In Quang Ninh's sustainable tourism development strategy, linking heritage areas not only expands experiential spaces, but also creates in-depth tourism products, enhancing the destination's value. From within the province to inter-regional links, the heritage connection journey is becoming the “golden key” for Quang Ninh to affirm its position on the international tourism map.
Possessing a rich heritage system, Quang Ninh has a rare advantage for developing in-depth tourism. Most prominent are the World Natural Heritage site of Ha Long Bay and recently Yen Tu, part of the Yen Tu - Vinh Nghiem - Con Son, Kiep Bac Complex, recognized as a World Cultural Heritage site, which has opened up a connected space between natural heritage and cultural-spiritual heritage. Soon after, in September 2025, the seminar “One Journey - Two Heritages” organized by the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism in coordination with Tung Lam Development JSC, with the participation of nearly 30 travel businesses, clearly recognized the potential of this connecting journey.
From a world natural wonder to the unique Truc Lam Buddhist cultural space, this combination creates a “unique” tourism product, meeting the growing demands of tourists, especially high-end visitors. Mr. Nguyen Duc Hanh, Managing Director of All Asia Vacation Travel Company, shared: We have brought many delegations of billionaires and millionaires to Vietnam, among which Quang Ninh has always been a favorite destination. Alongside Ha Long Bay, we are connecting with Yen Tu to bring guests for experiences. High-end visitors are very interested in authentic values and distinctive culture—something Yen Tu fully satisfies.
With Ha Long Bay as the connecting hub, the tourism sector has developed tour routes expanding island and sea linkages through the launch of tourist routes from Ao Tien High-class Port to Bai Tu Long Bay. Starting in 2024, Quang Ninh announced 10 sightseeing itineraries on Bai Tu Long Bay along with 3 routes connecting Ha Long Bay and Bai Tu Long Bay. This journey is a combination of nature tourism, spiritual culture, with eco-tourism, research, experiencing cultural and historical values, beach resorts... in the Van Don area.
From within the province, Quang Ninh continues to expand regional links with localities rich in potential. Notably, the tourism route connecting Ha Long Bay (Quang Ninh) - Lan Ha Bay (Hai Phong) with 2-day-1-night and 3-day-2-night sea voyages is creating stable, high-quality inter-regional products. Tourism spaces are expanded, experiences elevated, while increasing spending and length of stay of visitors.
To strengthen heritage linkages and lay the foundation for long-term cooperation, the Tourism Associations of the three localities: Quang Ninh, Hai Phong, and Bac Ninh held the conference “One Journey - Three Heritage Destinations” in mid-April. In particular, connecting Ha Long Bay - Cat Ba Archipelago - Yen Tu - Con Son, Kiep Bac will open up a distinctive inter-provincial heritage journey, combining nature, culture, and spirituality.
The three localities signed a memorandum of understanding on tourism development cooperation for the 2026-2028 period, focusing on enhancing the exchange of information and experience; organizing fam trips, travel fairs, and joint promotional campaigns; while creating attractive stimulus packages for tourists to experience multiple destinations in a single journey. This direction aligns with modern tourism trends, as travelers seek to explore diverse values within the same trip.
Linking heritages not only helps diversify products, but also contributes to preserving and promoting heritage values in a sustainable manner. Quang Ninh has proactively developed planning and conservation projects, while strengthening management to ensure a civilized and safe tourism environment. At the same time, it has expanded multilateral linkages within the region. A notable example is the cooperation program initiated in 2006 between Quang Ninh (Vietnam), Luang Prabang (Laos), and Udon Thani (Thailand) - three localities boasting prominent world heritage sites, forming an attractive “heritage triangle”.
From these well-planned steps, it is evident that Quang Ninh is undergoing a strong transformation from a “standalone destination” into a closely linked “heritage tourism ecosystem”. Far from merely capitalizing effectively on available resources, the province is also creating novel, experience-rich, and distinctive journeys. Thereby, it is gradually asserting its role as a “locomotive”, leading trends and elevating Vietnam's heritage tourism further on the world map.
