and effectively exploiting potentials can revitalize night-time economic activities, creating a vibrant and modern appearance for the Capital. With appropriate development strategies, the night-time economy will not only be a simple economic development sector but also become a sustainable driving force, contributing to bringing the thousand-year-old Capital to the regional tourism and economic map.

Source: https://baodanang.vn/kinhte/202506/kinh-te-dem-mo-vang-chua-khai-thac-dung-cach-4008178/