Southern Tourism: Innovating products, improving services to attract tourists

Ho Chi Minh City aims to build a safe and friendly tourist city. Photo: Hoang Tuyet/Tin Tuc Newspaper

Products with ecological characteristics and cultural and historical features

Localities have identified that enhancing the experience for tourists through diverse programs and products that clearly demonstrate unique characteristics, including ecological characteristics and local culture, is the key factor in creating "attraction" for tourists.

From the contest "Designing a tourism program to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Liberation of the South and National Reunification", Ho Chi Minh City introduces to tourists many attractive and selective tour programs, imbued with the heroic cultural and historical identity associated with the process of building, protecting and developing the City. The tour programs create an impression right from the name, urging tourists to learn and explore history. For example, the tour programs and routes: From Mau Than to the great Spring victory; The 50-year train: Journey connecting cultural regions; Saigon commandos - Legendary bunkers; The legend of the heroic Sac forest commandos - Steel land and bronze citadel - Ho Chi Minh City; Slow living - listening to history...

Also in the Southeast region, Con Dao (Ba Ria - Vung Tau province) is also a destination chosen by many tourists to visit during the Hung Kings' Commemoration Day holiday, especially the 50th anniversary of the Liberation of the South and National Reunification Day. According to Ms. Vo Thi Van, Director of the Center for Culture, Information, Sports and Tourism of Con Dao district (the unit managing the Con Dao National Monument), with its pristine natural landscape, clear blue water beaches, many historical and cultural relics, Con Dao has great appeal to domestic and foreign tourists. Currently, Con Dao is entering the peak tourist season, in the first quarter of 2025, there were over 146,500 tourists visiting the island. In March alone, over 69,000 visitors came to Con Dao for sightseeing, worship and relaxation.

To facilitate tourists, the Center for Culture, Information, Sports and Tourism of Con Dao district has completed phase 2, upgrading the 360-degree map of Con Dao tourism, at condao.com.vn; in which, many more attractive destinations, suitable for many types of tourists such as: Dam Tre, Hon Tai, Hon Trung, Hon Tre Lon, Phu Son camp... The map is explained in Vietnamese, has English subtitles, and integrates Googlemaps into the 360-degree link set. Along with that, the VR (virtual reality) photo viewing feature helps viewers experience the real, vivid feeling of Con Dao tourism.

Many themed tours are also provided to help visitors make suitable choices when coming to Con Dao such as: Immersing in nature - a journey connecting the earth and sky with destinations in Con Dao National Park, visiting Hon Bay Canh, Dam Trau beach, participating in the activity of releasing baby turtles into the sea. Journey to the source - contemplating history, taking visitors to visit Con Dao Prison Relics, visiting Hang Duong Cemetery, visiting Con Dao Museum, learning more about history, contemplating the morality of "drinking water, remembering its source"... Or a spiritual journey - finding peace of mind, suggesting destinations for visitors such as: Van Son Tu - a temple located on the mountain, visiting Phi Yen Temple - a spiritual destination associated with the legend of a compassionate and chivalrous woman...

Strengthening promotion and tourism stimulation

Along with product innovation and creation, localities and businesses are actively promoting, expanding the market, attracting a variety of tourists. According to the Ho Chi Minh City Tourism Promotion Center, along with thematic tours with historical imprints, on the occasion of celebrating many major holidays of the year, the city's tourism industry continues to promote and exploit other unique tourism products, journeys through many districts, counties and Thu Duc city such as: District 1 - night colors; Watching Saigon River from the river bus; Thieng Lieng island community tourism - blooming salt... Many tourist routes are being exploited such as: Routes connecting Ho Chi Minh City to localities, including river tourism routes from Ho Chi Minh City to the Mekong Delta, 50 typical tourist destinations in Ho Chi Minh City and the Mekong Delta that have just been voted at the end of 2024, routes connecting localities in the Southeast region.

As one of the key tourism centers in the Southeast region, the Tay Ninh Provincial Tourism Association has developed a tourism stimulus program for its members. The Management Board of tourist areas, destinations, businesses, and travel service establishments in the locality have actively developed many incentive product packages according to the stimulus program, flexibly in forms such as service price reduction and increased experiential activities.

A representative of the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism of Tay Ninh province said: Provincial leaders noted that units and enterprises should build and introduce many stimulus products based on products that are associated with the strengths of local tangible and intangible cultural heritage, products that exploit the unique culinary features, products that link heritage tours, scenic spots associated with eco-tourism, agriculture, and rural areas, in line with the trend of green tourism development... In particular, seizing the opportunity that many international Buddhists and tourists will come to visit and admire the Buddhist cultural space at Ba Den Mountain during the Vesak 2025, scheduled from May 6 to 8, Tay Ninh will promote the introduction of unique tourism products associated with the culture and history of the province in particular and the Southeast region in general.

According to Chairman of the Mekong Delta Tourism Association Tran Viet Phuong, last March, representatives of the Association and the tourism industry of localities attended the Conference on promoting and advertising Mekong Delta tourism in China. At the event, many tourism products such as experiencing river life, eco-tourism, tourism to explore cultural heritage values, and sea and island resort tourism were introduced to tourists. Many travel businesses in China have proposed ideas related to innovation and in-depth exploitation of products associated with local culture to better meet the needs of tourists.

From a business perspective, a representative of Saigontourist Group informed that the unit attaches special importance to promoting and advertising Vietnamese tourism to the international market, increasing the interest of businesses and tourists in the Vietnamese tourism market. In early March, Saigontourist Group and Vietnam Airlines participated in the joint booth of Saigontourist Group - Vietnam Airlines at the International Tourism Fair ITB Berlin 2025 in the Federal Republic of Germany, connecting with many international businesses. Also in March, Saigontourist Group and Vietnam Airlines signed a cooperation agreement to enhance the exchange of tourists between Vietnam and the two countries of Indonesia and Singapore, contributing to the development of bilateral tourism.

Source: VNA

Source: https://bvhttdl.gov.vn/du-lich-nam-bo-doi-moi-san-pham-nang-tam-dich-vu-de-thu-hut-du-khach-20250402102253762.htm