Hai Phong residents join hands to promote the city's tourism

Every citizen is a tourism ambassador

On a weekend morning, a group of young travelers from Hanoi had barely stepped off the train at Hai Phong Railway Station before beginning their food tour around the city. After picking up motorbikes from a rental shop near the station, they received enthusiastic directions and recommendations from the shop owner on where to find some of the city's most popular specialties, including crab noodle soup (banh da cua), spicy bread (banh mi cay), and trendy cafés favored by visitors.

In addition to providing raincoats and helmets, the shop owner gladly lent them sunglasses and sun-protection gloves to make traveling more comfortable during the early summer days.

“Most visitors to Hai Phong are young people who enjoy food tours, beach trips, or exploring the city. If I know a good restaurant or an interesting place to visit, I'm always happy to recommend it so they can have a more enjoyable experience,” said Ms. Thuy Phuong, owner of a motorbike rental shop near Hai Phong Railway Station.

Scenes like this have become increasingly common in Hai Phong on weekends. As the city enters its busiest tourism season of the year, many ordinary residents have become informal tour guides, helping create the image of a friendly and welcoming city in the eyes of visitors from near and far.

Having worked as a motorcycle taxi driver in Hai Phong for many years, Mr. Tran Van Hoa, who lives in Ngo Quyen Ward, is familiar with virtually every street in the city center. Whenever he meets visitors from other places, he is always willing to recommend popular attractions, photo spots, and local specialties.

“There are far more visitors coming to Hai Phong these days. Many young travelers arrive at the station and immediately ask where they can take beautiful photos or enjoy good seafood. Whatever I know, I’m happy to share,” Mr. Hoa said.

Young people in Hai Phong are also helping promote the city's image in their own way. On TikTok and Facebook, numerous videos showcasing festivals, city streets, local cuisine, and tourist attractions are regularly posted with modern and dynamic perspectives.

Tran The Anh, owner of the TikTok channel “Dong Long Hai Phong,” said that throughout May he continuously shared updates on the city's activities, from festivals and pedestrian streets to popular check-in locations. “What I want is for more people to see how beautiful and vibrant Hai Phong is. Some clips are only a few dozen seconds long but attract tens of thousands of views, and many viewers message me asking for the locations so they can visit and experience them for themselves,” he said.

The spirit of tourism can also be felt in many community spaces across the city. Specialty product stalls, cafés, and street art venues have all attracted large numbers of residents and visitors.

Vu Thi Lua, a visitor from Hung Yen, said she was impressed by the friendliness of Hai Phong residents. “When I asked where to buy local specialties as gifts, people were incredibly helpful. Thanks to their recommendations, I found excellent places to buy spicy bread and crab spring rolls,” she said.

Spreading from urban areas to rural communities

Many other groups are also quietly contributing to preserving the city's positive image during the peak summer tourism season.

In addition to traffic police officers directing traffic and assisting residents and visitors, environmental sanitation workers begin their shifts as soon as the evening cultural and artistic events come to an end. In the central city area, sanitation workers work through the night collecting waste and cleaning the streets so that by the following morning, the city is once again clean and welcoming for visitors.

“Festival days attract huge crowds, so our work becomes more demanding. But seeing the city bustling with activity and welcoming so many tourists motivates us to do our best to keep the streets clean,” said Ms. Pham Thi Tham while sweeping litter along Quang Trung Street.

The spirit of tourism development in Hai Phong is gradually spreading to rural areas, where local residents are not only engaged in agricultural production but are also opening their orchards and preserving the countryside landscape to welcome visitors seeking authentic experiences.

In recent years, the Dong Man Ecotourism Area in Thanh Ha Commune has become a popular summer destination. During the lychee harvest season, thousands of visitors come to enjoy activities such as boating through the orchards, picking fresh lychees, and immersing themselves in the tranquil atmosphere of the northern Vietnamese countryside.

Few people know that this ecotourism site is the result of nearly three decades of dedication by Mrs. Pham Thi Liem and her husband. Having been connected to the Dong Man area since 1997, Mrs. Liem often worried about the recurring situation in which bumper lychee harvests led to falling prices. In 2015, she decided to shift toward ecotourism as a way to increase the value of local agricultural products.

“I want visitors to come here not only to enjoy lychees but also to experience rural life and gain a better understanding of the people of Thanh Ha,” Mrs. Liem shared.

To encourage visitors to stay longer and enjoy a richer experience, Mrs. Liem's family has invested in improving the landscape, building wooden bridges, boat docks, and traditional cultural activity areas while carefully preserving the rustic charm of the countryside. Visitors can take a boat ride through the lychee orchards, pick fresh fruit by hand, and enjoy lotus tea in a peaceful rural setting.

From urban neighborhoods to rural villages, from tourism professionals to ordinary workers on the streets, the people of Hai Phong are collectively helping to shape the image of a friendly, dynamic, and hospitable port city during the festival season and the summer tourism peak.

Phuong Linh