Tien Giang: Developing tourism products associated with local cultural identity

However, the requirement for sustainable tourism development with the important viewpoints and orientations on tourism of the Party and the State today, especially with the major goals related to the tourism product system of Tien Giang province in the new period, it is necessary to continue to build and develop, improve the quality of tourism products based on the foundation of local cultural identity.

Tourism is booming

Tien Giang lies along the northern bank at the gateway to the end of the Tien River, about 70 km from Ho Chi Minh City through Long An province, bordering Ben Tre, Dong Thap, Vinh Long provinces and has 32 km of coastline. Tien Giang is also a land with many rivers and canals creating green fruit gardens all year round, with many famous specialties...

Visitors visit Dong Thap Muoi Ecological Reserve, Tan Phuoc District. Photo: Phuong Mai

Since the early 2000s, tourist destinations such as My Tho, Cai Be, Thoi Son Islet... in Tien Giang have gradually become prominent and branded destinations for international tourists. Since 2015, Tien Giang has welcomed 1,525,129 visitors, including over 517,198 international visitors. Excluding the period affected by the Covid-19 pandemic, for many consecutive years, the number of tourists to Tien Giang has increased at an average rate of nearly 10% annually and is one of the localities that regularly leads compared to other provinces and cities in the Mekong Delta...

In 2024, Tien Giang province welcomed 1.65 million tourists, an increase of 17.8% over the same period, with tourism revenue reaching VND 1,250 billion, an increase of 28.8% over the same period. In February 2025 alone, Tien Giang is estimated to welcome 228,398 tourists, of which 48,736 are international visitors.

In the first two months of 2025, Tien Giang welcomed 367,668 visitors, up 1.2% over the same period, reaching 17.5% of the plan; of which, international visitors were 111,686, up 1.4% over the same period. In addition to the growth in the number of visitors, tourism revenue also achieved impressive results. In February 2025, revenue from tourists was 171 billion VND. In the first two months of 2025, total revenue from tourists coming to Tien Giang for accommodation, shopping, and entertainment reached 270 billion VND, up 1.7% over the same period.

Up to now, in Tien Giang province, there are many travel businesses, including international travel agencies, accommodation establishments ranked from 1 to 3 stars, international tour guides... Notably, local community tourism businesses and groups have focused on strongly developing waterway transportation with 400 tourist transport ships, 300 rowing boats...

Up to now, that force has played a core role in tourism activities such as tourist attractions, tourist motels, homestays, traditional craft villages, tourist restaurants along with garden households providing various types of tourism services...

In recent times, although Tien Giang has attracted a large number of tourists, especially international tourists, the economic efficiency from tourism is low, and there are not many added services to attract and retain tourists. Currently, tourists coming to Tien Giang mainly come for sightseeing, experiencing river tourism, exploring rural garden culture...

Tourism associated with local cultural identity

Based on the reality and according to the general planning orientation, tourism products are developed according to 3 main pillars: Sea tourism - eco-tourism - cultural tourism. Accordingly, Tien Giang currently develops tourism products focusing mainly on garden ecology, along the Tien River with the landscape characteristics of the floating islands on the river (Thoi Son, Tan Long, Tan Phong, Ngu Hiep...) associated with the brand "Fruit Kingdom" with specialties such as cuisine, fruits (Lo Ren star apple - Vinh Kim, Chau Thanh district; Hoa Loc sand mango - Cai Be district; Ngu Hiep durian - Cai Lay district)...

Tourists cycle to visit Tan Phong islet. Photo: Que Ngan

Or exploit tourism products associated with the agro-ecological landscape of the acid sulfate soil in the Dong Thap Muoi region, mainly in Tan Phuoc district, characterized by a system of cajuput forests, seasonally flooded grasslands and a dense system of canals, typical pineapple fields... And the current highlight is the Dong Thap Muoi Ecological Reserve...

In the eastern part of the province such as Go Cong city and Go Cong Tay, Go Cong Dong, Tan Phu Dong districts, the characteristics are black sand beaches and coastal mangrove ecosystems with mangrove forests, alluvial flats...

