Ha Nam cannot be a follower forever.
From a gateway to the South of the Capital, Ha Nam is gradually transforming strongly, aiming to become the leading cultural-resort tourism destination in the North, attracting high-spending and long-stay tourists. With a strategic vision, this locality is gradually affirming its position on the Vietnam tourism map.
The province currently has more than 200 accommodation facilities and many large-scale entertainment and resort destinations invested by leading corporations such as Sun World Ha Nam, walking streets, international standard golf courses, etc. In particular, Tam Chuc Tourist Area - the venue for the United Nations Vesak Festival - has basically met the criteria of a national tourist area with a synchronous technical infrastructure system and high-quality tourism products.
The International Yoga Day 2025 event took place in Tam Chuc. Photo: MAI KIEN |
In 2024, Ha Nam welcomed about 4.7 million visitors, earning nearly 3,700 billion VND. In just the first 5 months of 2025, this number increased by nearly 1.5 times, with nearly 6 million visitors and revenue of more than 4,500 billion VND. In particular, Ha Nam has made its mark on the international tourism map when it was honored as " World's Leading Cultural Destination" and "Asia's Leading Emerging Tourist Destination" at the World Travel Awards.
Associate Professor, Dr. Tran Dinh Thien, former Director of the Vietnam Economic Institute, commented: "Ha Nam is emerging as a typical destination, clearly demonstrating the desire to develop tourism based on culture, people, and infrastructure."
The provincial government aims to build a high-class tourism ecosystem, harmoniously combining cultural factors, people, technology and preferential policies. Comrade Truong Quoc Huy, Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee and Chairman of the People's Committee of Ha Nam province affirmed: "We identify the difference as the key to attracting tourists. Ha Nam cannot remain a follower forever."
Many large-scale cultural and sporting events have been held in the past year, such as running competitions, car races, art award ceremonies, etc. Along with developing tourism products, Ha Nam province has also been bold in creating an attractive investment environment, creating a "green channel" mechanism exclusively for large investors, simplifying administrative procedures, promoting the construction of international airports and seaports to expand connectivity. Ha Nam focuses on developing high-quality human resources, considering this a core factor for sustainable tourism development. The province has been cooperating with many universities and large tourism businesses to create a learning environment for students. "Ha Nam is considering granting scholarships to international students to study Vietnamese language and culture, thereby creating a force of "cultural ambassadors" to help promote the image of Ha Nam to the world," said Mr. Truong Quoc Huy.
Towards a new regional tourism space
From July 1, Ha Nam, Ninh Binh and Nam Dinh will become a new province. This regional linkage is being seen not only as a step to rearrange administrative boundaries, but more than that, as a golden opportunity to “rewrite the tourism map” of the region with a new development mindset: a regional mindset, consistent, in-depth and oriented towards sustainable development.
Over the years, the three provinces of Ha Nam, Ninh Binh and Nam Dinh have had their own distinct tourism potential. However, Director of VietSens Tourism Joint Stock Company Nguyen Van Tai said: “Previously, the potential was fragmented. When the boundaries were expanded and the thinking was unified in the inter-regional direction, the picture of tourism resources completely changed. Ninh Binh now has forests, mountains, seas, spiritual culture and a whole heritage system”. According to Mr. Bui Van Manh, Director of the Department of Tourism of Ninh Binh province, the three provinces currently form a “golden triangle” of tourism, with diverse resources. In 2024, this area welcomed nearly 15 million visitors, with total revenue of more than 13,400 billion VND, a figure that shows huge potential if there is strategic coordination.
Therefore, the major goal of regional connectivity is to form a new Ninh Binh space. There, traffic routes are not simply roads, but tourism products, architectural landscapes, vibrant culture and heritage. “We want to turn the routes connecting Phu Ly with Hoa Lu, from Ha Nam to Trang An into an experiential journey, not just an infrastructure connection. That is the way modern tourism needs to go: Creating emotions and values", comrade Truong Quoc Huy emphasized.
However, according to experts, this area currently lacks complete inter-regional infrastructure, duplicate tourism products, lacks high-end services and human resources that do not meet demand. Ha Nam, despite having Tam Chuc, still lacks a commensurate service ecosystem; Nam Dinh lacks high-end accommodation facilities; Ninh Binh is under pressure from tourist overload. Therefore, it is necessary to change the way products are built, invest in infrastructure and form a regional tourism brand.
Comrade Bui Van Manh proposed developing products according to thematic axes such as: "Heritage Road: Huong Son-Tam Chuc-Trang An", "Spiritual Journey", "Green Agricultural Tourism"; researching and building a dossier to nominate the heritage cluster Van Long-Kim Bang-Tam Chuc-Huong Pagoda as a world natural heritage.
Source: https://baoangiang.com.vn/ha-nam-san-sang-xay-dung-khong-gian-du-lich-ninh-binh-moi-a423052.html
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