Nature endows Hai Phong City with huge tourism resources, with Do Son - a long-standing resort and Lan Ha Bay (Cat Ba) connecting with the world natural heritage of Ha Long Bay. Do Son and Cat Ba tourist resorts feature prominent comforts, landscapes and beaches. Cat Ba National Park, with its rich flora and fauna ecosystem - home to many rare and endemic species, has great potential for tourism development. In addition, humanistic tourism resources are very rich, with many historical sites, traditional villages and unique cultural festivals.
Recently, the tourism sector of Hai Phong City has made impressive changes. The infrastructure system for tourism service development has been synchronously invested, especially Cat Bi International Airport with many new routes (connecting Hai Phong with other tourist centres such as Khanh Hoa, Da Lat, Phu Quoc and other nations like South Korea and Thailand); Tan Vu - Lach Huyen Bridge; and Ha Noi - Hai Phong Expressway extended to Ha Long. The complete synchronous transport network satisfies all requirements for trade, social, economic and tourism development for the city and the entire northern coastal region to meet domestic and international tourists’ needs. The city has drawn big investors such as Vingroup, Sun Group, Bitexco, BRG and Him Lam.
During its 62nd anniversary of Hai Phong Liberation (May 13, 2017), a series of construction projects were kicked off or inaugurated to accelerate the integration process, like starting Cat Ba ecotourism and entertainment complex, commencing a coastal road from Hai Phong City to Thai Binh province in the form of public-private partnership (PPP); inaugurating Han Bridge, Dang Bridge and an 18-hole world-class golf course in the Vu Yen Island ecological entertainment, housing and park complex. Typically, Sun Group invested US$3 billion in Cat Ba high-grade ecological tourism and entertainment complex project. According to the plan, the group will have 13,400 rooms and serve 80,000 customers a day by 2030. The project is expected to change the appearance of Cat Ba Islands; help boost socioeconomic development of Cat Hai Island District; and restructure the economy of the district and the whole city.
In addition to its investment achievements, Hai Phong tourism has been highlighted with the Red Flamboyant Flower Festival (starting in 2012) and now made it an annual festival. The festival uses the image of flamboyant flowers, Hai Phong land and people as the core and is expressed various forms of cultural, art and sporting performances. In particular, the flamboyant flower is the overarching theme of all activities: Writing contests on flamboyant flowers; photo and painting contents on flamboyant flowers; music performances themed Hai Phong City and flamboyant flowers. After five editions, the festival has promoted the typical tourist products of the coastal city, not only flamboyant flower-related products but also tours and routes imbued with local culture like Pham Van Dong flamboyant road - the longest of its kind in Vietnam starting from Cau Rao to Do Son, or sightseeing tours to cottage industry villages.
Hai Phong City defined tourism to become a spearhead economic sector by 2025 and Cat Ba tourist site will be a national tourist site. The general objective is building Hai Phong tourism into a spearhead economic sector with professional, modern and synchronised infrastructure systems as well as high-quality, diverse, environment-friendly, well-branded and competitive tourism products. The city will also focus on attracting and training human resources and enhancing State tourism management.
Hai Phong strives to obtain an average tourist arrival increase of 8.2 per cent a year and a tourism revenue growth of 8.9 per cent a year to 2020. By 2030, it will become a major tourist centre of the country.
PV
Vietnamese
October 2024
Hanoi