Over the years, Quang Ninh province as well as departments, agencies, and sectors... have discussed a lot about opening more special tourism products, especially on Ha Long Bay to attract tourists.
However, there are many tourism products that were successfully piloted in Ha Long Bay before 2016, but were later closed.
Among these are outstanding products such as: fishing with fishermen, swimming in the sea on the beaches in the bay, snacking on the beach and caves, dragon boat racing, visiting Vung Vieng fishing village, kayaking...
These are products that businesses deployed before 2015 to create new products and expand the tourism space of Ha Long Bay.
However, to date, only kayaking and visiting Vung Vieng fishing village remain.
Over the past time, not only tourists or businesses have proposed reopening, those products have also been mentioned in the tourism development plan of Quang Ninh province and related units. But everything is still stopping at discussing and planning year after year.
For example, in 2022, the Quang Ninh Tourism Association proposed opening tourism products: Visiting Bai Tho Mountain; swimming, snacking on the beach and in caves, fishing, dragon boat racing...
In 2025, the old Ha Long Bay Management Board registered to develop 3 more tourism products, including: Organizing art performances combined with parties at Trong Cave, Co Cave, Trinh Nu Cave; light parties on the sand beach in Ban Chan sand beach area, Tra San area.
According to representatives of some ship owners and travel companies, the proposals to open attractive tourism products to serve tourists are actually just reopening what has been favored by tourists.
In 2016, the old Ha Long City banned all eating activities in caves and beaches in Ha Long Bay - after a series of images of crowded parties in Trong Cave were posted on social networks.
Before the ban on all dining activities in caves and beaches in Ha Long Bay, some companies and units piloted these services in Ha Long Bay. These services are not mass parties as organized in Trong Cave.
Accordingly, each meal has at most several tables, with a few diners. Usually there is only a couple, with one table, 2 chairs placed on the beach in the middle of Ha Long Bay.
The parties in the caves are also not noisy, but very peaceful, romantic, and cozy, with melodious music and shimmering candlelight.
To experience such parties, tourists must book at least half a year in advance, with a not small cost.
Professional tourism workers at home and abroad believe that "closing down" is not advisable, because there are many ways to both preserve and promote heritage.
Talking to Lao Dong, international experts once affirmed that eating and drinking in caves and on the beach in Ha Long Bay should not be prohibited. The core issue lies in how to organize it.
If organized well, businesses will not only create special tourism products, but also contribute to raising the brand of Ha Long Bay tourism. Because, only when tourists come here can they experience such products.
Many professional tourism workers and tourists feel sorry when Quang Ninh abandons a unique potential and strength of heritage, while for many years there have been no new products in Ha Long Bay.
