Digital technology broadens Hai Phong tourism experiences
Digital platforms make it easier for visitors to find destinations, explore cuisine and heritage, and plan their own experiences in Hai Phong.
Digital touchpoints broaden discovery journey
As online platforms become increasingly popular for finding information, choosing destinations and planning itineraries, Hai Phong is stepping up the use of digital technology to promote tourism and help visitors access local attractions, accommodation, services and distinctive products.
Launched in August 2026, the Smart Hai Phong app integrates data on 134 locations and delicacies, nearly 400 accommodation establishments, 70 tourist attractions and 45 local specialties. It also provides digital maps and various other urban services, allowing users to easily look up information and choose services to suit their needs.
One of the app's key advantages is that visitors can meet multiple needs within a single journey. After finding an attraction, users can look up nearby restaurants, accommodation and other services. The integrated information gives them greater flexibility in planning their itineraries, particularly independent travelers, international visitors and those visiting Hai Phong for the first time.
To date, Smart Hai Phong has recorded nearly 2.97 million uses and more than 243,600 downloads on iOS and Android platforms. These figures reflect the app's wide reach in urban life while creating more opportunities for its tourism features to reach users.
Phan Thanh Son, a visitor from Lao Cai Province, has downloaded and used the Smart Hai Phong app. He said: “I came here first to visit the beach, then to explore the mangrove forest ecotourism area. The app provides a lot of useful information, making it easier for me to find attractions and plan my city tour.”
Attractive destinations
Cuisine is one of the distinctive features that make Hai Phong an appealing tourist destination. Rice noodle soup with crab, crab spring rolls, spicy baguettes, spicy fish noodle soup and other dishes featured on food tours are not only local specialties but also reasons why many visitors come to the port city.
Since Hai Phong’s night pedestrian and food zone began operating, a digital food map has also been developed. The platform introduces food and beverage businesses, provides information and images, and helps users find places that match their needs.
The Hai Phong digital food map has so far integrated nearly 1,300 food and beverage establishments that meet food safety requirements and 456 OCOP products with valid certification.
Nguyen Thanh Loan, owner of a crab spring roll restaurant at Cat Bi Market in Hai An Ward, said visitors looking to try this local specialty can easily search on their phones for restaurant addresses and directions. Food businesses also have more opportunities to promote their services and reach customers. Loan hopes that more visitors will discover her restaurant and come to enjoy its dishes.
Digital technology is also being used to introduce and promote Hai Phong's historical and cultural sites. One notable platform is Hai Phong Go, launched by the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism in January 2026. The system has completed a pilot program featuring 40 videos at tourist attractions across the city. Through QR codes, narrated videos and 360-degree virtual reality (VR360) images, visitors can access information and explore heritage sites from different angles on their mobile devices.
3D mapping technology is also being used to showcase heritage sites. By combining projected images with the architecture of heritage structures, it creates a more engaging and immersive experience for visitors.
Social media and video-sharing platforms are becoming powerful promotional channels. Images of Lan Ha Bay, Cat Ba Island, Do Son Beach, historical sites, traditional festivals and signature dishes of the city are being shared through short videos, photographs and travel content.
From searching for destinations and finding restaurants and services to exploring historical sites, each platform offers a different way to discover the city, giving visitors greater freedom to research, make choices and design their own travel itineraries.
NHA PHUONG