Ha Long City: Focusing on developing the heritage economy.

Heritage economy is a new concept, understood as a special economic sector based on the values ​​of cultural heritage for economic development. This is a development trend that many countries and localities in Vietnam are very interested in. For Ha Long City, along with the cultural industry, the heritage economy is a sector with great potential for development.

A procession carrying the ancestral tablet of Lord Tran Quoc Nghien during the Tran Quoc Nghien Temple Festival.

Ha Long City has many advantages to capitalize on this trend. The city currently has nearly 100 historical and cultural relics and scenic spots. These include one special national-level relic, Ha Long Bay Scenic Area, six national-level relics, 16 provincial-level historical relics, 73 relics listed in the inventory and classification system, along with numerous archaeological sites from the prehistoric and early historical periods, reflecting the continuity of history since humans first appeared in this land thousands of years ago.

Currently, Ha Long City has 16 traditional and modern festivals. Typical festivals include: Long Tien Pagoda Festival, Ba Men Temple Festival, Tran Quoc Nghien Temple Festival, Bang Ca Village Festival, Van Yen communal house festival, Giang Vong communal house festival, etc.

It is known that in 2025, Ha Long City will restore and reorganize five typical traditional festivals, including: the New Rice Festival of the Tay people in Dan Chu commune, the Dai Phan Festival of the San Diu ethnic group, the Loi Am Pagoda Festival, the Cai Lan Temple Festival, and the Long Tien Pagoda Festival. This is an important goal within the "Ha Long - City of Festivals" project.

The project aims to preserve and promote traditional cultural values ​​and intangible cultural heritage in the area through the organization of festivals and events. The project also sets the goal of upgrading the scale of two traditional festivals: the Bang Ca Village Festival and the Le Thai To Temple Festival.

In addition, the city will organize more modern festivals such as: the Ha Long City Sports Sailing and Traditional Dragon Boat Festival, the Cherry Blossom Festival and Japanese Culture Week in Ha Long, the Motorized Paragliding and Gliding Festival, the Full Moon Festival and artistic light show by the Heritage Bay, Ha Long Bay Heritage Day, the Ha Long Spring Flower Festival, the Flower Festival at Quang La Flower Paradise, the Guava Harvest Festival…

The festival activities aim to diversify new tourism products, contributing to attracting a large number of domestic and international tourists to Ha Long. Ha Long City will also build a scientific dossier to propose the ranking of the Duc Ong Tran Quoc Nghien Temple Festival as a national intangible cultural heritage. Organizing experiential activities at cultural and historical sites, tourism festivals in the city, or activities to promote and introduce local products are useful and practical ways to exploit advantages and potential, and promote the value of heritage.

Heritage economy is also mentioned in the pilot project for developing the night-time economy in the city, giai đoạn 2024-2025. The project is designed to create solutions to overcome current shortcomings and limitations, and to promote the development of sustainable service types based on exploiting and maximizing the unique potential and advantages of the city.

Ha Long City encourages the organization of music events on cruise ships.

Mr. Vu Quyet Tien, Member of the Standing Committee of the Provincial Party Committee and Secretary of the Ha Long City Party Committee, stated: The project to develop the night-time economy aims to elevate the city's tourism and service sector, contributing to the future development of cultural industries and heritage economies in the city. According to Mr. Vu Quyet Tien, in addition to existing night-time tourism and service areas (around Sun Group Park, Bach Dang pedestrian street, etc.), further development should be planned in other areas such as the Tuan Chau International Tourist and Entertainment Area and Dang Ba Hat Hill. Ha Long is also researching development in historical sites in the northern communes of the city, paying attention to distinctive regional products.

In Ha Long Bay, research should be conducted on organizing musical events on boats and developing tours and routes to visit fishing villages. It is known that, currently, Ha Long City is accelerating the implementation of several construction projects such as: the Bai Tho Temple, Ba Chua Temple, and King Le Thai To Temple, and carrying out projects to become a city of flowers and festivals.

Source: https://baoquangninh.vn/tp-ha-long-chu-trong-phat-trien-kinh-te-di-san-3314125.html