Thanh Hoa and Ninh Binh attract tourists from the Philippines and South Korea markets.

To contribute to the rapid and sustainable increase in the number of visitors to Vietnam from the two markets of the Philippines and Korea, from October 15 to 19, the Vietnam Tourism Association coordinated with Ninh Binh and Thanh Hoa to organize a famtrip group of 50 representatives of tourism businesses to survey new tourism products, meet with Vietnamese tourism businesses, and establish business cooperation relationships.

Mr. Vu The Binh, Chairman of Vietnam Tourism Association, said: This event aims to deploy the Action Program of Vietnam Tourism Association to implement Resolution 226-NQ/CP dated August 5, 2025 of the Government on growth targets of industries, fields, localities and key tasks and solutions to ensure the country's growth in 2025 reaches 8.3 - 8.5%; contributing to realizing the goal of welcoming 25 million international visitors by 2025.

Vietnam Tourism Association President Vu The Binh and Philippine Independent Tour Operators Association (ITATOA) President Carmelita G. Buñao signed a commitment to support tourism promotion.

In the first 9 months of 2025, Vietnam welcomed 15.44 million international visitors, an increase of 21.5% over the same period last year. Of which, Korea continued to be the largest market, with 3.2 million visitors, accounting for 21% of the total number of visitors to Vietnam. Notably, the number of visitors from the Philippines increased sharply by 92.2%, reaching 337,000, becoming a new prominent market for Vietnamese tourism.

Mr. Binh emphasized that the Vietnam Tourism Association has been strengthening bilateral cooperation programs. In 2024, the Association signed a Memorandum of Understanding on tourism development cooperation with the Korea Association of Travel Agents (KATA). At this event, the Vietnam Tourism Association continued to sign a new Memorandum of Understanding with the Philippine Independent Travel Agents Association (ITATOA), led by Ms. Carmelita G. Buñao - President of the Association.

At the promotion and survey program in Thanh Hoa, Mr. Binh said: With rich and unique natural and cultural tourism resources, especially the world cultural heritage of Ho Dynasty Citadel, along with the friendliness and attentive service of Thanh Hoa tourism businesses, this locality has a lot of potential for strong development in the coming time.

Mr. Tran Song Tung, Vice Chairman of Ninh Binh Provincial People's Committee, expressed his honor when Ninh Binh was chosen as the survey destination of the international famtrip delegation, and affirmed that this is an opportunity for Ninh Binh to promote its strengths and typical tourism products to potential Asian markets.

Mr. Tran Song Tung said that after the merger, the new Ninh Binh province will not only expand geographically, but also crystallize the resources, culture and economy of three regions with outstanding people, creating a strong resonance effect in development.

With more than 5,000 relics of all kinds, including 10 special national relics, 2 world heritages recognized by UNESCO, and more than 40 national intangible cultural heritages, Ninh Binh is aiming to become a "Millennium Heritage City - Global Creative City" by 2030.

In the first 9 months of 2025, Ninh Binh welcomed nearly 17 million visitors, including 1.6 million international visitors; revenue reached nearly 18,000 billion VND, affirming its brand as a leading destination in Vietnam and its increasing attractiveness on the regional tourism map.

Information on tourism cooperation in Thanh Hoa province.

Ms. Vuong Thi Hai Yen, Deputy Director of the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism of Thanh Hoa, said: Thanh Hoa is a province located in the North Central region of Vietnam. Known as "Vietnam in miniature", the land of "spiritual land and talented people" is a land with a rich history, culture and tradition of nearly 1,000 years of formation and development. Thanh Hoa converges the potential of three economic regions: mountainous and midland regions, delta regions and coastal regions; possessing outstanding natural tourism resources and rich human tourism resources with more than 300 unique cultural festivals and diverse and attractive local cuisine.

This is the material that creates 3 typical tourism products, attracting tourists: Sea and island tourism products with a 102 km long coastline have formed many of the most beautiful beaches in the Northern region such as Sam Son, Hai Tien, Hai Hoa, Nghi Son... This is the province's key tourism product, accounting for 70 - 80% of visitors to Thanh Hoa.

Cultural heritage tourism products are formed from 1,535 relics, 1 world heritage, 5 special national relics and nearly 1,000 ranked relics, of which the most prominent are the Ho Dynasty Citadel World Cultural Heritage and Lam Kinh Special Historical Relic Site - destinations included in the famtrip group's itinerary.

Community ecotourism products attract visitors, especially international visitors, with a system of 4 national parks and nature reserves, where there are ethnic minority villages with strong cultural identities, along with a system of terraced fields and majestic waterfalls.

“In recent times, Thanh Hoa has always been in the top of the country in attracting tourists. Typically, in 2024, Thanh Hoa welcomed over 15.3 million visitors (ranked 5th in the country). Korea and the Philippines are two of the key markets with great potential for Vietnamese tourism in general and Thanh Hoa in particular. This survey trip is a very important opportunity for Korean and Philippine tourism businesses to know about Thanh Hoa's potential, tourism products and services. At the same time, this is also a good opportunity for Thanh Hoa's tourism businesses to introduce, connect and promote direct cooperation with international partners effectively,” said Ms. Yen.

After the survey, Ms. Carmelita G. Buñao, President of the Philippine Independent Travel Association, highly appreciated Vietnam's destinations, including Ninh Binh and Thanh Hoa, with beautiful nature, diverse culture and friendly people. Based on the actual trip, Philippine travel businesses will build tours to introduce to Filipino tourists, thereby increasing the attraction of tourists to Vietnam and the two provinces of Ninh Binh - Thanh Hoa.

Source: https://baotintuc.vn/du-lich/thanh-hoa-ninh-binh-thu-hut-khach-du-lich-tu-thi-truong-philippines-han-quoc-20251017233935996.htm