Awakening indigenous cultural values
Vinh Long Provincial Party Committee has just issued a Resolution on tourism development direction to 2030, vision to 2045. This is the basis for the locality to effectively exploit cultural and ecological potential and build unique products.
Talking to Lao Dong Newspaper, Mr. Duong Van Sum - Director of Vinh Long Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism, said that promoting local cultural values is one of the important directions to create differentiation for local tourism.
According to Mr. Sum, Vinh Long has great advantages in cultural heritage, traditional festivals, river landscapes and community life. "These are values that need to be preserved, promoted and transformed into unique tourism products," Mr. Sum said.
Vinh Long currently has 214 ranked relics, including 2 special national relics and 45 national relics; 19 national intangible cultural heritages, 3 national treasures and Southern Don ca tai tu art.
These values reflect the rich history, the cultural intersection of Kinh, Khmer, Hoa. According to Mr. Duong Van Sum, heritage exploitation must be associated with preserving and promoting identity, avoiding commercialization that loses its inherent value.
The festivals of Chol Chnam Thmay, Ok Om Bok, Dom Long Néak Ta along with Nguyen Tieu - Nguyen Tieu Thang Hoi, Vu Lan Thang Hoi and the art of Chum binh cha pay, Ro-ham will be connected to the destination.
The locality will focus on linking relics and temples of famous people with the space to experience local life. Tourists not only need to visit but also need to experience the culture of Coconut, red brick and ceramics and garden life," Mr. Sum said.
Towards a key economic sector
The resolution sets a target that by 2030, Vinh Long tourism will become an important economic sector, welcoming about 10 million visitors, of which international visitors account for about 20-30%. Total revenue from tourism is expected to reach about 12,000 billion VND.
The direct contribution of tourism to the province's GRDP is expected to reach 6-8% or more. To achieve the goal, Vinh Long identifies infrastructure investment, product diversification and increased regional linkages as key tasks.
According to Mr. Duong Van Sum, tourism development in the coming period needs to create links between types, localities and businesses. "We will focus on building continuous tourism routes, connecting garden ecology, Khmer culture, sea tourism, resorts and clean energy," he said.
By 2045, Vinh Long strives to make tourism a key economic sector in a professional, modern, green growth direction; welcoming over 55 million visitors, revenue exceeding 200,000 billion VND, contributing over 10% of GRDP, average spending reaching 2.5 - 3 million VND/person.
To realize the goal, Vinh Long prioritizes resources for synchronous investment in waterway and road infrastructure, upgrading wharves and seaports, connecting key tourist areas and attractions, creating favorable conditions for tourists to access destinations.
Mr. Duong Van Sum believes that infrastructure and products must develop in parallel, while increasing regional linkages. The province also promotes green tourism, digital transformation, and market diversification; by 2030, over 40% of establishments will achieve Green Tourism certification.
This rate is expected to increase to over 65% by 2045. According to Mr. Sum, this is a necessary direction for sustainable tourism development, while improving service quality and destination image.
Vinh Long aims to build a safe, friendly and quality destination brand, based on the unique values of the land," Mr. Duong Van Sum added.
