Expanding connections
At Can Tho City tourism promotion and marketing conference held in Hue at the end of May, in addition to introducing Can Tho’s tourism potential, the tourism sectors and business communities from both localities had the opportunity to exchange ideas and explore opportunities to expand collaboration and development.
Vice Chairwoman of Can Tho City People's Committee Nguyen Thi Ngoc Diep stated that Hue and Can Tho in particular, and the Central Region and Mekong Delta in general, each possess tourism resources and products unique to themselves. Therefore, collaboration and partnerships will help enrich and diversify tourism offerings; facilitate business networking and cooperation; enhance the connectivity of tour routes between the Central Region and Mekong Delta; stimulate demand for flight routes to and from Can Tho; and vice versa, boost tourism development.
In reality, expanding partnerships also offers an opportunity to promote destinations and exchange tourists between regions. Chairman of Hue Travel Association and Director of Viet Green Travel Co., Ltd., Mr. Do Ngoc Co, said that in addition to serving the local market, travel companies also explore tours and routes in other provinces and international destinations. Since many businesses operate tours to distant locations, expanding connections is a strategic way to broaden markets and attract more visitors to Hue and other localities. “Travel businesses must have accurate information about destinations, along with suitable mechanisms and policies, to be able to design and sell tours. This not only helps promote destinations but also creates chances for companies to bring tourists to Hue and vice versa,” Mr. Co explained.
Emerging tourism development trends are giving rise to new connections in tourism development. In the spirit of “To go far, go together”, in addition to maintaining strong regional cooperation, new alliances are being formed to expand developments and create more opportunities to promote destinations and reach broader domestic markets. In March 2025, right in Hue City, the Lang Son Province Investment, Trade, and Tourism Promotion Center organized a program to promote destinations and foster tourism cooperation in response to the National Tourism Year - Hue 2025. Mr. Hoang Xuan Thuan, Director of the Center, emphasized that developing tourism partnerships and establishing product sales alliances between Lang Son Tourism Association and Hue City, along with enhancing promotional, media, and communication efforts among businesses, will open up numerous opportunities for local tourism growth.
According to leaders of Hue Tourism Association, the association has signed memorandum of understanding with several provincial and city tourism associations to cooperate in building and launching joint travel packages. This forms a foundation for realizing the goal of tourism development through connectivity.
Hue-based tour operators explore Can Tho’s specialty products
Turning opportunities into value
At several recent tourism promotion events held in Hue, Deputy Director General of the Vietnam National Authority of Tourism Ha Van Sieu said that inter-locality cooperation is a crucial solution for boosting tourism development and expanding the domestic market. What’s important is that localities coordinate efforts to develop closely linked cooperative frameworks that leverage each area’s unique strengths. These can then be shaped into specialized tour products that combine heritage, leisure, ecological, and culinary tourism. The contents and activities of these partnerships should also be clearly outlined in annual plans.
Several factors were pointed out by experts and tourism professionals for effective tourism cooperation. Among them, joint promotion efforts among localities needs to be more proactive and enthusiastic to build strong, coordinated links that ensure full participation in shared action programs.
Localities should also be bold in exchanging information related to development planning and tourism investment, and share experiences in state management and tourism socialization efforts. In addition, provinces and cities need to work together to develop tourism products and enact appropriate policies and solutions for creating collaborative tourism product groups. This is also a way to highlight the unique characteristics of each area, increase destination appeal, and avoid overlapping or offer indistinct products.
Director of Hue Department of Tourism Tran Thi Hoai Tram said that Hue City always prioritizes and actively engages in tourism cooperation with other localities across the country, aiming to create diverse inter-regional tourism products. As the host of the National Tourism Year 2025, Hue has connected with and invited localities to participate in organizing 102 programs, events, and festivals in celebration. The tourism sector is also accelerating efforts to strengthen partnerships nationwide to leverage strengths and potential for regional and inter-regional tourism development, helping to elevate the image, stature, and brand of Vietnamese tourism on the global stage.
