Urban tourism develops in harmony in the new era

Along with peaceful rural destinations, experiencing agricultural production activities suitable to the soil and local customs, many urban tourist destinations in our country are increasingly becoming attractive tourist destinations.

Developing urban tourism in the new context, many administrative units have changed, requiring inheritance, preserving identity associated with integration, expanding development space, seizing new opportunities and overcoming difficulties.

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Many localities have major tourist destinations that are vibrant urban areas - where diverse ecosystems of culture, commerce, services, and residential life converge. Urban areas attract tourists by their landscapes, architectural works, historical and cultural relics, culinary specialties, green spaces, resort spaces, and unique coastal experiences.

In Ho Chi Minh City, the most popular travel experience chosen by many tourists is to visit and explore historical and cultural relics, architectural works, and beautiful landscapes right in one of the city's central wards: Saigon ward.

Saigon Ward is currently formed from Ben Nghe Ward and part of Da Kao and Nguyen Thai Binh Wards of District 1 in the past. With an area of about 3,000 km2, the ward has many outstanding tourist attractions chosen by visitors.

Tourist Nguyen Thi Bich Thuy from Thanh Tri commune (Hanoi) shared that when coming to Ho Chi Minh City, she saw that Saigon ward has many places to visit and check-in that tourists can hardly miss. The name of the ward itself contains historical and cultural depth in the bustling urban life. She took souvenir photos outside the building of the People's Council - People's Committee of Ho Chi Minh City (located on Le Thanh Ton street) - an ancient architectural work, or the signboard of the Party Committee - People's Council - People's Committee - Vietnam Fatherland Front Committee of Saigon ward on Le Duan street - a beautiful street in the city center. After that, she and her family visited Saigon ward with many places to explore such as the City Post Office, Nguyen Van Binh Book Street, Zoo and Botanical Garden...

Also in Ho Chi Minh City, the coastal ward of Vung Tau is also a tourist destination, sightseeing and resort chosen by many tourists because of its airy space, poetic coastal landscape, and many unique historical and cultural relics. Vung Tau ward is currently formed on the basis of merging 7 central wards of Vung Tau city, Ba Ria-Vung Tau province in the past. The ward owns a rare comprehensive tourism ecosystem: sea, mountains, relics, cuisine and culture.

Tourist destinations such as Front Beach, Back Beach, Small Mountain, Big Mountain, Christ Statue, Lighthouse, Nghinh Phong Cape... have shaped the unique tourism brand for Vung Tau ward. In particular, recently, on the occasion of the 80th National Day Anniversary, the Tam Thang Square project with the highlight of Tam Thang Tower in Vung Tau ward was completed, contributing to the beauty of this coastal urban space.

Outside the Ho Chi Minh City People's Council-People's Committee headquarters building. (Photo: My Phuong/VNA)

During the recent National Day holiday on September 2, Vung Tau ward welcomed over 230,000 tourists to visit, swim, and relax, affirming the economic strength of tourism and services of the coastal city.

In the Mekong Delta, Cai Rang ward, Can Tho city is known to many tourists for its prominent destination Cai Rang floating market, where not only trading activities take place, but also shows the unique culture of the Southern river region. Therefore, Cai Rang floating market culture has been recognized as a national intangible cultural heritage.

Information from the People's Committee of Cai Rang Ward: the ward is the intersection between modern urban areas and the typical river region of the Mekong Delta, with Can Tho River and many crisscrossing canals. There are many beautiful, modern bridges crossing Can Tho River such as Cai Rang, Tran Hoang Na, Hung Loi... creating a poetic river landscape and convenient transportation. These are the advantages for the ward to strongly develop tourism and services.

Breakthrough in the new phase

Urban tourist destinations with familiar names such as Saigon, Vung Tau, Cai Rang, Ninh Kieu... have long contributed to positioning the destination brand and attracting tourists. In the new development phase, localities quickly identified many solutions to create stronger and more sustainable breakthroughs.

According to Le Truong Hien Hoa, Deputy Director of the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Tourism, the survey results of Gensler Research Institute - a prestigious organization in the world, voted Ho Chi Minh City as one of the cities that retain residents best in the world. This not only shows the city's attraction to the people but also shows the attraction of a vibrant, rich-in-identity city for tourists to come and experience.

In addition, in early September, within the framework of the General Assembly of the Global Cities Tourism Promotion Organization, held in Ho Chi Minh City, the City was honored in the Tourism Marketing Award category, with the campaign "Find the right quality, touch the right feeling" demonstrating the spread of the City's tourism brand in the hearts of tourists, enhancing its position on the domestic and world tourism map.

According to Secretary of the Party Committee of Saigon Ward Nguyen Tan Phat, with the goal of becoming a smart, modern, and high-quality urban area, Saigon Ward focuses on effective urban management and development, implementing innovation, attracting large corporations to invest, while preserving and promoting existing works and heritages.

In the field of tourism, Saigon ward strengthens cooperation and develops attractive destinations for tourists with many high-quality and diverse products to always be the destination for people and tourists who want to learn and visit the image of a vibrant, modern urban area associated with cultural depth. Recently, the ward has announced two special tours named "Saigon welcomes the new day" and "Saigon at night shows its beauty," introducing to tourists the beauty of a modern urban area, with many iconic works, or the sparkling, brilliant night scene of a vibrant urban area, attracting tourists in the new development stage.

Tourists enjoy breakfast on a boat at Cai Rang floating market. (Photo: Thanh Liem/VNA)

According to Chairman of Cai Rang Ward People's Committee Vuong Cong Khanh, Cai Rang Ward, Can Tho City, proud of its tradition, history and strong development potential, is gradually affirming its position in the overall picture of Can Tho City and the Mekong Delta.

The ward focuses on planning, building, and developing modern urban areas, preserving identity, and contributing to the orientation of becoming a commercial and service center of Can Tho city. Tourism activities, especially river and ecological tourism, continue to be promoted to attract tourists; developing small-scale industries, creating added value for destinations.

Proposing solutions for urban tourism development in the new context, Dr. Pham Thanh Vao, Branch of the Academy of Public Administration and Management in Ho Chi Minh City, said that in the context of green transformation and rapid urbanization, urban tourism needs to be shaped as a driving force for green economic development, in harmony with the environment and contributing to preserving cultural identity. In particular, preserving and promoting the value of cultural and historical heritage becomes the core foundation in urban tourism development.

Preserving local cultural identity will create competitive advantages and depth for tourism products. Any development strategy must be based on the principle of controlled exploitation, ensuring a balance between economic development and the protection of original cultural values, linking heritage landscapes with tourism experiences that have educational and aesthetic depth.

Cities also need to have spatial planning and integrated management towards sustainability, establish boundaries and conservation functions in urban planning, prevent the breakdown of historical cultural structures; strengthen environmental management, monitor air and water quality and environmental impacts in new tourism projects, and ensure flexible and sustainable development./.

(TTXVN/Vietnam+)

Source: https://www.vietnamplus.vn/du-lich-do-thi-hoa-nhip-phat-trien-trong-ky-nguyen-moi-post1067780.vnp