Hanoi is seeking opinions to develop a Resolution on investment and business activities of products and services at night, which is expected to allow some areas and service complexes that meet the conditions to operate until 6 am.
This is one of the notable proposals to answer a very important question in tourism, not only of Hanoi, which is what to do to keep tourists staying with us longer and spending more?
Reality shows that one of the inherent weaknesses of Vietnamese tourism is that the length of stay and spending of tourists are still low compared to their potential.
Many people come to Hanoi, Hue, Da Nang or many other localities only for short stays. During the day, they visit, eat and drink in the evening, stroll around the streets and then return to the hotel. After 10 pm, the choice of experiences of tourists in many places is almost non-existent.
This means that the opportunity to create nighttime economic value for localities also ends very soon.
Therefore, when Hanoi raises the issue of developing the night economy in a methodical way, from heritage space, culture, art to commerce, services and tourism, it is a positive sign.
However, the night economy is not simply prolonging the operating hours of shops or shopping centers.
If only allowing opening until 2 am or 6 am without more attractive products, it is very difficult to retain tourists.
Tourists do not stay up late just to buy another item or sit in another cafe. What they need are different experiences, activities that are not available during the day.
These can be night heritage tours, unique art programs, creative riverside spaces, outdoor performance areas, light festivals or cultural activities associated with local identity.
It is noteworthy that in the draft, Hanoi not only mentions commercial streets but also towards Thang Long Imperial Citadel, Temple of Literature - Quoc Tu Giam, West Lake, the Old Quarter or the landscape axis of the Red River.
If invested in the right direction, these can become products with their own appeal, helping Hanoi differentiate itself from other cities.
Looking broadly, this is also a problem that many localities are facing.
Localities that take tourism as a " spearhead" in economic development such as Da Nang, Hue, Quang Ninh, Khanh Hoa, Phu Quoc... have also been doing the same as Hanoi.
However, the economic efficiency brought is not high, nighttime economic models often "open early and fall into darkness" due to copying each other's models, not creating for tourists night experiences with their own local imprints.
Another issue is that the night economy always comes with challenges such as noise, traffic, environmental sanitation, tourist safety and prevention and combat of social evils.
In parallel with night economy models, traffic infrastructure, security and order, environmental sanitation, noise control or ensuring safety for tourists must all go one step ahead.
Reality in the world shows that successful cities with night economy such as Bangkok, Seoul or Singapore not only extend operating hours but also build a very professional management ecosystem, from public transport, lighting, security to tourist support services.
When many cities participate in building "sleepless cities" in their own way, the night economy can completely become a new driving force for tourism and services in Vietnam in the coming years.
