Gia Lai (VNA) - Quy Nhon in the central province of Gia Lai has turned romantic beaches and rich natural assets into a fast-rising position on Vietnam’s tourism map, but its after-dark offering is too thin to extend stays or extract more spending from visitors.
Z Beach, a seafront restaurant, shows the gap. The venue drew hundreds of visitors a night just months ago; now it gets only a few dozen, mostly domestic tourists or locals taking late walks by the sea, a clear sign that even Quy Nhon’s hottest spots slump once the summer peak ends.
Nguyen Diem Ngoc, manager of Z Beach, said peak months and Visit Vietnam Year - Gia Lai 2026 events brought a surge of domestic and foreign visitors and made the city livelier. When the events ended, volumes fell sharply. She wants authorities to help companies stage more attractions, particularly at night.
Le Duy Lan, General Director of Quy Nhon Sea Beer Restaurant Co., said demand has shifted as visitors want not only sightseeing and swimming but also nightlife. Keeping them will require new products and a much stronger night economy. He is expecting clearer mechanisms and policies that will let Quy Nhon outpace nearby tourism hubs.
Tourism is billed as a spearhead sector, and wards in the Quy Nhon area and Gia Lai province have rolled out night-economy schemes in recent years, creating some concentrated shopping and commercial service zones. But the projects are small, fragmented and undifferentiated; no standout brand has emerged, and visitors still lack nighttime entertainment options. Night-economy activity remains small-scale and isolated, limiting its returns. Local authorities are now promising targeted fixes.
Phan Tuan Hoang, Standing Vice Chairman of the Quy Nhon ward People’s Committee, said the locality is marshaling resources and completing auction and bidding steps for a pedestrian street, which will give tourists a reason to stay longer and spend more on hotels, restaurants, shopping and transport.
Pham Anh Tuan, Chairman of the provincial People’s Committee, told localities in the Quy Nhon area to urgently study and roll out night-economy models and develop entertainment, cuisine, shopping and night-time tourism services in sync, which aim to lengthen stays, raise spending and create jobs and sustainable livelihoods for locals.
For the night economy to take off, Quy Nhon must clear institutional and policy bottlenecks and offer a more open environment for large companies to join. That is the strategic move that will let the city cement its status as a dynamic destination and break out on central Vietnam’s tourism map./.
