One journey, 5 World Heritage destinations

Mr. Mai Xuan Thang, Chairman of Hai Phong Tourism Association.

On the occasion of the Con Son - Kiep Bac Autumn Festival in 2025, the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism introduced 3 tours, including the tour "One journey, five destinations" which is considered unique and is receiving much attention from tourists and experts. Talking to reporters of Hai Phong Newspaper, Radio and Television, Mr. MAI XUAN THANG, Chairman of Hai Phong Tourism Association, provided general information about this new tourism product.

- What do you think about the idea of building a tour "One journey, five destinations"?

- This is a unique world heritage discovery program of the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism of Hai Phong after the merger. The program brings visitors the best price experience, built and introduced, and opened for sale right on the occasion of the Culture, Tourism and Trade Promotion Week at the Con Son - Kiep Bac Autumn Festival in 2025.

The idea of forming a tour is based on the great historical, cultural and spiritual values of the heritage complex. On July 12, 2025, the Yen Tu - Vinh Nghiem - Con Son - Kiep Bac Monuments and Landscape Complex was recognized by UNESCO as a World Cultural Heritage. In order to promote that outstanding value, the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism directed the Con Son - Kiep Bac Relics Management Board to build 3 themed tours: "One journey, five destinations", "Following the footsteps of the Three Patriarchs of Truc Lam" and "Discovering the Con Son - Kiep Bac World Heritage".

To implement, the Monument Management Board coordinated with functional departments and Hai Phong Tourism Association to renovate and upgrade facilities, and at the same time build a new experience model to increase the value of the destination. The team of tour guides and interpreters were trained, supplemented with more accurate and vivid historical documents. The conference on connecting tourism product exploitation held during the festival was an opportunity to receive expert opinions, perfect products and develop new, more creative and attractive tours.

The construction of the “One journey, five destinations” experience tour brings many relics in different locations into an inter-regional product with the potential to create great attraction. Thus, this tour combines spirituality, beliefs (incense offering, rituals), political history (learning about characters, events), archaeology (artifacts, woodblocks) and nature (maple forests, caves) to give visitors a “panoramic” experience of the heritage area. Economically, this tour also helps to extend the length of stay, increase the spending of local tourists such as: enjoying cuisine, experiencing craft villages, buying souvenirs and distributing tourism benefits to many communities instead of concentrating on one point.

However, when operating, it is necessary to allocate time reasonably - about two days is appropriate. If the route is arranged scientifically, the means are convenient, and there are reasonable breaks, the tour can completely become a key tourism product, contributing to building the cultural and spiritual tourism brand of Hai Phong.

Kiep Bac Temple sits majestically next to the Luc Dau River, keeping the village peaceful. Photo by THANH CHUNG

- In your opinion, what is different and attractive about this tour compared to current cultural and spiritual tourism products in the region?

- The difference of this tour is the close connection between the destinations. Instead of just visiting a single pagoda or temple, visitors experience a whole journey of five famous relics that are components of the world cultural heritage complex Yen Tu - Vinh Nghiem - Con Son, Kiep Bac. And each place has its own story and mark. It is this connection that makes the trip rich, not monotonous or boring.

Moreover, the tour not only has the ritual of offering incense and worshiping, but also offers many experiential activities for tourists, such as: making pottery, woodblock printing, writing calligraphy, enjoying tea, or walking in the maple forest in the red leaf season... It can be said that instead of just "going to see", tourists get to "live in a cultural space", so that when they return, they not only remember the ancient historical relics but also bring with them feelings of attachment, handmade gifts, and the taste of tea, cakes, and specialties of this land. That is the unique attraction that few spiritual tours have.

- How does adding experiential activities to the itinerary contribute to enhancing the value and appeal of the tour?

- In my opinion, this is the important highlight that creates vitality for the tour. If visitors only go to the relics to visit or offer incense, they may feel bored because it is too familiar. However, when visitors directly participate in activities imbued with the soul of the countryside, the trip becomes much more lively and memorable. Visitors can make a ceramic bowl themselves and bring it home as a souvenir, or print a woodblock with ancient Chinese characters to hang in the house. These experiences help visitors understand more deeply about traditional crafts and the culture of the land, not just stop at "going to the temple". Besides, sitting and sipping a cup of tea, enjoying folk dishes after visiting the destinations, also brings a feeling of closeness and relaxation to visitors...

- To make the tour "One journey, five destinations" a unique tourism product, what other factors need to be focused on?

- To make this tour truly a unique tourism product, in my opinion, we need to pay attention to three main groups of issues.

The first is the organization. The tour must be operated professionally, from arranging the schedule, coordinating the tour time, to explaining and guiding. The guide must be knowledgeable about history and culture, and have the ability to tell engaging stories, helping visitors feel the depth of each relic.

Second is the technical infrastructure. To retain tourists, in addition to the beauty of the heritage, it is necessary to ensure essential conditions such as convenient transportation, reasonable parking, clean restrooms, and comfortable resting places. In addition, there must also be a suitable accommodation system, from standard hotels to homestays, so that tourists can choose comfortably.

Third is promotion. It is necessary to make full use of modern multimedia channels, especially social networking platforms, to spread the image of the tour. In addition, the tour should be associated with major events such as the Con Son - Kiep Bac Autumn Festival or the red maple season in Thanh Mai Pagoda forest. These are the "golden" times to attract visitors. If done well, the "One journey, five destinations" tour will not only stop at being a new tourism product but also become a typical brand of Hai Phong's cultural - spiritual tourism.

- What is the orientation and plan of Hai Phong Tourism Association to connect this tour with travel agencies and expand the market in the coming time?

- The Association determined that the “One journey, five destinations” tour should not only be exploited during festivals but should become a regular tourism product with long-term vitality. First of all, we will coordinate with travel agencies to organize a number of pilot groups, thereby adjusting the schedule, services and experiences to be most reasonable and attractive. Next, the Association will build a common set of standards for tour guides, artisans participating in the experience, as well as accompanying services, to ensure stable quality.

Regarding promotion, we also introduce this tour at national and international tourism fairs and exhibitions when participating. For domestic visitors, the tour is introduced to schools, agencies, and organizations to attract research, study, and cultural tourism visitors. For international visitors, the Association coordinates with large travel agencies to introduce this product to markets interested in culture and Buddhism such as Japan, Korea, India, and at the same time expand to European visitors who love to explore world heritage values.

The most important thing is that the tour must bring practical benefits to the local community, from creating more jobs, consuming handicrafts and specialties, to raising awareness of preserving historical relics. When the community benefits together, this tourism product can develop sustainably and spread long-term...

Thank you very much!

Source: https://baohaiphong.vn/mot-hanh-trinh-5-diem-den-di-san-the-gioi-522957.html