New vitality in tourist areas and spots in Hai Duong

Renew

Last weekend, Ms. Bui Kim Oanh and her son in Kien An district (Hai Phong) had the opportunity to join a tour of a travel agency to visit Mao Dien Temple of Literature (Cam Giang, Hai Duong). Upon arriving, she was surprised by the changes of the relic compared to a few years ago. “From the gate to the inner temple area, everything is decorated with colorful flags and flowers. The most special thing is the area for experiencing folk culture, writing calligraphy, and the model of the regional examination school. This is a new feature to promote the cultural and historical values ​​of the relic,” Ms. Oanh said.

Not only Mao Dien Temple of Literature, but also most of Hai Duong's tourist attractions and areas have changed and renewed themselves to attract tourists. "A good sign is that there are more and more groups of tourists coming on tours with tour guides. That shows that more people know about Hai Duong's tourist attractions and areas and the way Hai Duong does tourism in general and the tourist attractions and areas in particular are increasingly moving towards professionalism," said Meritorious Artisan Luu Duc Anh Tuan, member of the Tranh Temple Relic Management Board.

In Hai Duong, many traditional festivals have been included in the list of national intangible cultural heritage by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism: Con Son festival, Kiep Bac festival (Chi Linh city), Trinh Xuyen communal house festival, Tranh temple (Ninh Giang), Cao An Phu temple festival (Kinh Mon)... Recently, festivals have been researched, supplemented and improved to enhance both the ceremony and the festival.

The Con Son - Kiep Bac Spring Festival in 2025, taking place from February 11 to 20, will also be large-scale, associated with the 60th anniversary of Uncle Ho's visit to Con Son. The Tranh Temple Festival will take place from March 7 to 9 and on March 13 on the largest scale ever. In addition to the restored traditional rituals, the festivals also feature many unique folk games.

In addition, the quality of tourism services is constantly improved. Hai Duong has developed explanatory scripts at 19 tourist sites and areas to introduce and promote the image and outstanding values ​​of the areas and tourist sites to visitors from all over the world. Security, order and environmental sanitation are ensured, and there is no longer a situation of overcharging tourists.

Attracting tourists

Hai Duong currently has 19 relics, sites, and tourist areas recognized by the Provincial People's Committee, typically: Con Son - Kiep Bac relic site, Phuong Hoang historical and scenic site, Cao temple, Sinh temple - Hoa temple (Chi Linh); An Phu, Kinh Chu, Nham Duong historical relic complex (Kinh Mon); Co island (Thanh Mien); Mao Dien Temple of Literature (Cam Giang); President Ho Chi Minh memorial site, Tram Gian pagoda, Dau communal house relic cluster, stele house of the establishment of the Provincial Party Committee - Nam Sach Provincial Party Committee, Chu Dau pottery village, Long Dong temple (Nam Sach), Provincial Museum...

The recognition of tourist sites and areas aims to exploit the potential of relics and destinations. Ms. Nguyen Thi Hue, Director of Hai Duong Provincial Museum, affirmed that the recognition of tourist sites and areas contributes to creating highlights for tourism in the province. This is also an important point to help the tourism routes between sites and areas have stronger connections. "Tourists know more and can easily find relics," Ms. Hue said.

Since being recognized as a provincial-level tourist area, the relics have received investment attention and become more spacious. The Co Island Eco-tourism Area from 2024 - 2025 has received investment of 9 billion VND from the province and district to renovate the following items: Expanding the road to the tourist area from 5.5 m to 7.5 m, with a drainage system; renovating the Environmental Education Center for visitors; embanking the boat dock area; renovating the bamboo garden... At the Con Son - Kiep Bac relic site, many projects have been implemented. Currently, the Relic Management Board continues to implement items of the Kiep Bac Temple restoration and embellishment project (festival yard, four-pillar gate, sacred road, water pavilion...); implementing the project to preserve the Con Son - Kiep Bac historical relic site associated with tourism development, including the items of renovating Vien Lang, Kiep Bac Lake embankment, building a parking lot west of Con Son, renovating Ban Nguyet Lake, tower garden, Lam Ti Ni Con Son garden... Mao Dien Temple of Literature was also assigned the task of planning to expand the relic site by 4 hectares...

Thanks to that, the number of tourists visiting the areas and spots is increasing, each year increasing more than the previous year. From the beginning of the year to the end of February, the Con Son - Kiep Bac relic site welcomed over 300,000 visitors, an increase of 42% over the same period in 2024. According to statistics from the Provincial Museum, in 2024, this unit welcomed over 17,000 visitors (an increase of nearly 5,000 visitors compared to 2023). Most recently, in June 2024, Co Island was recognized as a provincial-level tourist area. Before being recognized, Co Island welcomed 40,000 visitors/year, after being recognized, this number increased by 10,000 visitors/year...

Director of the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism of Hai Duong Nguyen Thanh Trung said that in order to better exploit the tourism potential of Hai Duong, it is necessary to focus on advising on the effective implementation of Resolution No. 40/2024/NQ-HDND dated December 11, 2024 of the Provincial People's Council promulgating a number of policies to support tourism development in Hai Duong province in the period of 2025-2030 to build and complete infrastructure in tourist areas and spots to best meet the needs of people and tourists. There are policies to invite and attract large corporations and enterprises with brands to participate in investment to develop service industries, entertainment to serve tourists, contributing to making Hai Duong tourism an important economic sector contributing to the province's revenue.