In particular, the 32 km long coastline with outstanding destinations such as black sand beaches in Tan Thanh, Tan Dien (Go Cong Dong district); coastal sandbanks such as Ngang sandbank (Tan Phu Dong district), along with semi-submerged alluvial flats and mangrove ecosystems...

Besides, according to many historical documents, Tien Giang is one of the first places in the Southwest region that Vietnamese people set foot in during their journey to the South. Places such as My Tho Dai Pho, which was established 345 years ago, and Lang Thanh Pho in Go Cong with nearly 200 years of history, are among the typical cultural features, bearing the local identity.

Since the 17th century, My Tho and Bien Hoa (Cu Lao Pho) were the largest commercial centers in Vietnam, closely connected to Saigon (now Ho Chi Minh City) by road (National Highway 1), waterway (Cho Gao Canal) and railway.

At the end of the 19th century, the Saigon - My Tho railway was the first railway in Vietnam and Indochina, built in 1881 and opened on July 20, 1885. Notably, besides the Vietnamese, the Minh Huong Chinese community has also been attached to this land from the beginning with many profound historical and cultural imprints.

Through the many changes of the times, cultural and historical values ​​and traditions of the community... along with historical documents and events as mentioned above, can be materials for the design and explanation of typical tourism products.

By 2020, in addition to the art of Don Ca Tai Tu, which has been recognized by UNESCO as a World Cultural Heritage, Tien Giang has 185 ranked relics, including 3 special national relics, 17 national relics and 165 provincial relics.

Some relics have been restored and embellished to become places to organize large-scale local festival activities and can create favorable conditions for tourism activities, such as Vinh Trang Pagoda, Hoang Gia Tomb, Truong Dinh Tomb and Rach Gam - Xoai Mut Victory Monument, Ap Bac Victory Monument, Special National Monument Truong Dinh Uprising Sites including Truong Dinh Tomb and Temple (Go Cong City), Truong Dinh Temple, Dark Leaf Field (Gia Thuan Commune), Dinh Pond (Tan Phuoc Commune), Go Cong Dong District, Phao Dai Rampart (Phu Tan Commune, Tan Phu Dong District)...

Tien Giang is also a land with quite strong development in traditional craft villages, including craft villages with long-standing brands and histories such as: Long Dinh mat weaving, Bang Buong hat weaving (Chau Thanh district), Duong mattress (Tan Phuoc district...

At the same time, Tien Giang also has a rich cuisine and local agricultural specialties, distributed quite widely in the districts, towns and cities of the province such as: Cho Giong rice cake, Tan Phu Dong crab paste, Go Cong shrimp paste... Linking tourism with visiting traditional craft villages, or enjoying local specialties has been and is being aimed at by the Tien Giang Tourism industry.

Up to now, Tien Giang still preserves 17 folk festivals such as Nghinh Ong Festival, Ky Yen Festival, Dong Hoa Hiep Ancient Village Cultural - Tourism Festival... In recent years, Tien Giang has had a new direction when exploiting cultural - sports events combined with tourism to create a number of festival tourism products, attracting a large number of tourists.

Tien Giang's construction and development of unique tourism products based on local cultural identity not only diversifies tourism types but also creates a "push" to promote tourism in the province to develop more sustainably.

Along with that, Tien Giang proactively connects provinces and cities in the region to develop safe inter-regional tourist routes and destinations; focuses on calling for investment in developing eco-tourism areas, large-scale and attractive tourism service and entertainment areas, and projects on conservation, exploitation, and promotion of cultural and historical values... With the goal of welcoming about 2.1 million visitors by 2025, including 700,000 international visitors and tourism revenue for the locality reaching 1,507 billion VND.

According to Ap Bac Newspaper

Source: https://bvhttdl.gov.vn/tien-giang-phat-trien-san-pham-du-lich-gan-voi-ban-sac-van-hoa-dia-phuong-20250325090827849.htm