Building brand and identity of Hai Phong’s city tour

Young people favor downtown stays

A group of young people from Ha Noi chose Hai Phong for a short trip during holidays. They planned their itinerary in detail, from famous food spots to check-in locations. Instead of choosing accommodation far from the city center, the group looked for a homestay downtown for easier travel.

According to Dinh Nguyet Ha, a visitor from Ha Noi, staying in the city center helped the group save time and explore the city conveniently.

Particularly, for those traveling by train without private vehicles, staying near food tour locations enables them to walk or use local transportation more easily.

For Nguyen Thu Phuong, one of the important criteria when choosing a homestay is a reasonable price. In addition, the accommodation should have an open, modern, stylish space that meets the needs of young people.

This reality creates room for small-scale accommodation models in the city center. Beyond meeting the need for overnight stays, homestays are being positioned as part of travel experiences. Many establishments have been designed in different styles, with an emphasis on space, design, and location, creating a sense of familiarity, as if guests were living in a local resident's home.

Small, stylish homestays located near food streets, attractions, and the city center are becoming a new link in the chain of downtown tourism services. Visitors can check in, walk out to enjoy local food, explore the streets, take photos, return to rest, and continue their journey the next day.

Building an attractive city tour

If the food tour brings visitors to the city center, a system of heritage sites, architecture, and cultural spaces provides the foundation for keeping them there longer. Hai Phong has many destinations located within relatively close distances of one another, such as the Hai Phong Museum, the City Theater, Hai Phong Railway Station, Quan Hoa, Nghe Temple, Du Hang Pagoda, and Hang Kenh Communal House. However, proximity is only a necessary condition. More importantly, individual destinations must be turned into an itinerary with content, experiences, and the ability to guide visitors.

According to Bui Thi Nguyet Nga, Director of the Hai Phong Museum, to enhance the appeal of the destination, the museum has increased experiential and heritage education activities aimed at various audiences, particularly young people. It has also strengthened connections with museums and cultural organizations nationwide through exchanges and cooperation in organizing thematic exhibitions.

These changes have helped make the museum more attractive. In 2025, the Hai Phong Museum welcomed more than 100,000 visitors, and it has set a target of about 150,000 visitors in 2026.

The museum's experience shows that the appeal of a destination lies not only in its inherent value but also in how its stories are told and experiences are organized. This is also a core issue in developing Hai Phong's city tour.

According to Hoang Tuan Anh, former Vice Chairman of the Hai Phong Tourism Association, an attractive city tour needs to start with very specific elements. These include traffic organization, parking and drop-off points; a synchronized, multilingual tourism signage system; guides at destinations; and visitor centers providing information and coordinating itineraries.

Destinations also need to be placed within a common narrative rather than existing separately. “Once there is a sufficiently attractive daytime product, pedestrian streets and food streets can become a natural continuation of the journey. After exploring the city's heritage, architecture, and culture, visitors can continue to enjoy food, shop, entertain themselves, and stay at downtown accommodation establishments,” said Hoang Tuan Anh.

HAI HAU

HAI HAU