Building a brand after the merger
The merger of administrative boundaries between provinces and cities opens up many new opportunities for the tourism industry, especially in areas with natural connectivity in space and tourism resources.
Ms. Phuong Linh, a tourist from Hanoi, had an interesting experience during a recent trip while exploring the new Da Nang City after the merger. I have been to Da Nang and Quang Nam many times, but when the two localities merged, there was no longer the feeling of going to another province when traveling from the center of Da Nang to Hoi An or My Son.
From the perspective of domestic tourists, Ms. Linh assessed that if the locality plans well and communicates clearly, such a linkage model will help domestic and foreign tourists have a richer experience, while the locality makes the most of the available tourism resources.
Not only from the perspective of State management or tourist experience, the merger of administrative units also poses great problems in communication, especially in building and positioning destination brands. In the context of information being widely spread under the old name, the transition to a new administrative map requires careful calculation in communication work, while opening up opportunities for effective repositioning.
Associate Professor, Dr. Pham Hong Long - Faculty of Tourism - University of Social Sciences and Humanities (Vietnam National University, Hanoi) - affirmed that merging provinces can open up opportunities to coordinate tourism development in a larger area, instead of fragrance.
When the local scale increases, the management, planning and infrastructure investment work will have the opportunity to be implemented synchronously, creating conditions for more diverse tourism products and a better connected destination ecosystem. For example, the experience of merging the old Ha Tay into Hanoi clearly shows that after a difficult initial period, Hanoi now has many more outstanding destinations such as Huong Pagoda, Van Phuc silk village, intangible cultural heritages... contributing to raising the tourism status of the capital.
According to Associate Professor. Dr. Pham Hong Long, any change takes time to adapt. The biggest challenge will be the work of updating and synchronizing information - from directional signs, communication documents, maps to digital databases.
Communication expert Nguyen Ngoc Long believes that this process can be imagined as repositioning an old brand. For localities that already have their own reputation - such as Ho Chi Minh City, expanding the boundary to have more seas (Vung Tau) or islands (Con Dao) is not only a geographical addition. It makes a very different Ho Chi Minh City - wider, more diverse and requires a new perspective from both tourists and residents.
Similarly, if Hai Phong merges more specialties such as green bean cakes, seaweed, or relics such as Con Son - Kiep Bac, the image of that city also needs to be redefined to suit the new context.
Communication in the post-merger period is not only a tool for dissemination, but a core strategy to eliminate old ways of thinking and Gradually shape new ways of thinking about a changing land. If done well, this is not only an opportunity to rebuild the image, but also to bring the local brand to a new level - more comprehensive, more connected and more sustainable" - this expert affirmed.
Replacing the map of Vietnams tourism
Tourism is considered a bright spot in the economic picture in the first 6 months of this year in the Government's report at the meeting in early July. However, one of the concerns of the management agency is how not to interrupt the direction and operation of the two-level local government. As Vietnam conducts administrative boundary mergers, Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Nguyen Van Hung emphasized the importance of "redrawing the map of Vietnam's tourism".
According to the minister, redrawing a tourism map does not mean denying what is there but must have a new approach, redrawing to create connections, instead of developing in a narrow space to create open space, creating truly unique products.
The tourism industry needs to adapt to the new situation and new apparatus so that tourism is not only a spearhead economic sector, but also an "infused" economic sector.
The Minister gave practical examples to illustrate the tourism potential after the merger of administrative boundaries. For example, if Gia Lai is merged with Binh Dinh, the new Gia Lai province will not only have the identity of the Central Highlands with red basalt land and windy lakes, but also possess poetic beaches imbued with the salty taste of the coastal area, such as Ghenh Rang - creating a unique combination of mountains, forests and seas.
Similarly, when Quang Binh merges with Quang Tri, a newly formed province will have space spanning the Central region, where many resources for tourism development converge: From the Phong Nha - Ke Bang World Natural Heritage to the system of revolutionary historical relics, historical relics and heroic memories of the nation.
Or in the case of merging the three provinces of Ninh Binh, Nam Dinh and Ha Nam, it is possible to form a regional spiritual tourism center, connecting prominent complexes such as Tam Chuc pagoda (old Ha Nam), Phu Day (old Nam Dinh) and Bai Dinh pagoda (Ninh Binh). This is not only a resonance of geographical space but also a convergence of cultural and belief values - opening up a sustainable development direction for spiritual tourism in the North.
According to the minister, tourism products in the coming time must also be large and in-depth. The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism will support localities to build worthy products. Promotional activities also require innovation, specific effectiveness, and close linkage.
Focusing on building tourism products in a unique, specialized, and effective direction is identified as one of the key tasks. Accordingly, localities need to clearly identify product strengths, have cooperation strategies, regional linkages and clearly "dy line up" to create products with unique identities, avoiding product conflicts.
The Minister suggested that regional linkage activities must be substantial and sustainable. In particular, major cities such as Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, Da Nang, Hai Phong... need to take on the role of the country's transit center.
