Are tourists unfairly criticizing Quang Ninh tourism?

Western tourists only come to Quang Ninh to sleep one night on Ha Long Bay and then return, while Vietnamese tourists say 'come and have one meal and then return'. Is it time for Quang Ninh tourism to renew itself, to go deeper and more sophisticated?

Luxury cruises to explore Ha Long Bay are popular with tourists - Photo: T.DIEU

After the article 'Western tourists come to Quang Ninh, only get on a boat to sleep one night on Ha Long Bay and then return' was published on Tuoi Tre Online on June 5, many readers sent comments criticizing tourism in Ha Long, Quang Ninh.

Poor service, poor products, lack of connection, overcharging, pollution, and especially massive construction that destroys the pristine beauty that nature has bestowed upon this place.

Is Ha Long tourism really unfairly criticized when it has received so much criticism while it has made recent efforts to improve?

Quang Ninh tourism is improving?

In fact, in recent years, Ha Long tourism has begun to have positive changes that are recognized, especially in bringing the entertainment industry into tourism development and efforts to reduce marine pollution.

Mr. Nguyen Quang Son - Deputy General Director of APC Corporation, General Director of GTDO Global Tourism Development Organization, who pointed out the reality of Western tourists coming to Quang Ninh only getting on a boat to sleep one night on Ha Long Bay and then returning - also admitted the poor state of tourism products in Quang Ninh.

But that was the situation years ago. Recently the reality has begun to change, especially in the past few years.

Music show of singer Phuong Thanh singing on a night cruise on Ha Long Bay - Photo: Contributor

Mr. Son acknowledged that if comparing Ha Long's tourism products with the time about 7-10 years ago, Ha Long is now developing quite diverse products and services and improving tourist experiences such as: overnight tours on the bay, day cruises, cultural tours of fishing communities on the bay, experiences of archaeological sites, rowing boats, seaplanes...

Tourism units also received instructions from authorities to continue to have many new, highly competitive products to target more customers.

Mr. Son firmly believes that in the coming time, Ha Long will have more diverse and rich products to enhance the experience for tourists and keep them staying in Quang Ninh longer.

Regarding the situation of tourist waste in Ha Long Bay, Mr. Son said that Quang Ninh has recently been very determined to clean up the sea. Local regulations stipulate that tourist boats in Ha Long Bay are not allowed to use disposable plastic waste, and some boats have been punished for allowing passengers to freely use plastic bottles.

This regulation is supported by professional tourism businesses. Because they understand that environmental protection is very important to tourism, that is the path to sustainable development.

However, the story of massive construction in Ha Long is a reality that needs to be seriously recognized and evaluated.

Quang Ninh recently added a tourism product of night cruises on Ha Long Bay to watch fireworks - Photo: Contributor

Quang Ninh tourism is strong, but is it really deep?

From a tourism expert's perspective, Dr. Trinh Le Anh (lecturer at the University of Social Sciences and Humanities - Vietnam National University, Hanoi) gives his opinion on Ha Long tourism.

Mr. Le Anh noted that Quang Ninh is one of the localities that developed tourism the earliest and most methodically in the country.

This place possesses rare advantages: Ha Long Bay world heritage, modern transportation infrastructure, large-scale hotel system, and experience space stretching from sea and islands to mountains and forests, spirituality.

However, those impressive achievements are now facing an urgent need: to renew themselves, to go deeper, to be more sophisticated.

According to Mr. Le Anh, many recent opinions from the tourist community - both domestic and international - have shown a reality that needs to be taken seriously.

Many people reflect the feeling of "just coming once", because the journey is not rich enough, the experiences are repetitive, and the stops lack distinction.

Along with that are environmental issues, service prices, and uneven service quality - which are old "bottlenecks" that have not yet been completely resolved.

Some recent development orientations such as building coastal urban areas, high-rise resort models, or exploiting tourism real estate are completely well-founded.

However, if we only focus on convenience and neglect identity, even the most beautiful landscapes can easily become monotonous.

International visitors don’t come to Vietnam to see miniature versions of Dubai or Singapore. They look for something unique, natural, and rich in local culture.

Quang Ninh is doing very well in some aspects, such as digital transformation in tourism, developing community tours in Binh Lieu, reviving Yen Tu with cultural depth, but clearly, there is still a lot of potential, and tourists' expectations are changing faster than ever.

According to Mr. Le Anh, it is time to not only "do good tourism", but also "do smart tourism", which means knowing how to put people, emotions and heritage at the center of the experience creation process.

BIRD OF PARADISE

Source: https://tuoitre.vn/khach-che-du-lich-quang-ninh-toi-ta-co-oan-khong-20250607214134582.htm