According to data from the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism , in the first nine months of 2025, Vietnam tourism recorded impressive figures: More than 15.4 million international visitors; 119 million domestic visitors; total revenue from tourists is estimated at 794 trillion VND. After the provinces and cities merged, the tourism industry faced the need to "redraw the map" - restructuring the development space, products and brands, creating new growth drivers.
After the merger of provinces and cities, the tourism industry is facing the need to "redraw the map" - restructuring development space, products and brands, creating new growth drivers.
After merging the three provinces of Ninh Binh (old), Ha Nam and Nam Dinh , Ninh Binh (new) province became a growth pole in the Red River Delta. In the first nine months of 2025, the province welcomed more than 16.7 million visitors (more than 1.62 million international visitors), with estimated revenue of more than VND 17,895 billion, a sharp increase over the same period in 2024.
Currently, the province has completed the review and reorganization of the tourism space with an international tourism center, nine tourism clusters and three strategic spaces, including: Heritage-culture-spirituality; ecology-sea-estuary; craft villages-creative community. On that basis, the province designed three linked tourism routes, including: Northern route: Bai Dinh-Van Long-Tam Chuc-Huong Pagoda-Duy Tien; central route: Hoa Lu-Trang An-Phu Day-Tran Temple-Keo Pagoda-Co Le; coastal route: Kim Son-Phat Diem-Hai Thinh-Hai Tien-Giao Ninh-Giao Thuy.
This is a clear demonstration that the “new tourism map” is not only about changing boundaries but also restructuring products and spaces. However, Ninh Binh does not deny the challenges that the province’s tourism industry has to face after the merger.
Mr. Bui Van Manh, Director of the Department of Tourism, shared: Changes in administrative boundaries after the merger have made it difficult to update digital maps, smart tourism maps, and integrate destinations and tourism service establishments. The Department has been closely coordinating with sectors, localities, media agencies, and travel businesses to ensure consistency and synchronization from maps to product and service systems. When completed, the new tourism map will be an important foundation, helping Ninh Binh enhance its position as an attractive destination on the national tourism map, while promoting sustainable regional connectivity.
The changes in administrative boundaries after the merger have made it difficult to update digital maps, smart tourism maps, and integrate destinations and tourism service facilities. The Department has been closely coordinating with sectors, localities, media agencies, and travel businesses to ensure consistency and synchronization from maps to product and service systems. When completed, the new tourism map will be an important foundation, helping Ninh Binh enhance its position as an attractive destination on the national tourism map, while promoting sustainable regional connectivity.
Mr. Bui Van Manh, Director of Ninh Binh Department of Tourism
In the south, Ho Chi Minh City, after merging with Binh Duong and Ba Ria-Vung Tau provinces, has had impressive growth in both scale and tourism products. In the past nine months, Ho Chi Minh City welcomed more than 5.8 million international visitors and more than 29.1 million domestic visitors, with total revenue estimated at VND184,629 billion.
After the merger, the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Tourism has focused on coordinating with departments, branches, localities and businesses to survey, design and develop many routes, destinations and typical tourism products; reposition products and build orientations for new product development; focus on developing night tourism associated with piloting public-private partnership mechanisms in the fields of culture and sports such as night museum tours, art performances, reviewing to develop waterway tourism... These are creative solutions to exploit the advantages after the merger, creating great attraction for both international and domestic tourist markets of the city named after Uncle Ho.
After the two-level local government system was put into operation nationwide, Quang Ninh province has emerged as a leading locality with a systematic approach to tourism development in line with the arrangement of administrative boundaries. According to a report by the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism, in the first nine months of 2025, Quang Ninh welcomed 17.11 million tourists (including more than 3.2 million international visitors); total revenue reached 44,250 billion VND. According to Mr. Nguyen Lam Nguyen, Deputy Director of the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism of Quang Ninh province, the rearrangement of the province's administrative units did not cause many fluctuations in tourism resources in the province.
However, to ensure that each area after the merger is properly assessed for potential, has appropriate exploitation orientation, and is associated with the specific strengths of each commune, ward, and special zone, the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism of Quang Ninh province issued Plan 289/KH-SVHTTDL dated August 18, 2025 to survey and evaluate infrastructure and services in all tourist areas and spots, and at the same time clean data and digitize tourism resources to integrate into the electronic map system. "This is the basis for the province to have a new, modern, and intuitive tourist map, serving the management and promotion of destinations; at the same time, it is also a factor that helps improve the quality of services and the image of Quang Ninh destinations," Mr. Nguyen affirmed.
At the same time, the province maintains its attraction with a series of cultural-sports-tourism events such as: Ha Long Carnival 2025, Hot Air Balloon Festival, Ha Long Marathon, Ultra Trail Yen Tu... These activities are organized regularly, showing that the competitiveness of a destination does not only come from changing administrative boundaries, but also from the capacity to manage data, organize events and renew the tourist experience.
From the above practices, it can be seen that localities are making efforts to "redraw the tourism map" to adapt after the merger. However, this is not only about adjusting administrative boundaries and changing names, but also a comprehensive restructuring process, from data, products, infrastructure to people. Mr. Ha Van Sieu, Deputy Director of the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism, emphasized that if administrative boundaries are changed but the old way of doing things is maintained, the merger is just "putting new clothes on old thinking". The core is to innovate planning thinking, locate corridors, connecting axes, reform institutions and mobilize maximum resources (from internal to external forces) to create momentum for development.
If administrative boundaries are changed while the old way of doing things remains, the merger is just “putting new clothes on old thinking”. The core is to innovate planning thinking, locate corridors and connecting axes, reform institutions and mobilize maximum resources (from internal to external forces) to create momentum for development.
Mr. Ha Van Sieu, Deputy Director of Vietnam National Administration of Tourism
Mr. Phung Quang Thang, Vice Chairman of the Vietnam Tourism Association, noted: “Managing destinations after mergers requires higher capacity. Another important issue is product synchronization, because if one place has good quality, while another place in the same province is weak, it will create a bad mentality for tourists. Tourism brands must be built on quality and experience, not just on name.”
In the face of the current situation, the solution for the coming period needs to be synchronous in the pillars: Digitalizing data, restructuring product space, investing in infrastructure, human resources and establishing a regional destination management mechanism. This is also the spirit of Decision No. 509/QD-TTg approving the Tourism System Planning for the 2021-2030 period, with a vision to 2045 and Decision No. 382/QD-TTg of the Prime Minister promulgating the Plan to implement the Tourism System Planning for the 2021-2030 period, with a vision to 2045. If implemented well, the tourism industry can completely achieve the goal of welcoming at least 25 million international visitors and 150 million domestic visitors in 2025, while creating a foundation for Vietnam to become an attractive, sustainable destination of regional and international stature.
Source: https://nhandan.vn/sap-nhap-tinh-thanh-tao-dong-luc-tang-truong-moi-cho-nganh-du-lich-post916363.html
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