Turning Tourism into Key Economic Sector

Recognizing that tourism generates a lot of jobs and creates great resources for socioeconomic development, Hung Yen province is resolved to make tourism an important economic sector by 2025 and a spearhead economic sector for sustainable development after that.

Hung Yen has the third most nationally recognized relics in the country. Interestingly, the center of the Red River Delta lies on a small, romantic village with a thousand-year-old sacred fig in Hung Yen province. This is a rich source of tourism resources, potential and advantages for developing the hospitality industry. Thus, despite being a small landlocked province with no forests, no hills and no border gates in the heart of the Red River Delta, Hung Yen is always a top place of interest in Vietnam for tourists far and wide.

Mr. Doan Van Hoa, Director of the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism, said, the province currently has 1,802 monuments, including three special national monuments (Pho Hien Ancient Business District, Thai Lac Pagoda and Dau An Temple), five natural treasures, 172 national monuments and 250 provincial monuments. Hung Yen always pays attention to conserving and promoting cultural heritages together with tourism development, particularly major historical and cultural relics such as Hai Thuong Lan Ong Le Huu Trac Monument, Phu Ung Monument in commemoration of General Pham Ngu Lao, Tong Tran - Cuc Hoa Monument, La Tien Temple, Da Hoa - Da Trach Monument. Pho Hien Ancient Business District was approved for conservation, restoration and development of historical values aligned with tourism development according to the Prime Minister’s Decision 744/QD-TTg dated May 27, 2010 to this effect.

Hung Yen also has more than 400 traditional festivals imbued with Vietnamese culture and customs such as Pho Hien Folk Culture Festival, Phu Ung Temple Festival, Chu Dong Tu - Tien Dung Festival; national intangible cultural heritages such as Ca Tru singing, Trong Quan singing and Mau Tam Phu worshiping practice; traditional cottage industries like Tuong Ban bean sauce, Cao incense, Dong Thuong bronze, Hue Lai silversmithing, Van Giang flower and bonsai; and famous food specialties like Pho Hien longan, Dong Tao chicken and Lac Dao wine.

Recently, many travel companies have cooperated with tourism and cultural authorities of Hung Yen province, Hanoi City and some neighboring provinces to organize Hung Yen discovery tours like “One day on the Red River”, “Hanoi - Dai Dong Ancient Village discovery”, “Hanoi - Pho Hien Tieu Tieu Trang An”, and Hanoi - Hung Yen to explore longan gardens in Hung Yen City, incense in Cao Thon village, fish trap-making in Thu Sy village. On these tours, visitors will sense the peaceful beauty of the countryside, enjoy Hung Yen's famous agricultural specialties, experience community lifestyle and get to know how to make traditional handicraft products.

Despite significant development potential, the tourism industry of Hung Yen province has not made a major breakthrough. Thus, on May 25, 2017, the Standing Board of the Hung Yen Provincial Party Committee issued Plan 60/KH-TU on implementation of the Politburo's Resolution 08/NQ-TW dated January 16, 2017 on tourism development into a spearhead economic sector. As planned, Hung Yen province will strive to welcome about 2 million tourists by 2020 and about 3 million visitors by 2030. The tourist arrival growth will reach 15 - 20% and total tourism income will rise by 18 -20% a year. Plan 60 is an innovative turning point that has led to a completely new direction to develop the tourism industry and overcome weak shortcomings, helping Hung Yen sustain tourism development in commensuration with its existing potential and strengths.

Tasks and solutions outlined in Plan 60 will be a great driving force for the province's tourism sector to develop and connect with national tourism hubs and building and developing Hung Yen tourism brands. At the same time, Hung Yen will be built into an attractive, distinctive, competitive and prestigious destination on the tourism map of Vietnam.

Source: Vietnam Business Forum