Visitors visit a product display booth on Nguyen Van Linh walking street.

Walking street is a popular choice for nightlife

Being present at the opening night of the walking street on Nguyen Van Street, Lang Co Town, we can clearly see the “attraction” of this walking street. Thousands of people come to the walking street to walk, have fun, and experience the new street. Some people even compared: “This walking street is more crowded than some walking streets in Hue City”.

That comparison is somewhat lame, because usually the opening phase of any street is very crowded. But on the positive side, it is a good thing for Phu Loc tourism in particular, Thua Thien Hue in general, when this locality has long lacked night services to keep visitors staying. In 2023, the number of visitors to Phu Loc for tourism , sightseeing, and relaxation reached more than 1.8 million. The number of visitors increased compared to previous years, but revenue has not increased sharply, one of the reasons is the lack of entertainment venues, especially at night, so keeping visitors staying for a long time is not as expected.

In order for tourists to “spend money” when traveling, there must be a solution to increase their length of stay and keep them there. “Phu Loc is very close to Da Nang. Many tourists come to tourist attractions in Phu Loc, or to Lang Co to swim, enjoy seafood and then return to Da Nang at night, which is a pity for Phu Loc tourism and Hue tourism, and is also something that the local government and the tourism industry are very concerned about,” said Mr. Pham Huu Chung, Head of the Department of Culture and Information of Phu Loc district.

The concerns of the local government were resolved by the birth of the Nguyen Van walking street in Lang Co town, with many expectations. Mr. Nguyen Hai Dang, Vice Chairman of Phu Loc District People's Committee, said that the construction of Nguyen Van walking street aims to create a new and unique tourism product for Lang Co town, with the expectation of creating a space for community cultural exchange and activities, effectively exploiting the potential and strengths of Hue's cultural and culinary values to attract tourists; contributing to promoting service and commercial activities, especially adding attractive night-time tourism products to the area.

Looking at developed tourist countries, most recently Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia... night streets are all attractive destinations and "where visitors spend money". Typically in Bangkok (Thailand), Khao San Road, Cowboy Soi focuses on eating and entertainment with bars, restaurants, and cuisine organized until morning. Creating a distinct highlight associated with experiential activities, walking streets have really attracted visitors to develop. The tourism industry from there can easily "make money" from visitors but create satisfaction from them.

To make the walking street work effectively

When it comes to night-time economic development models, the emergence of walking streets or night streets is the option that is mentioned. However, in reality, not all walking streets or night streets operate effectively.

Looking at the reality in Hue, the Hue Imperial City night street initially attracted a lot of tourists, but then it became quite deserted or recently, many people began to worry when Hai Ba Trung walking street was no longer crowded every weekend. How to attract visitors effectively to match expectations and investment is also a big question. In the country, a common situation in many walking streets is that far from the jubilant, grand atmosphere of the opening ceremony, after a period of operation, it has failed to attract people and tourists. This is a near-term concern for Nguyen Van walking street and we need to look directly at the problem to have a long-term strategy.

There are many reasons why many night markets and night walking streets are deserted. The organizational models are similar between localities and although they have their own highlights and characteristics, they are still unclear and do not really attract people and tourists. The services are generally poor, the planning, arrangement and display are not professional and eye-catching. The shopping services and souvenirs are similar and boring; the food and entertainment are monotonous, cheap, the quality of goods is not really guaranteed... Besides, after a period of operation, some night markets have changed and become shabby, not as intended. Another reason is that the weather in the Central region is not favorable, the cold and rainy winter months have also somewhat affected the activities at night markets and night streets.

In order for walking streets and night streets, including Nguyen Van Street in Lang Co to truly bring about the “nighttime economy” effect, it is necessary to have joint efforts to research and find solutions from all levels of government, relevant departments, and tourism service businesses. In particular, the birth of a new walking street like Nguyen Van Street must learn from previous walking streets, identify the strengths, weaknesses, and current and long-term problems at night markets and night streets. From there, find solutions to overcome them.

In the long term, it is necessary to train human resources in business and trade at night markets and night streets; diversify and improve product quality; link localities and travel agencies to include them in tourist service programs.

Article and photos: HUU PHUC