Vietnam’s Cultural Heritage Tourism As A Pathway To Sustainable Economic Growth And Long Term Development

Published on December 27, 2025

Vietnam’s cultural heritage tourism is emerging as a key driver of sustainable economic growth and long-term development. By focusing on preserving and promoting its rich cultural history, the country is not only enhancing its tourism sector but also generating significant economic benefits. This approach helps create job opportunities, preserve historical landmarks, and foster community engagement, positioning Vietnam as a competitive player in the global tourism market while ensuring environmental and cultural sustainability.

As Vietnam’s tourism sector increasingly emphasizes sustainable development rooted in cultural and heritage values, both Hung Yen and Hai Phong are well-positioned to offer distinctive, culture-rich tourism experiences. However, effectively leveraging heritage as a “soft power” to drive socio-economic growth presents ongoing challenges, requiring strategic planning and long-term commitment.

A major obstacle in integrating cultural heritage into tourism development is the lack of robust and cohesive infrastructure. In Hung Yen, many heritage sites are situated in residential areas, which limits accessibility and the availability of support services for tourists. Additionally, most tours tend to be short, often only lasting a day, which results in brief visits and limited spending from visitors. The tourism products available are often disconnected, with few opportunities for deeper engagement such as historical reenactments or cultural performances. River tourism, a potential strength for Pho Hien, remains underdeveloped, and the tourism opportunities along the Red, Luoc, and Bac Hung Hai rivers have yet to be fully explored.

Preserving these heritage sites also poses a significant challenge. Many of these sites are deteriorating, facing threats such as land encroachment and over-modernization, which undermines their historical value. In just the 2021–2025 period, over 200 heritage sites in Hung Yen were restored, underscoring the extent of damage and the ongoing preservation efforts needed.

Hai Phong faces similar challenges. Despite its distinctive urban architectural heritage, many historical buildings have not received the investment necessary for proper preservation, and heritage tourism chains have not yet been fully developed. Several French colonial villas and religious sites are deteriorating, and there are weak connections between heritage attractions and the tourism services that support them. Although initiatives like night tours, walking tours, and urban heritage experiences have been introduced, these efforts have yet to distinguish Hai Phong’s offerings from those of other major cities. The digital transformation at heritage sites remains limited, with insufficient guides and unengaging interpretive content.

Despite these challenges, key heritage destinations such as the Pho Hien national relic complex, Con Den eco-tourism area, Dau An Temple, and the uniquely designed Keo Pagoda are shaping the tourism brand of the region. In recent years, Hung Yen has implemented the “Heritage Road – One journey, multiple destinations” model, connecting major sites like Pho Hien, Da Hoa, Da Trach, and Keo Pagoda with traditional craft villages. The province is also working to establish stronger links with Hanoi and Hai Phong, thereby creating more diverse tourism circuits.

Beyond its rich cultural heritage, Hung Yen is home to valuable craft villages, including the Nam Cao silk village, which has a sericulture tradition spanning over 200 years. The province also boasts a 54 km coastline and is in the process of developing coastal resort destinations such as Con Vanh and Con Den, which are expected to add to the region’s tourism offerings and enhance the visitor experience.

To balance heritage preservation with tourism growth, Hung Yen has introduced several initiatives. In 2023, the provincial People’s Committee approved a project to restore and enhance the Pho Hien special national relic complex from 2023 to 2025. This project will cover 16 heritage sites, with a significant budget allocated for its execution. Additionally, the province is addressing the deterioration of 107 sites as part of a larger programme to preserve them, with substantial funding set aside. Many tourist spots are also incorporating digital technologies such as augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) to create immersive cultural experiences that engage visitors in new and exciting ways.

Hai Phong’s tourism development plan, with a vision extending to 2030, identifies urban tourism and the night-time economy as key growth areas. The city aims to preserve its valuable historical and architectural landmarks while developing heritage routes, including the Museum–Nghe Temple–Opera House–Tam Bac Lake corridor and the connections between Hang Kenh Communal House, Du Hang Pagoda, and the old quarter. In 2024, Hai Phong promoted its Cat Ba heritage internationally, garnering positive attention and increasing global awareness of the city’s cultural assets.

In addition to urban tourism, Hai Phong has also developed experiential heritage products, such as thematic tours focusing on historical, revolutionary, and spiritual sites, while emphasizing traditional festivals. This approach is intended to make the city’s heritage tourism more dynamic and appealing to a wider range of visitors.

Hai Phong continues to collaborate with various organizations and tourism businesses to address bottlenecks in inter-provincial tourism linkages. These efforts focus on cooperation agreements, joint promotion, human resource development, and product improvement. By fostering partnerships, Hai Phong seeks to attract international visitors while ensuring sustainable benefits for businesses and local communities.

Experts point out that Hung Yen’s heritage is deeply connected to the Red River Civilisation, ancient river ports, and a rich network of temples, pagodas, and craft villages. Meanwhile, Hai Phong’s heritage reflects its identity as a port city, marked by French colonial architecture, modern history, and coastal folk beliefs. These complementary aspects create an ideal environment for joint tourism development. Potential tourism routes include Hanoi–Hung Yen–Hai Phong along the Red River, the Pho Hien–Xich Dang–Hai Phong Museum–Nghe Temple–Hang Kenh heritage trail, and spiritual journeys linking Keo Pagoda, Mother Goddess temples, Dau Island, and Bach Dang River.

Vietnam’s cultural heritage tourism is driving sustainable economic growth by creating jobs, preserving historical sites, and fostering community engagement, ensuring long-term development while maintaining cultural integrity.

With careful planning and an emphasis on developing a unique regional identity, heritage tourism in Hung Yen and Hai Phong is increasingly contributing to socio-economic development. This focus on cultural preservation is helping to position the region as a dynamic area rich in history and tradition.