At the beginning of summer 2026, Quang Ninh tourism continues to leave its mark with a series of attractive new products ranging from night tourism, light festivals, indigenous cultural exploration, to community tourism... Thereby gradually shaping a multi-layered, multi-experiential, and deeper tourism ecosystem.
Right during the April 30 - May 1 holiday, visitors to Quang Ninh could easily notice the vibrant atmosphere as beaches, island routes, and attractions were packed. At night, a series of attractive arts, entertainment, culinary, and light festival activities were organized. This demonstrates that the tourism industry is gradually solving the "major challenge" of extending tourists' length of stay and increasing their spending.
The most notable highlight this summer is the "explosion" of night tourism products along the heritage coast. Among them, VuiFest Ha Long Night Market has quickly become a “new hotspot” attracting large crowds of visitors. Extending about 1 km along the bay shoreline, from the Ha Long International Passenger Port area to the Lighthouse (Bai Chay Ward), the pedestrian street is organized as an integrated night experience complex combining shopping, dining, street arts, and modern performance technology.
Far from being merely a traditional night market, VuiFest is designed as an open festival space where visitors can both savor local specialties and immerse themselves in the street festival vibe, 3D mapping projections, or artistic performances.
Notably, the Ha Long Carnaval 2026 continues to affirm its role as the “flagship” in the province's strategy to revitalize tourism products. The program was upgraded with a blend of live performances, light technology, and interactive experiences. Most impressive was the light performance by 76 tourist cruise boats on Ha Long Bay, creating a radiant “river of light” in the heart of the heritage site. Model floats representing 54 communes, wards, and special zones, together with a dynamic staging system, transformed the carnival into a vibrant cultural space where community elements and local identity were brought into sharper focus. Approximately 80,000 visitors flocking to the event during the holiday underscored the tremendous appeal of this new festival format.
Another noteworthy shift is that Quang Ninh is “awakening” the depth of indigenous culture in its tourism products. In Ha Tu Ward, traditional cultural values are becoming the ingredients to shape distinctive tourism offerings. Visitors not only observe but also directly take part in traditional activities of the San Diu ethnic people or fishing village residents, such as: making "bac dau" cakes, singing call-and-response love songs (hat giao duyen), trading seafood, and more. Developing cultural tourism products in Ha Tu Ward has mobilized direct community participation. Local residents, artisans, and youth join together to organize, perform, and convey cultural values, offering visitors authentic experiences. Alongside this, the three-panel sailboat experience tour has also drawn keen interest from many tourists. This traditional boat is closely tied to the livelihoods of Quang Ninh fishermen, carrying a rustic, leisurely charm amidst the heritage seascape.
During the famtrip program surveying new tourism products organized by the Quang Ninh Tourism Association at the end of April, travel agencies highly appreciated the efforts of businesses and local authorities in elevating visitor experiences. Mr. Tran Xuan Hoang, Director of Wevision Commercial Services JSC, assessed: A remarkable aspect in summer 2026 is the clear shift in tourist consumer behavior. While low prices were often prioritized in the past, today visitors are willing to pay more in exchange for tailored, higher-quality experiences. Quang Ninh's recent tourism products are steering toward healing, close connection with nature, and rich indigenous character—keeping pace with modern trends—which will undoubtedly be embraced by travelers.
In parallel, the official opening of the connecting route between Ha Long Bay and Lan Ha Bay has opened up a broader inter-regional tourism space. This is not merely adding another sightseeing route, but it also reflects regional connectivity thinking in tourism development. When the experiential space expands, visitor retention capability also increases, while generating more opportunities for accommodation, culinary, and entertainment services to develop along the value chain. This summer has also witnessed a strong transformation in tourism development on island routes such as Co To and Van Don. Many localities are proactively creating distinctive products linked to community life and indigenous culture, especially the Flag-raising Ceremony at the Special National Relic Site - President Ho Chi Minh Memorial Area on Co To Island.
In the coming time, Quang Ninh will continue to enhance quality and diversify tourism products, focusing on marine and island tourism, luxury resort tourism, cultural and spiritual tourism, cruise tourism, and MICE tourism. At the same time, the province will develop new products such as sports tourism, night tourism, and experiential tourism to meet the diverse demands of tourists. Quang Ninh also encourages businesses to create new tourism products linked to the values of the World Heritage Site of Ha Long Bay, Yen Tu, and distinctive destinations across the province. Localities will continue implementing the “One Commune, One Tourism Product” program, helping to create signature products and enhancing the competitiveness of Quang Ninh tourism.
