Promoting unique values to build Ninh Binh into a national and regional tourism center

Ninh Binh is also a place of convergence and cultural and religious exchange in the most humane sense. We have the Stone Church, an architectural masterpiece by the Vietnamese people that millions of Vietnamese Christians admire and visit every year. We also have Bai Dinh Pagoda, a majestic and sacred pagoda, gathering the Buddhist values of Vietnam developed in the past and present. This land is a testament to the Vietnamese people with different religious beliefs, living in harmony, peace, mutual respect and humanity.

As a land of geomancy, talented people with a long-standing cultural and historical tradition, Ninh Binh is also a land with diverse, rich and extremely attractive terrain resources on the background of unique landscapes and a long history of human culture as well as the history of Vietnamese culture, a culture of the Capital - the Capital that continues and resonates to this day.

In particular, when Trang An Scenic Landscape Complex was recognized by UNESCO as a World Cultural and Natural Heritage in 2014, the development of Ninh Binh in general and Ninh Binh tourism in particular began to flourish and this beautiful land was officially listed on the tourism map of Vietnam and the world, bringing many opportunities for the province's "smokeless industry". These are the advantages and great potentials for the development of Ninh Binh province in general and the development of cultural tourism and eco-tourism, creating a unique highlight in Ninh Binh.

After more than 30 years of re-establishing the province, from a poor province with poor transport infrastructure, Ninh Binh has mobilized resources to invest, renovate, build and complete the transport network, forming a synchronous and modern infrastructure, connecting tourist areas and spots in the province and between Ninh Binh and major tourist centers in the country. Paying attention to developing the transport system and infrastructure has created an important lever for Ninh Binh to affirm its position and effectively exploit its potential, gradually turning tourism into a spearhead economic sector, creating jobs, improving people's lives, and promoting local socio-economic development. Tourism infrastructure has been invested and upgraded to create favorable conditions for tourists to visit; technical facilities serving tourism have developed in both quantity and quality; tourist areas, spots, and high-class hotels have been invested in and completed to effectively serve tourists; In which there are many areas and spots that are tourist centers of the country, famous domestically and internationally.

The remarkable development of tourism has brought about many effective results, making significant contributions to the GRDP structure of the whole province, initially creating a shift in the local economic structure towards increasing the proportion of the service sector, promoting the socio-economic development of the province; at the same time, contributing to the preservation of cultural values, resources and environment as well as raising awareness and responsibility of all levels, sectors and communities. The tourism brands of Bai Dinh - Trang An, Tam Coc - Bich Dong ... have become a favorite destination in the discovery journey of domestic and foreign tourists.

Currently, Ninh Binh tourism has become a bright spot on the Vietnam tourism map (among the top 15 destinations, 10 provinces with the highest number of visitors in the country), evaluated and voted by many prestigious domestic and international travel sites as the most attractive, hospitable and favorite tourist destination. Most recently, at the Traveller Review Awards 2023 organized by Booking.com - a booking application present in 228 countries and territories, Ninh Binh is the only representative in Asia to be listed in the list of 10 friendliest destinations in the world; American Forbes magazine voted Ninh Binh as one of the 23 best tourist destinations in 2023; Cuc Phuong National Park has been honored as "Asia's Leading National Park" for 5 consecutive years.

However, the limitation of Ninh Binh tourism is that we are too close to many large tourist centers, the tourism products are not really unique, diverse and attractive. Ninh Binh tourism has not yet fully exploited its inherent potential and strengths, there is still a lot of potential that can be exploited to truly become a national and regional tourism center, with diverse, unique and high-quality tourism products bearing the mark and characteristics of the ancient capital of Hoa Lu, truly becoming a spearhead economic sector, a driving force for rapid and sustainable socio-economic development, striving to reach 8-9 million tourist arrivals and revenue of 8,000 billion VND or more by 2025.

By 2030, Ninh Binh strives to turn tourism into a spearhead economic sector, creating a driving force for socio-economic development; developing a synchronous and modern infrastructure system and technical facilities; quality tourism products, competitive and imbued with the cultural identity of the land and people of the ancient capital Hoa Lu; building Ninh Binh into a "Safe - friendly - quality - attractive" destination.

We need to think and organize to create comprehensive tourism values; so that people coming to Ninh Binh do not just stop at experiencing the scenic spots, natural landscapes and history, but also modern tourist and resort areas imbued with local cultural identity and traditions, with entertainment, sports complexes, modern amusement parks, nightlife areas for eating and shopping with culturally rich architecture that everyone coming here can choose. By 2045, strive to turn Ninh Binh into a major tourist center, among the top 10 tourist destinations in the country and Southeast Asia.

To achieve the above goals and orientations and continue to strongly promote the achieved results in the coming time, there is a need for synchronous and scientific groups of solutions.

