Ninh Binh aims to become an international heritage and ecological tourism center

After the merger of the three provinces of Ha Nam, Nam Dinh and Ninh Binh - the land of the Northern Delta culture rich in tradition, the new tourism space was expanded both geographically and in terms of identity, creating conditions for the formation of a comprehensive tourism center with cultural depth.

Combine strengths

The three merged provinces all belong to the cultural space of the Northern Delta, the cradle of wet rice civilization. However, the three localities still maintain their own separate tourism ecosystems, creating a perfect complement after the merger.

Ha Nam stands out with its lowland ecosystem and famous landscapes such as Tam Chuc, Ngu Dong Son, Bat Canh Tien... along with a huge treasure trove of cultural heritage, unique traditional festivals and famous craft villages.

Trang An Scenic Landscape Complex is a world-class model of harmonious combination between economic development and heritage conservation, especially in sustainable tourism development.

Nam Dinh boasts 72km of coastline and a typical mangrove ecosystem - especially Xuan Thuy National Park, the core zone of the Red River Delta Biosphere Reserve recognized by UNESCO. The system of historical relics and the worship of the Mother Goddesses of the Three Palaces creates a "living museum" of delta culture.

Ninh Binh plays a central role with Trang An Scenic Landscape Complex - the first dual heritage of Vietnam. Along with Bai Dinh Pagoda, Hoa Lu Ancient Capital, Tam Coc - Bich Dong, Cuc Phuong and Van Long National Parks,...

After the merger, the area of Ninh Binh has increased 3 times, the coastline has been extended to 87km, significantly expanding the space for developing resort tourism, sea - island tourism, coastal ecology and rural tourism.

According to Mr. Bui Van Manh - Director of Ninh Binh Department of Tourism, the merger of the three provinces of Ninh Binh, Ha Nam, and Nam Dinh is opening up opportunities to reposition Ninh Binh tourism with a new scale and stature, exploiting untapped potentials, creating a breakthrough for inter-regional development. Ninh Binh has all the conditions of "heavenly time - favorable location - harmony of people" to develop tourism into a spearhead economic sector with international competitiveness, becoming the leading cultural - ecological - religious tourism center in Southeast Asia.

The tourism industry is currently consulting to re-evaluate the potentials and advantages of culture, heritage, etc. to supplement the orientations for tourism development in the coming time. In the immediate future, inter-provincial heritage axes will be established such as: Trang An-Bai Dinh-Tam Chuc-Tran Temple-Phu Day-Xuan Thuy, forming a sustainable and attractive regional linkage chain. The tourism industry is consulting to adjust the planning of national tourist areas, develop Net Zero tourism products associated with climate change adaptation in the core area of Kim Son - Giao Thuy mangrove forest, Cuc Phuong - Van Long National Park.

Preserving the value of place names - preserving the cultural soul of the land

However, for tourism to truly become a key economic sector, according to Mr. Bui Van Manh, it is necessary to overcome the old “paths” of thinking: single-line development, dispersed according to administrative boundaries. A comprehensive strategy for the entire region, combined with investment in transport infrastructure connecting all destinations, is an urgent requirement.

Ms. Duong Thi Thanh - President of Ninh Binh Tourism Association said: "Tourism development cannot only follow the new planning boundaries, but needs to integrate cultural and humanistic stories to create destinations with depth and rich experiences".

According to Ms. Duong Thi Thanh, besides developing new spaces, it is necessary to preserve cultural symbols associated with old place names such as: Phu Ly, Hoa Lu, Nho Quan, Xuan Thuy, Giao Thuy... These are not only administrative names, but also cultural and historical memories and pride of local people.

Recently, Ninh Binh has released a draft project on developing provincial tourism to 2030, with a vision to 2045. The goal is to build Ninh Binh province into a national tourism center, gradually reaching international standards with 4 core development axes: Historical and religious cultural heritage axis; Preserved ecological and natural heritage axis; Coastal rural and community tourism axis; Contemporary cultural and high-tech creative tourism axis.

The goal by 2030 is to welcome 25 million visitors, with revenue reaching over 25,700 billion VND, having 15-20 4-5 star hotels; by 2045, it will become a green - smart - civilized tourism center, a growth pole for tourism in the Red River Delta and the whole country.

Source: https://bvhttdl.gov.vn/ninh-binh-huong-den-trung-tam-du-lich-di-san-sinh-thai-tam-quoc-te-20250714095321762.htm