Quy Nhon is a well-known coastal city in Central Vietnam and the whole country, with a coastline stretching for tens of kilometers. In 2022, Traveller magazine (Australia) praised Quy Nhon as a place that will bring the authentic feeling of a small city with beautiful beaches, promising to become a major beach tourism destination in Vietnam.
The tourism industry has also been identified by Binh Dinh province as one of the province's five economic pillars. However, tourists visiting Quy Nhon still feel like they haven't had enough fun because they have to "go to bed early."
Quy Nhon tourism is gradually becoming more well-known thanks to its beautiful scenery.
Tourism lacks entertainment options.
Last April marked the return of Pham Hoang Phuong (28 years old, from Ho Chi Minh City) to Quy Nhon City for a vacation. He was amazed by the city's dramatic transformation. Although he had seen recent images of Quy Nhon on social media many times, Phuong was still surprised by how beautiful the city has become.
"The pace of development in Quy Nhon City is truly incredible. A few years ago, when I visited, the city was much simpler and not as bustling as it is now. The Xuan Dieu coastal road is particularly impressive," Mr. Phuong shared.
On his very first day back in Quy Nhon, Mr. Phuong immediately visited the city's famous tourist attractions. He thought it would be a perfect trip, but after two nights in Quy Nhon, the young tourist and his group of friends expressed their disappointment because they had to… go to bed early. "Quy Nhon is truly beautiful, but only during the day. My group planned to stay 3-4 nights, but because the evenings were so dull and there were no interesting places to go, we had to end the trip earlier than planned," Mr. Phuong said.
In fact, it's not just Mr. Phuong; many tourists visiting Quy Nhon believe that the city truly needs nighttime entertainment and recreational services. Currently, although Quy Nhon already has night markets, food streets, and restaurants catering to nighttime tourism, these places are not enough to meet the needs of tourism development.
Currently, Quy Nhon is beginning to focus on developing its night-time economy.
The city needs a focal point.
In an interview with Thanh Nien newspaper, Associate Professor Tran Dinh Thien, former Director of the Vietnam Institute of Economics, shared that the night-time economy is a new competitive advantage for modern urban development. Looking at the closing times of shops and restaurants in a city or urban area can give a sense of the economic health of that place. Developing the night-time economy requires localities to quickly promote tourism, diversify entertainment and commercial activities, and revitalize urban areas that are deserted at night. Therefore, if done with determination and thoroughly, the night-time economy will be a solution to seize economic opportunities and a lever to quickly revive the tourism industry.
Recognizing the importance of the night-time economy, many tourist destinations such as Ho Chi Minh City, Ha Long, Nha Trang, Hue, Da Lat, and Phu Quoc are now taking decisive actions at various levels through decisions and action programs, aiming for breakthroughs in the night-time economy to activate the "money-making machine" of the tourism industry.
For example, when mentioning Phu Quoc, many people immediately think of the song "Where to go tonight? Go to Phu Quoc's VUI-Fest night market." This is the song of Vui Phet (VUI-Fest Bazaar), a night market that launched in Sunset Town at the end of 2023. Each square meter at Vui Phet attracts up to 10 international visitors. Phu Quoc's first seaside night market has been dubbed a "Western street" just a few months after opening.
Having spent many years participating in and researching the tourism industry in Quy Nhon, Master Dang The Thinh, lecturer at the Faculty of Economics and Tourism, Quang Trung University (Binh Dinh), analyzed: "In reality, the night economy is essential for tourism development. Because tourists come to Quy Nhon mainly to experience the sea and islands, but the sea and island tourism products in Quy Nhon still lack diversity and attractiveness, so tour prices are often very low compared to similar sea and island tourism markets. Some tours even cost only a few hundred thousand VND for a whole day. Therefore, planning, researching, and creating momentum for the development of night tourism products and services in Quy Nhon is considered a suitable direction according to market trends, helping to diversify tourism products, extend the length of stay, increase the spending capacity of tourists, create more jobs, and increase revenue for the tourism industry and related sectors."
The evening entertainment options in Quy Nhon are still insufficient to meet the needs of tourists.
How can we develop the night-time economy?
Regarding the development of the night-time economy, the People's Committee of Quy Nhon City recently included it in its plan to exploit advantages and potential to create momentum for the construction and development of Quy Nhon City until 2025, with a vision towards 2030.
Quy Nhon City wants to encourage businesses to participate in the socialization of investment and the organization of cultural, artistic, and entertainment activities, including food and beverage services, to support tourism development. In addition, the locality also plans to develop and organize tourism services on the beach such as: picnic services, tourist tent rentals for overnight stays on the beach; beverage services; and the organization of events, cultural and artistic activities, and beach tourism.
From these developments, it is clear that Quy Nhon is also making great efforts to develop its night-time economy. Mr. Tran Van Thanh, Director of the Department of Tourism of Binh Dinh province, observed: "Currently, the night-time economy in Quy Nhon is still very weak, lacking many entertainment venues. Daytime tourist attractions are developing very well, but there is a shortage of places to have fun at night. If we can develop the night-time economy, it will further boost tourism development."
According to the Director of the Binh Dinh Provincial Department of Tourism, the Binh Dinh Provincial People's Committee has assigned the Quy Nhon City People's Committee to develop a plan for the development of the night-time economy in coordination with relevant departments and agencies. "Recently, the Department of Tourism also encouraged businesses in the Xuan Dieu street area to organize more artistic and entertainment activities. A few pilot projects will be implemented soon," Mr. Thanh added.
In the context of a slowing tourism industry, if there isn't a determined and vigorous effort to promote the development of the night-time economy to seize opportunities, it will likely be difficult for Quy Nhon City to retain tourists for longer periods.
Source: https://thanhnien.vn/quy-nhon-can-kinh-te-dem-185240526193906847.htm
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