Thanh Hà

HÀ NỘI — As one of the country’s largest tourism hubs, Hà Nội is rolling out new initiatives to enhance its tourism products and services while strengthening connections between localities and travel businesses. Quốc Oai Commune, which has shown greater potential following recent two-tier local administrative restructuring, convened experts and managers at a conference to gather suggestions and recommendations for more sustainable, professional tourism development.

In line with Resolution 82/NQ-CP on tasks and solutions for the recovery and sustainable development of tourism, and Plan 287/KH-UBND, Hà Nội's tourism sector is stepping up activities to connect and support the development of community tourism, eco-tourism in agriculture and rural areas, and traditional craft villages in localities, including Quốc Oai.

“The conference is part of the department's destination survey and connection programme, aiming to concretise the tasks of developing tourism in the capital city in a sustainable and efficient manner, linked to exploiting the tourism potential of suburban areas,” said Trần Trung Hiếu, deputy director of the Hà Nội Department of Tourism, on April 8.

"As our tourism enters a strong recovery phase, looking towards quality and professionalism orientation, developing new destinations in suburban areas is of particular importance. This is a direction aimed at expanding tourism space, effectively exploiting cultural, ecological, traditional craft village values and community life, while contributing to product diversification, extending the length of stay and increasing tourist spending."

Local attractions

Quốc Oai is one of the localities with outstanding potential, boasting a convenient location connecting to the centre of Hà Nội, an increasingly robust transportation system, and abundant tourism resources.

Notable attractions include the Thầy Pagoda National Special Monument, characteristic semi-mountainous landscapes with mountains, lakes and caves, typical rural village spaces, a system of One Commune One Product (OCOP) products, and entertainment destinations.

Ngô Văn Hùng, deputy chairman of the communal People's Committee, said that along with its cultural values, Quốc Oai's advantage of diverse natural landscapes and traditional craft villages provides a foundation for developing experiential, eco-tourism, community and agricultural tourism.

Notably, Quốc Oai initially developed new product lines including cultural and spiritual tourism, entertainment and resort tourism with the Tuần Châu Tourist Area's Quintessence of Tonkin show, and craft village and culinary tourism with 27 OCOP products. The number of visitors to the area was estimated to reach 1.5 million in 2025, establishing a stable tourism market.

He agreed with Hiếu, who highlighted remaining limitations and shortcomings that have prevented Quốc Oai's tourism from reaching its full potential.

"Tourism in Quốc Oai currently hasn't developed to its full potential. Products are still fragmented, lack in-depth experiential activities, there is no synchronisation between infrastructure and services, human resources are limited, and especially, the connection with travel businesses is weak," Hiếu said, adding that these factors contributed to short stays and low visitor spending in the commune.

Hùng clearly defined its development direction, with businesses playing a central role in connecting markets, and the local government acting as a facilitator and partner.

“We hope that businesses will not only conduct surveys, but also work with us to develop specific products such as cultural and spiritual tours combined with experiences, weekend tours linked to relaxation and entertainment, tours focusing on traditional crafts, cuisine and OCOP products,” Hùng said.

He promised to create a transparent investment environment, reform administrative procedures, improve the quality of the tourism environment, and mobilise community participation in tourism development while preserving cultural identity.

Experts' suggestions

Chairman of the Việt Nam Green Tourism Association, Phùng Quang Thắng, proposed that Quốc Oai needed to address the challenge of developing year-round tourism, taking advantage of its proximity to the city centre and its location on the tourism route connecting Hà Nội and the western region.

He said it was necessary to develop products that extended the length of tourists' stay and to promote the unique characteristics of the locality not found elsewhere, as the cradle of water puppetry and with its semi-mountainous terrain, to diversify tourism offerings.

Thắng urged the local authority to strengthen destination management, thereby promoting tourism development to a new level, and to facilitate connections between businesses and local communities to create new tours.

“Technology, techniques and human resources for destination management play a particularly important role in promoting tourism,” he said. "To attract tourists, Quốc Oai should collaborate with tourist areas and neighbouring communes, such as linking the Tuần Châu Tourist Area with the Việt Nam Village for Ethnic Culture and Tourism, and other units to develop unique tours. This will extend the length of stay and increase tourist spending."

 

Sharing the same view, Đặng Duy Trung Hiếu, vice chairman of the Hà Nội Tourism Association, suggested that Quốc Oai should target the international tourist market with more immersive experiences.

“Investment in infrastructure is needed, along with proactive promotion and marketing of the destination. We could implement experiential tours such as cycling tours, visits to craft villages, agricultural activities, homestays and tasting local specialties. Meanwhile, to attract more tourists, especially international visitors in the off-season, new products should be created and diversified,” Hiếu said.

Director of Travelogy Việt Nam Vũ Văn Tuyên said Quốc Oai needed a boost to awaken its tourism potential. This requires investment resources to renovate, improve and restore historical sites, develop tourism routes and tours, and enhance promotion through various information channels and social media platforms.

In conclusion, Deputy Director of the Hà Nội Department of Tourism Hiếu said the department would support Quốc Oai in developing distinctive tourism products associated with the commune's landmarks and specialties, forming a culture - spirituality - ecology - experience destination.

At the same time, it would bridge travel agencies and the locality to build plans attracting international tourists to stay longer in Hà Nội. — VNS