Is the Book Street Night Tour strong enough to become a highlight for Ho Chi Minh City tourism?

VTV.vn - After nearly 10 years of operation, Ho Chi Minh City Book Street is testing the model of "Night Book and Culture Festival" for the first time.

Amidst the city's still-vague night-time economic picture, can this intellectual space become a unique cultural tourism product?

Night economy: Great potential still untapped

Ho Chi Minh City is often called "the city that never sleeps", but in reality, night tourism products have not developed commensurate with their potential. After merging administrative units with Binh Duong and Ba Ria - Vung Tau , the city has the advantage of a larger domestic market, more diverse tourist flows and especially has the "resources" of space to open systematic night economic zones.

Ho Chi Minh City's night economy is considered to have a lot of potential but has not been exploited to its full potential.

According to Ms. Bui Thi Ngoc Hieu, Deputy Director of the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Tourism, tourists' spending needs at night account for about 70% of the spending on a tour. During the day, tourists mainly visit landmarks and eat according to the all-inclusive program. Only in the evening is their free time to explore other activities.

Currently, the city has 5 groups of nighttime entertainment tourism products: cultural and artistic performances on stages; culinary and cultural spaces, nighttime food and beverage services; shopping and entertainment activities in commercial centers; nighttime city tours; and health and beauty care services. However, familiar destinations such as Bui Vien night street, Ben Thanh night market, Nguyen Hue walking street... mainly focus on cuisine and entertainment.

International tourists come to Book Street very crowded at night.

The existing night tourism products are still too few compared to a large and potential city like Ho Chi Minh City. For many years, the activities of Book Street have mainly taken place during the day. After 6pm, this space gradually closes, not fully promoting the value of a cultural destination located in the city center. This reality requires expanding activities in the evening to prolong the cultural life, creating more meeting and exchange spaces for people - especially young people, families, connecting the community and international tourists.

Different formula for breakthrough

The "Night Book and Culture Festival" model is designed with a different formula: taking reading culture as the core, combining cultural - educational - artistic activities and community entertainment. The organizers do not turn this place into a culinary street or a regular night fair, but maintain the position of Book Street as a "knowledge destination", and at the same time expand it into a "vibrant cultural space at night" - a place where books, art, music, cuisine and experiential activities converge.

Mr. Le Hoang - Director of Book Street Company Limited - shared at the opening ceremony of the Book Festival and Night Culture

During the three experimental nights from November 21-23, visitors experienced seven main activities: a festival to meet and exchange books; a traditional art space of folk songs with traditional music, reformed opera, and traditional opera; an exhibition area of ​​creative handicraft products imbued with Vietnamese culture; folk games combined with modern elements; a performance of traditional crafts with artisans from many regions; a stage for cultural storytelling on a theme; and a folk culinary space. The participation of Tran Huu Trang Opera House, the Don Ca Day Band, the Ho Chi Minh City Culture and Exhibition Center, and many other units shows the effort to connect diverse cultural and artistic resources.

The folk games are very lively and bustling, attracting a large number of people and tourists.

This model is in the context of Ho Chi Minh City implementing the Project "Developing the cultural industry until 2030". The organizing committee has a clear roadmap: from this first 3-night trial, learn from experience to organize it on 3 weekends every month, then expand it to a regular weekend activity.

However, the path from testing to stable operation is not simple. Mr. Le Hoang - Director of Book Street Company Limited - admitted that it is necessary to "call for and widely connect social resources" to maintain quality and attractiveness. Night-time economic models in Vietnam often face difficulties in operating costs, human resources and maintaining freshness over time. The advantage is that the program has received consensus on the policy from the Propaganda and Mass Mobilization Department of the City Party Committee, the Department of Culture and Sports of Ho Chi Minh City. These units also committed to supporting the Night Culture model at Book Street to develop sustainably in the long term.

Locals and tourists enjoy watching traditional art performances by artists from Tran Huu Trang Opera House.

With its orientation towards young people, families and international tourists, the "Night Book and Culture Festival" has the potential to become a distinct cultural tourism product, contributing to affirming Ho Chi Minh City as a creative, dynamic and unique urban area. However, to prove its effectiveness requires a lot of time, effort and constant innovation.

Source: https://vtv.vn/tour-dem-duong-sach-co-du-suc-thanh-diem-nhan-cho-du-lich-tp-ho-chi-minh-100251122193125394.htm