What is a reasonable price for sightseeing tickets?

Entrance tickets to relics have caused much controversy over whether they are high or low, two prices or one price (for foreigners and locals)... Recently, independent tourists continue to complain that some relics charge too high prices.

Monument ticket prices, an endless debate

Hue has long been known as a "heritage city" with hundreds of palaces, mausoleums, and temples associated with the Nguyen Dynasty. This is an indispensable destination for domestic and foreign tourists who want to learn about Vietnam's cultural history. However, besides being overwhelmed by the ancient beauty, many people expressed hesitation when entering the relic's gate because the ticket price is getting higher and higher.

According to the 2025 price list, tickets to visit the Imperial Citadel are currently 200,000 VND for adults and 40,000 VND for children from 7 to 12 years old; the tombs of Minh Mang, Khai Dinh, and Tu Duc cost 150,000 VND/adult, 30,000 VND/child; other tombs such as Gia Long, Dong Khanh, Duc Duc, and Thieu Tri range from 50,000 to 150,000 VND.

At first glance, this price does not seem too high compared to other attractions in the area, but if added together, the number becomes a burden. A family of four including a husband, wife and two small children, if visiting all seven mausoleums and the Imperial City, the ticket price alone is nearly 1.8 million VND; plus transportation, tour guide, lunch and miscellaneous expenses, the total for a day can be up to 4.5 - 6 million VND. Ms. HM's family (HCMC) of 5 adults just went to Hue, just counting the ticket price for each person is nearly 1 million VND. This is not a small number compared to the average income of many Vietnamese families, forcing many people to cut down on sightseeing.

Tour guide introduces the history of Hue Imperial City to visitors

Photo: Le Nam

Mr. Pham Quang (HCMC) compared: In Singapore or Malaysia, many museums and monuments are free, very comfortable to enter, and clean. In Hue, the ticket price is high even though many places are still in the process of restoration. On social networks, many opinions also say that the current ticket price is not commensurate with the experience...

The controversy over entrance fees is not limited to Hue. In Nha Trang, from May 15, 2025, Khanh Hoa officially collected entrance fees to visit Nha Trang Bay from September 25, 2025, at a rate of 6,000-40,000 VND/person/trip depending on the route and location of the inland waterway terminal. The government believes that this is a measure to increase the budget for ecosystem conservation, but businesses are concerned that the fee will reduce attraction, especially for individual tourists and short-term tours.

Previously, Hoi An ancient town ( Da Nang city) also announced a mandatory fee for visitors entering the town, which immediately received strong reactions. Many opinions said that "selling tickets to enter the town" went against the inherent friendly spirit. After that reaction, the government was forced to adjust the status to "not mandatory for individual visitors".

In Ha Giang, the plan to collect entrance fees to the Dong Van stone plateau was criticized as "reverse tourism". Public opinion believes that the natural landscape is a common property, and if a rigid toll station is set up, it will be counterproductive and deter tourists.

Tourists experience taking photos in traditional ao dai at a construction in the Hue ancient capital relic complex

Photo: Le Nam

Similarly, the Temple of Literature - Quoc Tu Giam currently charges 70,000 VND/visit; some opinions support this because it needs funds for preservation, but many visitors complain that it is "expensive compared to the experience".

Should sell wholesale, instead of retail

Ms. Nguyen Minh Nhi, Sales Director of Top Ten Travel (HCMC), admitted that in the combined tour of Da Nang - Hue - Phong Nha, if the ticket price in Hue is too high, customers often skip the destination. For example, between Ba Na, Dai Noi and Phong Nha, customers prioritize Ba Na because of the variety of activities. Travel companies can only buy tickets to the main entrance, but customers have to pay extra for the mausoleum, which makes many people hesitant.

According to Ms. Nhi, the average tour price is only about 3.6 million VND, while if the same ticket price is applied to both Vietnamese and international visitors, the difference in affordability will be obvious. Foreigners can spend 10 USD without thinking much; but for Vietnamese visitors, it is an amount worth considering.

Ms. Tran Thi Bao Thu, Marketing and Communications Director of Vietluxtour, frankly said: Compared to domestic prices, the entrance fee to Hue relics is higher than Hoi An, My Son and equivalent to Trang An, but Trang An includes operating services. For low-income customers, this is clearly an obstacle.

Hoi An once caused controversy when it charged an entrance fee to the old town.

Photo: Le Nam

Citing the case of Cambodia currently charging 37 USD/person to visit the Angkor complex for two days, which only applies to international visitors, while locals are not charged, Mr. Nguyen Van My, representative of Lua Viet Travel Company, said that this complex has up to 99 main temples and hundreds of small temples, but only sells one ticket instead of dividing it into smaller ones. Hue can also sell wholesale similarly, for example 500,000 VND for 4 tombs, visitors will stay longer because they regret the ticket, which means more spending on food and accommodation. If calculated individually, each person can easily lose millions of VND, but if combined, it is only about 600,000 - 700,000 VND, which is more reasonable. It is even possible to design a two-day ticket to retain visitors.

This is also the view of most tourists as well as representatives of travel companies. The issue is not "whether to charge fees or not", but "how to charge appropriately" to ensure resources for heritage conservation and maintain the attraction for tourists.

Ms. Nguyen Minh Nhi believes that there should be more reasonable prices for domestic tourists, especially students and large groups. It cannot be free but there should be incentives to stimulate demand. If the ticket price is too high, the competitiveness of the tour will decrease sharply, the company will have difficulty selling; and domestic tourists will also have less opportunity to learn about the history and culture of the ancient capital.

Tourists visit and take souvenir photos at a Nguyen Dynasty mausoleum in Hue

Photo: Le Nam

Ms. Tran Thi Bao Thu also proposed a flexible ticket policy according to the low season, applying combo tickets to many destinations. In addition, destinations need to diversify accompanying products and services such as art, culinary experiences, virtual reality, etc. to help tourists feel "worth the ticket price" and be willing to spend more.

In fact, many relic sites have been controversial because of entrance fees such as Hoi An ancient town, Dong Van stone plateau, Temple of Literature (Hanoi)...; after public reaction, the government has adjusted policies, combined with festivals, automatic guides, virtual reality experiences or cultural products to increase attraction. That shows that not only changing prices but also diversifying services, applying flexible combo tickets and differentiating policies between domestic and international visitors, to both preserve heritage and make visitors feel "worth the ticket price".

If a balance is found between heritage conservation revenue and visitor experience, destinations will not only preserve heritage but also become a sustainable driving force for tourism development.

From the management agency's side, the Hue Monuments Conservation Center has repeatedly affirmed that revenue from entrance tickets is the "lifeblood" to maintain conservation work. According to tourism statistics from the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism, in 2024 alone, Hue City welcomed nearly 2.8 million visitors, bringing in more than 422 billion VND in revenue from entrance tickets, exceeding the plan by 32% and increasing by nearly 19% compared to 2023. This revenue is used to pay for many key projects such as the restoration of Hue Citadel, the restoration of Can Chanh Palace - the most important work of the Nguyen Dynasty, along with a budget of nearly 300 billion VND allocated for conservation work during the year.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/ve-tham-quan-di-tich-the-nao-cho-hop-ly-185250925225139957.htm