Linking tourism between 4 provinces in North Central Vietnam: An untapped "gold mine".

It's still every man for himself.
The tourism potential of the four provinces in North Central Vietnam is considered to be based on many similarities, close customs and traditions, and friendly, hospitable local people. The North Central region is known for its beautiful beaches such as Sam Son, Cua Lo, Thien Cam, and Nhat Le; along with a system of historical relics associated with the names of great figures who brought glory to the nation, such as President Ho Chi Minh, the great poet Nguyen Du, and General Vo Nguyen Giap…

In particular, the region boasts many picturesque landscapes that have been immortalized in poetry, and is home to numerous World Heritage sites such as: Ho Dynasty Citadel (Thanh Hoa), Phong Nha - Ke Bang National Park (Quang Binh), Nghe Tinh folk songs (Nghe An, Ha Tinh), Truong Luu woodblock prints (Ha Tinh)... This proximity in potential is a significant advantage, with each province becoming an essential link in promoting regional tourism development.

The Truông Bồn historical site is one of the typical destinations in the cultural, historical, and spiritual tourism tour along the four provinces of North Central Vietnam. Photo: Sỹ Minh

Mr. Nguyen Manh Cuong, Director of the Nghe An Department of Tourism, pointed out: “The form, content, and activities of the cooperation are still monotonous and lack depth, so the impact is not high. Some contents in the cooperation plan have not been implemented, such as human resource development and the establishment of common development policies for the four provinces. In addition, there is no brand identity to position the four provinces as destinations; the budget allocated for cooperation activities is limited and unstable.”
Sharing the same view, Mr. Nguyen Van Ky, Deputy Director of the Quang Binh Provincial Department of Tourism, said that the weakness in cooperation is evident in many aspects. In recent years, all four provinces have been more or less affected by marine environmental incidents, directly impacting the tourism industry, but due to a lack of cooperation, there is no common voice to propose a policy to support tourism in overcoming difficulties. In addition, regarding the quality of human resources in tourism, all four provinces face limitations in foreign language skills. “However, although we have a plan to cooperate in developing human resources, we haven't sat down together to see what solutions can be found to address this, or how we need to work with training institutions?” Mr. Ky said.

In 2017, the four provinces of Thanh Hoa, Nghe An, Ha Tinh, and Quang Binh only coordinated to organize a joint booth at the Vietnam International Tourism Fair - VITM Hanoi 2017; participated in the ITE International Tourism Fair in Ho Chi Minh City; and launched a market for tourists from Thailand and third countries via Thailand by air on the Dong Hoi - Chiang Mai international flight… These activities have not had a significant impact on the tourism development results of each province, which mainly still rely on "self-reliance".

Towards common development
Quoting the famous saying, "If you want to go fast, go alone; if you want to go far, go together," the head of the Nghe An Department of Tourism, Nguyen Manh Cuong, emphasized that it is time for provinces to truly "join hands," not only in the areas of human resource training, information exchange, financial support, promotional cooperation, and event organization, but more broadly, linkage is the basis for development planning, aiming to create unique, non-overlapping, and mutually complementary products.

Regarding tourism products, Mr. Cuong suggested that while the four provinces share a commonality in beach tourism, it is necessary to research and develop unique beach tourism products in each locality to create diversity and distinction, avoiding monotony for tourists. From there, beach tourism should be the main focus in designing the overall tourism brand identity for the four provinces.

A group of Thai tourists visiting the sunflower fields in Nghia Dan. Photo: Vuong Bang.

Regarding the tourism market, domestically, tourists from the North are considered the key market; internationally, the four provinces have agreed on the goal of attracting tourists from Thailand and China. Ms. Vuong Thi Hai Yen - Deputy Director of the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism of Thanh Hoa province, Head of the Coordinating Committee for Tourism Development of Thanh Hoa - Nghe An - Ha Tinh - Quang Binh in 2018, affirmed that to effectively and sustainably exploit these markets, avoiding short-sighted and fragmented approaches, a shared determination and direction are needed, viewing this as a front for a "total offensive".

Accordingly, the "Central Vietnam Heritage Route" from Ho Citadel to Phong Nha - Ke Bang will continue to be developed, and a "Following in the Footsteps of Famous Figures and Heroes" tour will be built, passing through four provinces. In addition, efforts will be intensified to promote and develop road tourism products for Lao and Thai tourists through the Cha Lo border gate (Quang Binh), Cau Treo border gate (Ha Tinh), Nam Can border gate (Nghe An), and Na Meo border gate (Thanh Hoa), passing through these four localities, with a priority given to caravan tours.

Alongside this, the plan involves developing cultural, historical, and spiritual tourism products for domestic tourists, such as the legendary Ho Chi Minh Trail: Ham Rong Bridge - Truong Bon - Dong Loc Crossroads - Tam Co Cave and the 20th Victory Road - Long Dai Ferry; and cultural and spiritual tourism routes such as Song Temple - Uncle Ho's birthplace - Cui Temple - Temple of Saint Mother Lieu Hanh - Tomb of General Vo Nguyen Giap...

Another product targeted for development in 2018 is bicycle and motorbike tours from Hanoi and the northern provinces, passing through four localities – suitable for young people who are passionate about experiential and novel travel. Regarding the Chinese tourist market, in 2017, Nghe An conducted exploratory trips and opened up the market in Kunming and Chengdu (China). In 2018, with strategic cooperation among the four provinces, this will certainly be a "gold mine" bringing high revenue and profits.

In 2017, the four provinces of Thanh Hoa, Nghe An, Ha Tinh, and Quang Binh received over 19.7 million tourists, a 35.75% increase compared to 2016, of which international tourists accounted for over 450,000, a 71.25% increase compared to 2016.