Improving the quality of Hai Phong’s tourism

In 2025, Hai Phong welcomed 14.5 million touris, generating more than VND 15 trillion in tourism revenue. Average spending per visitor was about VND 1.1 million, a relatively modest level compared with other destinations with similar strengths.

In 2026, Hai Phong is targeting more than 16 million tourists. However, beyond expanding tourist numbers, improving the quality of tourists , particularly in terms of spending, remains a challenge. The transition from volume-driven growth to value-oriented development is expected to be a long and gradual process for the city’s tourism sector.

Hai Phong possesses strong foundations for tourism development. Cat Ba stands out as the only destination in Vietnam holding seven national and international designations, while Do Son, Long Chau Island and Bach Long Vi help shape the city’s coastal and island tourism brand. In addition, Hai Phong boasts rich cultural resources, with nearly 4,000 historical sites, thousands of festivals, diverse cuisine and a distinct port-city identity. Notably, the Yen Tu – Vinh Nghiem – Con Son – Kiep Bac complex, recognized as a World Cultural Heritage site, has the potential to emerge as an international hub for cultural and spiritual tourism.

Investment in accommodation infrastructure has also gathered pace. Hai Phong now has 19 four- and five-star hotels with the capacity to host large-scale regional and international conferences and events. To position tourism as a genuine economic pillar, the city needs to pursue a sustainable development path in which quality rises alongside scale. This calls for a fundamental repositioning of Hai Phong’s tourism brand, anchored in global values and unique heritage assets, with the Cat Ba Archipelago–Lan Ha Bay and the Con Son–Kiep Bac complex at its core.

Priority should be placed on developing high-quality, signature tourism products, with a focus on premium island and coastal tourism; heritage, cultural and spiritual tourism; urban tourism linked to the night-time economy; MICE tourism; river-based tourism; eco-agricultural tourism; and golf tourism.

The city plans to integrate tourism development with music, sports and major events, positioning Hai Phong as a “City of Music.” At the same time, greater efforts are needed to maintain and expand international air routes through Cat Bi International Airport, which currently operates just four international routes, a relatively modest figure given the city’s tourism ambitions and growth potential.

Hai Phong News