The 4-day April 30-May 1 holiday has concluded with Quang Ninh's prominent impressions across many aspects. From booming tourism and a widespread festive atmosphere to traffic management, market oversight, and ensuring security and order… all operated effectively and synchronously. Not only recording a record-breaking number of visitors, Quang Ninh also clearly affirmed its image as a safe, friendly, and professional destination, creating momentum to accelerate into the summer 2026 tourism season.
Booming tourism, affirming top appeal
This year's holiday witnessed strong growth in Quang Ninh's tourism industry, with crowds of tourists flocking across the entire province. From tourist centers such as Ha Long, Uong Bi, and Mong Cai to island and coastal routes like Van Don, Co To, Quan Lan, and Minh Chau... a bustling atmosphere prevailed throughout the holiday.
Right from the first days of the holiday, streams of people from Hanoi, Hai Phong, Hung Yen, and many provinces and cities continuously poured into Quang Ninh. Beaches, amusement areas, tourist streets, and commercial centers were constantly crowded, especially during peak hours. During the 4-day holiday (from April 30 to May 3), the total number of tourists visiting Quang Ninh was estimated at 910,000, of which domestic visitors reached about 873,000 and international visitors reached about 37,000; staying visitors were estimated at 360,000. Total tourism revenue was estimated at 2,820 billion VND, a figure demonstrating the strong appeal of the Quang Ninh destination. On Ha Long Bay, sightseeing activities were bustling with thousands of boat departures. Beaches such as Bai Chay, Tuan Chau, and Hon Gai were always packed with tourists, creating a vibrant, lively tourism picture right in the early days of summer.
The most prominent highlight of the holiday was the Ha Long Carnaval 2026 program themed “Wonders Illuminating a New Era”. The event attracted about 80,000 direct participants and millions of television viewers. In particular, for the first time, nearly 100 tourist boats simultaneously lit up and paraded on the bay, combining lighting effects, music, and fireworks to create a unique “festival wave of light” amidst the heritage space. This was not only an eye-catching performance, but also opened up a new development direction for the province's night-time tourism products.
Ms. Bui Thuy Nga, a tourist from Hai Phong, shared: “My family continued to choose Quang Ninh for this year's holiday and was truly impressed by the distinct transformation of local tourism, especially the increasingly improved service quality. Hotels and resorts are well-invested, offering more choices for visitors. We were also gifted tickets to Ha Long Carnaval 2026 and were very impressed with the program at October 30 Square. From the art performance to the street dance, float parade, and light show over the bay, everything created a vibrant, grand, and captivating festive atmosphere.”
The festive atmosphere did not stop at Ha Long, but also spread widely across localities. A series of cultural, sports, and tourism events were held simultaneously, such as the Van Don Sea Tourism Festival, the Soong Co Festival in Binh Lieu, traditional festivals, and summer-welcoming art programs, contributing to enriching tourism products and enhancing visitor experiences.
Island and sea tourism routes continued to record impressive appeal. During the first 3 days of the holiday, Ao Tien high-class port welcomed more than 30,000 passenger trips to the islands. Many accommodation establishments in Co To, Quan Lan, and Minh Chau were fully booked early. Tourists increasingly favor close-to-nature experiences such as strolling along beaches, cycling, and exploring local culture—a sustainable tourism trend that is becoming ever clearer.
Mr. Nguyen Tuan Anh, a tourist from Hanoi, said: “Traveling to Co To is now quite convenient, tourism services are getting better, prices are reasonable, and it still retains a fresh, peaceful atmosphere. I especially enjoy the feeling of immersing myself in nature, swimming in the sea, cycling around the island, and learning about local cultural life. This is truly an ideal choice for those who want a gentle, intimate, and relaxing holiday...”.
In addition, new tourism products, such as the float parade at the carnaval, street festival spaces, and night tourism, continued to contribute to extending tourists' length of stay and increasing their spending. It can be seen that the combination of natural resources, diverse tourism products, and a series of large-scale events created a powerful “boost”, driving Quang Ninh tourism to boom during the holiday and further affirming its position as a leading destination in the northern region.
Synchronized management and administration, ensuring safety
Alongside the vibrancy of tourism, the success of the holiday was also clearly reflected in the effective management and administration across many areas, especially traffic, security and order, market management, and food safety.
During the 4-day holiday, despite a sharp surge in vehicles with over 250,000 transits through toll plazas, traffic throughout the province was still ensured to be smooth and safe. Expressways, national highways, and urban streets saw high vehicle density, but no prolonged congestion occurred. A few localized traffic bottlenecks were promptly resolved, without majorly affecting the journeys of residents and tourists.
Notably, no serious traffic accidents occurred province-wide; both the number of accidents and fatalities decreased compared to the same period in 2025. This result was achieved thanks to the proactive and synchronized implementation of plans early on, mobilizing 100% of functional forces, especially the Traffic Police, on duty 24/7 along key routes and areas. Patrol and inspection efforts were intensified, focusing on strictly handling violations that directly cause accidents.
On waterways, especially island tourism routes, transportation activities were strictly controlled. Prior to departure, vessels underwent thorough inspections regarding technical conditions, safety equipment, and passenger counts. During the holiday, thousands of boat trips served tens of thousands of passenger arrivals, ensuring absolute safety.
In parallel, market surveillance and food safety assurance were rigorously implemented. Functional forces stepped up inspections and control in crowded tourist areas, strictly handling violations such as trading goods of unknown origin, food safety breaches, failure to list prices, or selling at prices different from listed rates.
Mr. Nguyen Dinh Hung, Head of the Provincial Market Surveillance Department, stated: "The department has directed Market Surveillance teams across the province to closely monitor local areas, focusing inspections on crowded tourist spots and essential commodities serving residents and tourists. The consistent stance is to strictly deal with violations regarding food safety, speculation, hoarding, and unreasonable price hikes, thereby helping protect consumer rights and preserve the image of Quang Ninh as a safe and friendly destination."
Requiring 100% of service business establishments to publicly display prices and sell at listed prices contributed to curbing price gouging, creating a transparent and civilized tourism environment. The supply of goods remained abundant and prices stable, well meeting the shopping and dining demands of residents and visitors.
Along with the involvement of the authorities, businesses and service establishments have also heightened their sense of responsibility, proactively preparing facilities and human resources, and ensuring service quality. Many establishments focused on controlling food sources and enhancing customer experiences, contributing to building a professional tourism image. Environmental sanitation, search and rescue, and the maintenance of security and order at tourist sites and attractions were also carried out regularly and in a coordinated manner. Thanks to this, tourists were able to visit and relax with peace of mind throughout the holiday.
The 4-day holiday concluded with many positive and comprehensive results. Not only achieving impressive numbers in tourist arrivals and revenue, Quang Ninh also affirmed its capacity to organize and manage effectively under peak conditions. Visitor satisfaction, reflected in an increasingly evident trend of returning tourists, is a vital measure of the destination's quality.
With an increasingly complete infrastructure foundation, constantly renewed tourism products, and a methodical, professional approach, Quang Ninh continues to consolidate its position as the leading tourism hub in the North. The results achieved during the holiday are not merely a temporary milestone, but also an important "springboard" for the province's tourism industry to accelerate in the summer of 2026 and subsequent periods.