Firstly , the Resolution and tourism development project of the province have clearly and specifically defined the orientation of tourism development, with 3 areas, 3 routes and 1 tourism service center and 3 breakthrough highlights prioritized for development (Trang An World Cultural and Natural Heritage Site; Kenh Ga resort complex: high-class resorts in Cuc Phuong, Van Long). With the advantage of being a heritage surrounded by 4 rivers (water quadrangle), in the implementation process, it is necessary to develop waterway tourism routes connecting Ninh Binh city with neighboring areas such as: waterway cruise tourism route connecting Ninh Binh city with Trang An Eco-tourism Area via Sao Khe River, Trang An Cultural Park; Cruise route from Ninh Binh city to Kenh Ga - Van Trinh tourist area via Day River and Hoang Long River, upstream of Boi River, thereby forming ancient town spaces, walking streets, shopping centers, night entertainment areas, live stage, film studio, building urban areas of commercial services and entertainment. Forming and synchronously implementing Ky Lan - Trang An - Bai Dinh - Dong Chuong tourist route, Cuc Phuong Nho Quan National Park, soon deploying and putting into operation the unique spiritual tourist route of the heritage road: Trang An Scenic Complex - Hoa Lu Ancient Capital - Am Tien Cave - Bai Dinh Mountain Pagoda Spiritual Area - Van Long Wetland Nature Reserve (Ninh Binh) - Tam Chuc Pagoda (Ha Nam) - Huong Pagoda and Thang Long Imperial Citadel (Hanoi).

Second , with the inherent advantages of Ninh Binh, all tourism activities need to exploit and promote the cultural and historical values of the land and people of Ninh Binh to develop cultural tourism products. In the immediate future, priority should be given to mobilizing investment resources to exploit and develop architectural works with unique imprints to serve tourism (theaters, museums including indoor and outdoor museums) associated with routes, tourist attractions, cultural parks, cultural service areas, construction and reproduction of the old town space combined with shopping centers, night markets, etc.

Third , continue to have effective and suitable solutions to enhance the value of Bai Dinh - Trang An Scenic Area. At the same time, the province also has many valuable relics and scenic spots that can be nominated as world heritage sites such as Non Nuoc Mountain Relic with more than 40 poems in Chinese and Nom characters carved on the mountain that need to be researched, preserved and nominated as documentary heritage of humanity; Phat Diem Stone Church Complex and Van Long Wetland Reserve can be researched, preserved, documented and nominated as world heritage sites with all the necessary criteria of heritage.

Fourth , build exhibition spaces to introduce the cultural and historical values of Hoa Lu Capital and Dai Co Viet State, exhibition spaces to introduce the World Cultural and Natural Heritage of Trang An Scenic Landscape Complex, exhibition spaces about the traditional embroidery craft of Van Lam... Invest in developing activities to exploit and promote the values of the province's typical intangible cultural heritages such as traditional folk festivals, craft villages, cuisine, art forms of Cheo singing, Xam singing, water puppetry, culture of the Muong ethnic group... to serve tourists. In the immediate future, focus on recognized traditional craft villages. Invest in developing famous craft villages, near tourist areas and spots, producing handicraft products, such as Ninh Van stone, Van Lam embroidery, Kim Son sedge, Bo Bat pottery, Tam Diep peach blossom. Research on the project of planting and developing medicinal plants in Sinh Duoc village (Gia Sinh, Gia Vien) combining medical treatment and tourism services. Develop the Kim Son wine-making craft village, making Kim Son wine an attractive brand for domestic and international tourists. Restore and improve the quality of traditional local dishes such as goat meat, burnt rice, Tong Truong perch, King's betel fish, Gia Vien shrimp paste... to serve tourists.

Fifth , along with building and developing the image and brand of Ninh Binh tourism, it is necessary to focus on effective solutions to build the cultural beauty, elegance, friendliness and hospitality of the people of Hoa Lu Ancient Capital, the people of the future heritage city. Early and resolutely build a strategy to position the brand and image of the province's tourism, identify the core values of Ninh Binh tourism, which are the image of Hoa Lu Ancient Capital and the World Cultural and Natural Heritage of Trang An Scenic Landscape Complex, tourism products need to focus on investment and development into unique tourism products. Promote the application of digital technology in promoting and introducing the image of the province's tourism brand domestically and internationally. Along with developing tourism and services, it is necessary to promote agricultural and industrial production in the direction of green development, associated with the environment to promote the potential and qualities of the hard-working, diligent, dynamic and creative people of Ninh Binh.

Senior Lieutenant General BUI VAN NAM
(Former member of the Party Central Committee; former Deputy Minister of Public Security;
Former Secretary of Ninh Binh Provincial Party Committee)

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