Minister addresses ‘lacklustre, dull’ night time tourism in Việt Nam to better attract visitors

The opening night ceremony for the 2nd HCM City’s River Festival in June 2024, held on Sài Gòn River. — VNA/VNS Photo Thu Hương

HÀ NỘI — The Minister of Culture, Sports, and Tourism Nguyễn Văn Hùng on Wednesday faced queries from National Assembly deputies over the issues of any night time tourism model, human resources and cultural industries.

Deputy Phạm Văn Hòa, representing the southern province of Đồng Tháp, asked the minister for measures to diversify tourism to attract visitors, as it stands, the after hours tourism products in Việt Nam remain ‘lacklustre and dull.’

Hòa said the products on offer are mostly restricted to pedestrian streets, food streets and cultural/entertainment performances and these activities are inconsistent, sometimes available and sometimes not and mostly only occurring on the weekends.

Minister Hùng responded that the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism had promulgated a project on night time tourism products that encourages localities to study and evaluate the tourist market to develop suitable products.

“There are many localities where if they don’t implement night time tourism products, it is considered lacking, but if they do it, it is superfluous and no tourists are coming. However, the main responsibility lies with the chairmen of the provincial people’s committees and the provincial people’s councils, not the ministry,” he stressed.

Minister Hùng maintained that the ministry cannot make tourism products for localities.

He provided an example where the ministry suggested that HCM City leverage its water resources and the main product line can be based on the connections between the Sài Gòn River with the commercial port. Based on this suggestion, HCM City has researched and developed Nguyễn Huệ Pedestrian Street, which is linked with other tourism products along the river to attract visitors.

“I believe each locality needs to have their own creative approach, in line with the spirit of Directive 08 of the Government and Resolution 82, which emphasises that each locality should develop a unique, professional and distinctive tourism product that is highly competitive, this forces local administrations to think. We already have the project, the framework and suggestions on how to do it, but we cannot make the products on behalf of the localities,” Minister Hùng said.

On the relationship between culture and tourism, Minister Hùng said development of tourism will help support development of culture and a developed culture will help elevate tourism.

“In the tourism development strategy and the cultural development strategy, there is an emphasis on the need for tourism products to carry a strong cultural imprint,” Minister Hùng said, adding that many localities have been doing well in using and promoting local cultural values, thereby attracting tourists.

Cultural industries

Answering a question from a deputy about cultural industry development, Minister Hùng said that the industry is an issue about which the Party is deeply concerned and has been included in various documents and specialised resolutions.

To implement these resolutions, the Government has issued Decision No. 1755/QĐ-TTg by the Prime Minister, approving the strategy for the development of Việt Nam’s cultural industries until 2020, with a vision to 2030.

In the process of implementing this strategy and firming the Party’s resolutions, he responded that there have been assessments into and identified 12 types of cultural industries, including architecture, software and games, handicrafts, cinema, fashion, photography and exhibitions, television and radio and cultural tourism.

“With these 12 sectors, according to management hierarchy, the ministry only manages five sectors, while other ministries and agencies handle the rest. When reviewing the overall situation, we can see that the contribution of the cultural industry to the economy accounts for a relatively high proportion,” according to the tourism chief.

To continue implementing the Cultural Industry Development Strategy in the current context, the ministry has proactively advised the Party, the State and the Prime Minister.

Minister of Culture, Sports, and Tourism Nguyễn Văn Hùng at the National Assembly hearing on Wednesday. — VNA/VNS Photo Doãn Tấn

In terms of the legal framework, the ministry will continue to report to the National Assembly to improve relevant policies and laws, stressing the roles of the State, businesses and creators. The focus will be on both broad implementation and targeted application in key potential markets.

The National Assembly and the Politburo have passed resolutions allowing Hà Nội and HCM City, the two biggest cultural centres in the country, to implement their own strategies and projects for the cultural industry.

The contribution of the cultural industry has been positive, having a widespread impact, promoting soft power, and fostering sustainable development, Hùng said.

Human resources

Deputy Lã Thanh Tân, from Hải Phòng City, noted that tourism is one of the professions recognised under the ASEAN Mutual Recognition Arrangement for Tourism Professionals (MRA-TP) and inquired the tourism chief on the solutions for training tourism human resources in Việt Nam to meet the requirements.

“We have issued many warnings. If the tourism workforce does not improve, foreign labour will take over,” Minister Hùng said in response.

He cited statistics showing that 70 per cent of the workforce in tourism is in the accommodation sector, 20 per cent in travel agencies and 10 per cent in other fields. The ministry has always encouraged tourism establishments to focus on improving this workforce quality to meet the requirements, because, in the context of robust international integration, mutual recognition of qualifications is implemented, technical barriers cannot be used to limit incoming foreign workers.

“Currently, there is no influx of foreign tourism labour, but foreign workers are managing at senior levels in some accommodation facilities. Therefore, businesses need to focus on developing a high-quality workforce capable of competing,” he said. — VNS