During summer days, the beach at Sầm Sơn is rarely quiet. Visitors fill the long stretch of sand from early morning, restaurants serve seafood throughout the day and hotels and other accommodation facilities are filled with guests.

But this familiar summer scene also highlights a challenge for the coastal city. Once the season ends, visitor numbers fall sharply.

Now Sầm Sơn is looking beyond the beach season, with plans to develop cultural, spiritual, wellness, sports, MICE and other experiential products to attract visitors throughout the year.

“Sầm Sơn has a beautiful beach with a long, flat stretch of fine sand and continuous waves. We also enjoy coming here for the local seafood,” said Nguyễn Thu Hà, 35, a visitor from Hà Nội.

In 2026, Sầm Sơn added new attractions and tourism products, including Độc Cước Temple, Trống Mái Islet, Cô Tiên Temple, the Hubway system, free shower facilities, the Sea Square and festival landscape axis, and Sun World Water Park.

Nguyễn Minh Tâm, deputy chairman of the Sầm Sơn Ward People’s Committee, said the ward welcomed 7.86 million visitors in the first seven months of 2026, generating 15.39 million visitor-days and tourism revenue of about VNĐ15.03 trillion (US$579 million).

The city targets 9 million visitors, 18.4 million visitor-days and about VNĐ18.8 trillion ($724million) in tourism revenue for the full year.

Sầm Sơn is also developing products that can operate outside the peak beach months. The 'Touching the Rhythm of Fishing Village Life' experience introduces visitors to the lives, work, culture and cuisine of local fishermen.

A cultural space, walking street and night market have also been opened, adding evening activities, shopping and dining options.

More than 70 per cent of visitors currently arrive during the three summer months. After the beach season, accommodation and tourism services become less busy, while coastal spaces are hardly used during autumn, winter and early spring.

To address the problem, the Sầm Sơn Ward People’s Committee has issued a project on developing four-season tourism.

The project targets 10 – 12 million visitors a year, with low-season tourists from September to March expected to account for about 40 per cent. The average stay is targeted at 2.5 – 3 days, while tourism service revenue is expected to increase by 12 – 15 per cent annually.

From February to April, spiritual tourism, festivals and New Year activities will be promoted, including Cầu phúc Festival at Độc Cước and Đề Lĩnh temples, pilgrimage tours and programmes featuring folk culture and local cuisine.

Summer will remain the main season for beach holidays and resorts, alongside sports competitions, running events, team building and cultural and culinary programmes. Walking street activities, water music at Sea Square and street carnivals will add evening entertainment.

In autumn and winter, Sầm Sơn plans resort and health tourism, MICE, sports events, weddings and other gatherings, with marathon and cycling events, golf, camping on Trường Lệ Mountain, the Hòn Trống Mái love festival and music programmes. Winter products will also feature traditional crafts, local cuisine, cultural activities and festivals.

The city is also studying waterway routes, including 'Up and Down the Mã River', Sầm Sơn – Nghi Sơn – Hòn Mê Island and Sầm Sơn – Hoằng Tiến – Nẹ Island.

Trịnh Tiến Dũng, chairman of the Sầm Sơn Ward People’s Committee, said the four-season tourism project would make better use of local potential, extend visitors’ stays, increase spending and reduce pressure on infrastructure and the environment during the summer peak.

The ward is preparing a plan to implement the project.

A wider coastal tourism network

Thanh Hóa is also expanding coastal tourism beyond Sầm Sơn to reduce seasonal dependence.

The province has piloted three new tourism products. In Nam Sầm Sơn Ward, the 'One Market – A Thousand Tastes of the Sea' programme introduced seafood, OCOP products, local dishes and traditional crafts. Similar activities have been held at the Hải Hòa Beach tourism area in Tĩnh Gia Ward.

A representative of the provincial Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism said reducing seasonality and developing four-season coastal tourism were major priorities under the province’s 2021–30 tourism master plan, with a vision to 2045.

Thanh Hóa plans a coastal tourism chain from Sầm Sơn and Nam Sầm Sơn to Hoằng Tiến, Hoằng Thanh, Tiên Trang and Quảng Bình, with accommodation, resort, entertainment and conference services.

The province also plans high-end eco-resorts in Hoằng Thanh, resort and health tourism in Tĩnh Gia, and Hòn Mê as a high-end coastal destination.

Coastal tourism will be linked with cultural, historical and ecological attractions, including Hàm Rồng, Lam Kinh, the Hồ Dynasty Citadel, Bà Triệu Temple, the temple to Trần Hưng Đạo, Gia Miêu–Triệu Tường, Am Các Pagoda and Bến En National Park.

These links could form one- or two-day itineraries combining a beach holiday with cultural, historical and ecological experiences.

For Sầm Sơn, the challenge is no longer simply managing large crowds in summer. The city is trying to keep its tourism facilities, services and attractions in use after the beach season ends. — VNS