Boosting Hai Phong tourism southward
Hai Phong is stepping up promotion, business connection and development of attractive tourism products to expand its appeal among visitors from southern Vietnam.
Stepping up promotion and expanding connections
Hai Phong showcased its new image after merger under the message “Connecting Heritage, Reaching the World” at the 20th International Travel Expo Ho Chi Minh City – ITE HCMC 2026 in August 2026. A key highlight was the connection between the values of two world heritage sites: Ha Long Bay – Cat Ba Archipelago and Yen Tu – Vinh Nghiem – Con Son, Kiep Bac.
The city also introduced culinary products, tours, community-based and ecological tourism to partners and visitors, helping enrich experiences.
As part of the expo, the Hai Phong Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism organized a tourism promotion conference in Ho Chi Minh City to introduce the city's products, signature events and promotional offers, while facilitating business connections between the two localities. The event aimed to engage directly with travel agencies and distributors in the southern market, promote tour development, facilitate the exchange of visitor flows and strengthen cooperation in communication.
Alongside the city's activities, the Hai Phong Tourism Association has also actively promoted tourism, connected its members, marketed products and sought cooperation opportunities with businesses in other localities. Coordination among management agencies, the association and businesses has helped expand the partner network, connect service supply chains and develop programs tailored to different visitor segments.
In the first nine months of 2026, Hai Phong welcomed 13.95 million visitors, up 17.4% year on year. For the final three months of the year, the city aims to receive 3.35 million arrivals and generate more than VND 4 trillion in tourism revenue. To achieve these targets, alongside maintaining traditional markets, Hai Phong will continue to step up promotion in potential markets, including southern Vietnam, to sustain growth and gradually address the seasonal nature of tourism.
Connecting businesses to attract more visitors
Nguyen Tien Manh of Sun Groups Tourism and Education JSC said the southern market holds significant potential because people there travel throughout the year. While visitors from northern Vietnam tend to concentrate their trips around certain tourism seasons and festivals, those from the south can choose to travel at various times. This presents an opportunity for Hai Phong to proactively develop products, reach out to the market and attract more visitors to northern Vietnam.
Ngo Anh Tuan, Chairman of the Travel Chapter of the Hai Phong Tourism Association, said the chapter would promote joint ventures and partnerships among businesses, working with hotels, restaurants and tourist attractions to develop promotional packages, discounts and gifts for visitors. Combining services would help create competitively priced tours, make them more attractive and facilitate access to customers.
Under the chapter's plan, Hai Phong's island and coastal destinations, including Cat Ba Archipelago and Do Son, as well as cultural and historical sites such as Con Son – Kiep Bac, are among the products to be prioritized for promotion in the domestic market. When brought together in well-designed itineraries, these destinations can complement one another and cater to diverse visitor needs rather than focusing on just one type of tourism.
Hai Phong is gradually adopting a more systematic approach to market development. Promotion is the first step, but the ability to offer suitable products, attractive prices and coordinated services will ultimately determine whether visitors choose to stay. By turning its strengths in heritage, islands, beaches, culture and cuisine into specific, competitive tourism products, the city will have more opportunities to expand its market share, attract visitors throughout the year and increase tourism's contribution to local economic development.
HAI HAU