Sam Son - a riot of colors

Sam Son welcomes the new summer with joy, excitement, and full of optimism and confidence. Because, with its stature as an increasingly modern coastal tourist city and many attractive tourism products, Sam Son promises to be a destination "radiant with color"...

Sam Son - a riot of colors Sam Son City viewed from above. Photo: Tran Hang

On its journey to building a modern, distinctive, and branded coastal tourist city, the Party Committee, government, and people of Sam Son City are constantly striving to "renew" themselves, especially in their management, leadership, operation, promotion, and tourism marketing strategies. Simultaneously, they emphasize cultural conduct and communication in tourism, aiming to make each Sam Son resident a "tourism ambassador" with ever-present friendliness, politeness, and hospitality. Furthermore, the city has been focusing on investing in tourism infrastructure; improving the quality and structure of tourism products, with a focus on resort, entertainment, and connecting tour routes, fundamentally overcoming the seasonality of beach resort tourism... These are also the fresh "colors" of Sam Son that visitors can experience whenever they come to this tourist city.

"What's new in Sam Son this summer?" This is undoubtedly a question many tourists ask when searching for "Sam Son." Along with experiencing the youthful and dynamic Sam Son with its modern architectural structures intertwined with the ancient and tranquil charm of historical relics, visitors to Sam Son this summer can enjoy a series of 17 unique cultural, sports , tourism, entertainment, and culinary events. Among them, the grand opening of SunWorld Sam Son Park is a special highlight, offering visitors exciting experiences. Other events such as Jetski shows, Carnival festivals, traditional festivals, exhibitions of OCOP products, and Thanh Hoa cuisine also promise to be attractive, creative, and captivating, keeping visitors coming back to Sam Son.

With 15.3km of coastline, Sam Son welcomes visitors with the beauty of its blue sea, white sand, and dreamy golden sunshine. Sam Son's beaches are not only beautiful but also good for health, making beach tourism a top choice for visitors. Beyond the bustling beaches during peak seasons, Sam Son also boasts tranquil stretches of white sand shaded by lush green trees, allowing visitors to immerse themselves in peaceful surroundings. Therefore, exploring Sam Son's beaches offers visitors a wealth of exciting experiences. The beauty of the sea is a vibrant color in the colorful tapestry of Sam Son.

Besides its strengths as a beach destination, Sam Son is also home to dozens of historical sites and scenic spots associated with unique legends and myths. In particular, the historical and scenic sites of Sam Son (including Truong Le Mountain, Doc Cuoc Temple, Hon Trong Mai, To Hien Thanh Temple, Co Tien Temple, etc.) have been classified as special national historical sites. Among them, Hon Trong Mai is famous for its immortal love story; Co Tien Temple on the summit of Dau Voi (south of Truong Le mountain range) boasts beautiful and tranquil scenery; and Doc Cuoc Temple, immortalized in the folk song "Mother Phu Na, Father Doc Cuoc," has become a popular destination for tourists every spring. These traditional cultural values are also a "colorful touch" that contributes to the vibrant tapestry of Sam Son. Therefore, visitors to Sam Son cannot miss the opportunity to visit and admire these scenic spots and historical sites to better understand the culture of this land at the forefront of the sea.

Sam Son was chosen by beloved President Ho Chi Minh as a stopover point when he visited Thanh Hoa (in 1960). Today, the image of President Ho Chi Minh pulling nets with Sam Son fishermen, along with his simple and heartfelt advice: "Sam Son must utilize its advantages to develop tourism," has become a guiding principle to awaken and promote Sam Son's strong development. In particular, exactly 70 years ago, Sam Son was honored to be chosen by the Party and State as a place to welcome, care for, and nurture tens of thousands of wounded soldiers, sick soldiers, students, revolutionary families from the South who relocated to the North, and tens of thousands of cadres and soldiers who were imprisoned. These are proud historical milestones that have contributed and continue to contribute to the glorious historical tradition of Sam Son. The upcoming 70th anniversary celebration of welcoming compatriots, cadres, soldiers, and students from the South who relocated to the North, scheduled to be held in Sam Son, will be a highly significant event, adding another unforgettable milestone to the development of Sam Son as a tourist city.

Based on beach resort tourism as its foundation and spearhead of development, in recent years, Sam Son City has also focused on developing and improving the quality of tourism in a diverse, sustainable, and high-value direction. First and foremost, the city prioritizes the development of new tourism products that are diverse, attractive, and unique. In particular, it aims to build Sam Son into a "festival city," associated with spectacular and unique artistic programs that attract tourists. Alongside traditional festivals such as the Prayer for Blessings, the Banh Chung and Banh Day festivals, and the Fishing Festival – boat racing, there are new festivals and art performances such as the Hon Trong Mai Love Festival, street carnivals, water music shows, light festivals, and mural villages. Simultaneously, it is developing entertainment areas and establishing mechanisms and policies to encourage the development of the night-time economy to leverage the advantages of a tourist city.

Sam Son - a riot of colors Sam Son is ablaze with color.

Urban tourism, linked to exploring historical and cultural relics and modern architectural works, is also a promising direction for Sam Son's development. Therefore, attracting investment capital for urban infrastructure development has been a top priority for the city. Specifically, in the period 2020-2023, the city mobilized over 24,000 billion VND for development investment, with many large projects from investors pouring into the city, such as: the Sea Square and Festival Landscape Axis; the Sea Square urban area, the South Ma River resort and amusement park, the Song Do ecological resort urban area by Sun Group JSC; the Dong A Group's coastal ecological urban area project; the South Sam Son urban and commercial service area by Van Phu Invest Group, Toan Tich Thien Group, etc.

A prime example is the Sam Son Beach Square and Festival Landscape Axis project, along with several other projects (approximately 310 hectares), part of the Sam Son high-end ecological, resort, entertainment, and beach tourism urban area plan, invested by Sun Group Joint Stock Company, with a total investment of over 1 billion USD. Currently, the Sam Son Beach Square and Festival Landscape Axis project is basically completed and will be inaugurated and put into operation on the occasion of the opening of the Sam Son Beach Tourism Festival 2024. This event is of special significance for Sam Son not only because it will create a modern and colorful architectural landscape highlight for the tourist city, but also because it will contribute to diversifying experiences and improving the quality of resort tourism products in the coastal city.

Resolution No. 07-NQ/TU on the construction and development of Sam Son City until 2030, with a vision to 2045, sets the goal of developing Sam Son into a key national tourism city by 2030, an ideal destination for domestic and international tourists; becoming a smart, modern, attractive, and friendly coastal tourism city. Therefore, along with investing in the development of urban technical infrastructure and social infrastructure associated with smart city development, focusing on diversifying and improving the quality of tourism products is a constant requirement for the city's Party committee and government. Only then will Sam Son truly become an attractive destination that captivates tourists year-round.

Text and photos: Tran Hang

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