Hanoi (VNA) - As Vietnam’s tourism sector shifts decisively towards sustainable development grounded in cultural and heritage values, Hung Yen and Hai Phong have strong potential to develop distinctive, culturally rich tourism products, though turning heritage into effective “soft power” for socio-economic development remains a challenge that calls for long-term, strategic solutions.
Existing bottlenecks
In an effort to integrate cultural heritage into tourism development, one of the major obstacles is the inadequate and fragmented nature of tourism infrastructure.
In Hung Yen, most heritage sites are tucked away in residential areas, with limited access and few support services. Many tours run as one-day trips, leading to brief visits and low spending from tourists. Tourism products developed along routes or by region remain disconnected, with limited experiential activities, historical re-enactments or cultural performances. River tourism, historically a strength of Pho Hien, has yet to be effectively harnessed, while the tourism potential along the Red, Luoc, and Bac Hung Hai rivers remains largely untapped.
Heritage preservation also poses significant challenges, as many sites face degradation, land encroachment or excessive “modernisation” that erodes their original value. In the 2021–2025 period alone, Hung Yen restored more than 210 heritage sites, underscoring the scale of deterioration across its heritage system.
Hai Phong faces similar difficulties. Despite its distinctive urban architectural heritage, many historic structures have not received adequate investment, and strong heritage-based tourism chains have yet to take shape. Several French colonial villas and religious sites are deteriorating, while linkages between heritage attractions and tourism services remain incomplete. Night tours, walking tours and urban heritage experiences have been introduced, but have yet to establish a distinctive identity compared with other major cities. Digital transformation at heritage sites remains limited, with shortages of guides and unengaging interpretive content.
Experts also noted that spiritual and heritage tourism products in Hai Phong lack strong integration between heritage sites, services and communications. Insufficient coordination among State agencies, businesses and local communities has prevented many heritage values from being fully tapped. Challenges related to tourism human resources, weak heritage storytelling and fragmented promotional efforts persist, including the absence of joint campaigns between Hung Yen and Hai Phong despite their shared inter-provincial tourism potential.
Heritage driving sustainable tourism
According to Bui Thi Luong, Deputy Director of the Hung Yen Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism, the province aims to develop more tourism products to enhance the appeal of northern Vietnam, with cultural and spiritual tourism as its core product. At the same time, Hung Yen is promoting craft village tourism, coastal tourism, resort and eco-tourism, community-based tourism and river tourism.
Key destinations shaping the province’s tourism brand include the special national relic complex of Pho Hien, Con Den eco-tourism area, Dau An Temple and Keo Pagoda, a uniquely designed wooden pagoda. In recent years, Hung Yen has actively implemented the “Heritage Road – One journey, multiple destinations” model, linking major sites such as Pho Hien, Da Hoa, Da Trach, Keo Pagoda and traditional craft villages, while expanding connections with Hanoi and Hai Phong to create diversified tourism chains.
Beyond its dense heritage system, Hung Yen is home to valuable craft villages, including Nam Cao silk village with over 200 years of sericulture tradition. With a 54km coastline, the province is also developing coastal resort destinations such as Con Vanh and Con Den to enrich visitor experiences.
Hung Yen is rolling out several initiatives to balance heritage preservation with tourism growth. In 2023, the provincial People’s Committee approved a 120-billion-VND (4.5-million USD) project to restore and enhance the Pho Hien special national relic complex during 2023–2025, covering 16 heritage sites. At the same time, the province is carrying out a 2021–2025 programme to prevent deterioration at 107 sites, with a budget of 73 billion VND. Many tourist spots are also introducing digital technologies like AR and VR to create fresh cultural experiences and boost visitor engagement.
Under Hai Phong’s tourism development master plan to 2025, with a vision to 2030, urban tourism and the night-time economy have been identified as key products. The city aims to preserve and restore valuable historical and architectural works, while developing heritage-linked routes such as the Museum–Nghe Temple–Opera House–Tam Bac Lake corridor, and routes connecting Hang Kenh Communal House, Du Hang Pagoda and the old quarter. Notably, in 2024, Hai Phong promoted Cat Ba heritage on CNN for the first time, generating positive international attention.
Alongside urban tourism, Hai Phong has developed experiential heritage products, designing thematic heritage routes and tours focusing on historical, revolutionary and spiritual sites, while enhancing the value of traditional festivals.
Hai Phong has continued to work with organisations and tourism businesses to address bottlenecks in inter-provincial tourism linkages through cooperation agreements, joint promotion, human resource development and product improvement, with a focus on attracting international visitors and ensuring sustainable benefits for businesses and local communities.
Experts observed that Hung Yen’s heritage reflects the Red River Civilisation, ancient river ports, long-established communities and a dense network of temples, pagodas and craft villages. Hai Phong’s heritage bears the imprint of a port city, French architecture, modern history and coastal folk beliefs. This complementarity offers ideal conditions for joint tourism development, opening up routes such as Hanoi–Hung Yen–Hai Phong along the Red River, the Pho Hien–Xich Dang–Hai Phong Museum–Nghe Temple–Hang Kenh heritage route, and spiritual journeys linking Keo Pagoda, Mother Goddess temples, Dau Island and Bach Dang River.
With strategic planning and an identity-based approach, heritage tourism in Hung Yen and Hai Phong is gradually affirming its role in socio-economic development, contributing to the image of a dynamic region rich in tradition and resilience over time./.
