Finding ways to unlock Hanoi's suburban tourism potential

Just 20 kilometers from the heart of Hanoi in the western suburbs of the city, Quoc Oai District offers a wealth of beautiful sites ideal for heritage tourism, eco-tourism, entertainment and weekend getaways. 

There must be significant efforts to fully unlock Quoc Oai’s tourism potential and attract both domestic and international visitors to explore this fascinating region.

A land with rich in potential

The Water Temple at Thay Pagoda. Photo: Lai Tan/ The Hanoi Times

Quoc Oai District has semi-mountainous terrain - plains dotted with hills and mountains, which make up many beautiful natural landscapes of the locality.

Besides, the district has a long history and rich culture with distinctive features of the Doai land or the ancient land west of the capital Thang Long - now Hanoi.

Particularly, it boasts 220 historical, cultural, architectural and artistic relics, including two Special National Relics: Thay Pagoda in Sai Son Commune - associated with the name and life of Zen Master Tu Dao Hanh, and So Communal House in Cong Hoa Commune with unique architecture.

In addition, Quoc Oai has various elements of intangible cultural heritage, such as Tuong singing in Duong Coc Hamlet, Dong Quang Commune, Cheo singing in Dai Thanh Commune, Do singing in Liep Tuyet Commune, water puppet art in Sai Son Commune, and Gong culture in Phu Man and Dong Xuan communes.

Notably, Quoc Oai District is also home to Tuan Chau Ecopark, a weekend getaway for Hanoi residents, featuring dolphin and seal shows, rural markets, and especially the site-specific show "Quintessence of Tonkin". The show is lavishly staged with many amazing acts steeped in traditional folklore, performed in a modern style, leaving visitors with deep impressions of the Red River Delta culture.

The Thay Pagoda Festival in Quoc Oai District, Hanoi. Photo: Lai Tan/ The Hanoi Times

On top of that, Quoc Oai has great potential for agricultural and rural tourism tours, community-based tourism, green tourism, experiential tourism in Dong Xuan and Phu Man communes, among others. Not to mention the famous craft villages that can host experiential tourism, such as Ngoc Than Carpentry Village in Ngoc My Commune or So Vermicelli Village in Cong Hoa Commune.

Ideas for awakening Quoc Oai tourism

Despite having sufficient resources to develop various kinds of tourism, Quoc Oai District has not yet developed tours and routes, nor has it been able to include its historical relics in excursions.

At present, only the Special National Relic of Thay Pagoda and Tuan Chau Ecopark are the well-known destinations as the two sites welcome about 300,000 tourists per year.

According to tourism experts, despite the historical and cultural relics classified as "unique" in Hanoi, coupled with the modern Tuan Chau Ecopark, Quoc Oai only appeals to independent travelers while failing to appeal to groups.

Some local homestays operate spontaneously and do not have enough capacity to accommodate large groups. Giving suggestions for Quoc Oai to attract visitors, Phung Quang Thang, Chairman of Hanoi Travel Association, said it is necessary to have a systematic tourism investment and development plan to utilize the potential and strengths of the locality and design new tours.

A scene from the live performance entitled "The Quintessence of the Tonkin". Photo courtesy of Tuan Chau Ecopark

"Quoc Oai's strength lies in spiritual and cultural tourism. However, in order to attract visitors, apart from spiritual tourism, the locality should aim to develop green tourism, revitalize landscapes and pay attention to environmental protection," Thang said.

Director of Sun Smile Travel Vietnam Duong Thanh Hang and tourism enterprises agreed that the district's tourism sector is both lacking and incapable, unable to entice tourists to spend.

In need of social resources

"In order to increase visitor spending and create opportunities for locals to earn more income, Quoc Oai District should invest in improving service quality at tourist attractions," Hang said.

She suggested that the district seek finances from private investors if the amount of funding from the State budget is not enough.

"This is also a plan to encourage tourism businesses to participate in the district's tourism sector," she said.

Quoc Oai District must proactively innovate products, and invest in resources to renovate and restore relics to attract more tourists, said Vu Van Tuyen, CEO of Travelogy Vietnam.

Local authorities and businesses should design new tours and tourist routes, and run more advertisements on multiple communication channels like social media,he said.

Tourists listen to an introduction on the history and architecture of the So Communal House in Quoc Oai - a Special National Relic. Photo: Le Nam/The Hanoi Times

The district will implement a master plan on socio-economic growth, call for investments in tourist infrastructures, and design a model to manage and operate tourist attractions, said Hoang Nguyen Ung, Deputy Chairman of the Quoc Oai District People's Committee.

"Local authorities will restore and preserve traditional arts and craft villages, and create souvenir products for tourists," he said.

"Quoc Oai expects businesses, organizations and individuals to come and invest in infrastructures, new products and tours, combining agriculture and tourism, and developing local homestays to attract tourists," the deputy chairman added.

Through these activities, Quoc Oai District hopes to become the ideal destination chosen by many tourists and an outstanding model in Hanoi's sustainable tourism development, he said.

"We want to see the number of visitors to Quoc Oai increase to 1-1.5 million in 2025-2030, a strong lift from the current 300,000," the district's deputy chairman said.

Tran Trung Hieu, Deputy Director of the Hanoi Tourism Department, said that the government agency will assist Quoc Oai District to innovate and upgrade its products, thus improving the its appeals to visitors.

He added that the department will help Quoc Oai District promote local tourism products, and provide support in human resources training.

The tourism department will also support the district to study and develop new destinations, and connect to travel agencies to develop joint products to draw international tourists, Hieu said.