Le Dac Thuat, deputy director of Bac Ninh province’s Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism, tells VIR why the province is on a mission to attract more tourists.

Could you please outline Bac Ninh province’s tourism development potential and advantages?

Bac Ninh has a favourable geographical location to develop tourism. The province belongs to the Red River Delta region, neighbouring with Hanoi and lying on the routes of transporting network which links Noi Bai International Airport and Huu Nghi international border gate (Lang Son province) with the region’s large tourism centres Hanoi, Haiphong, Quang Ninh through the national highways 18, 1 and 38 and the Hanoi-Lang Son rail route.

In addition, Bac Ninh province owns full of tourism potential.

Firstly, the province is plentiful of cultural and historical relics with about 1,254 sites. In general, Bac Ninh’s relics have outstanding cultural and historical values such as Dau Pagoda, one of the oldest pagodas in Vietnam, But Thap Pagoda with special artistic architecture, Dinh Bang communal house, one of the most beautiful communal houses in the north and Do Temple worshipping eight kings of the Ly dynasty. Furthermore, the provincial cultural and historical relics are often situated in groups so it is easy to plan, invest in and develop tourism programmes.

Secondly, Bac Ninh province has 547 festivals of all scales, including 49 prominent traditional festivals which take place everywhere across the province. The festivals carry special cultural and spiritual meanings of the Kinh Bac region and are essential for the cultural and spiritual life of the local residents. It is significant that these festivals are organised at cultural and historical relics in the province in the beginning of every Spring. The festivals are attached to Quan Ho folk songs and the manners and customs of the Kinh Bac people so they are very attractive to tourists.

Thirdly, the province accommodates 62 craft villages, comprising of 31 traditional craft villages which are placed in all localities in the province. Products made by the craft villages are diversified such as high-grade fine arts woodworks, beverage, fine arts ceramics, folk pictures, silk, carving and encrusting. These products are popular worldwide and exported to China, Holland, Belgium and others with large volumes every year. These craft villages are close to cultural and historical relics and main traffic routes so it is favourable for setting up cultural tours for these craft villages.

Lastly, Bac Ninh is home to 44 Quan Ho villages with more than 400 Quan Ho folk songs and 204 different melodies, which represent a unique feature in all community cultural and spiritual activities of the Bac Ninh people, especially in historical relics, traditional festivals, cultural and sports events.

Particularly, in 2009, Quan Ho folk songs and Ca Tru folk singing were recognised as world intangible cultural heritage by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, thus Bac Ninh’s tourism has got more development opportunities with the advantage of one destination with two heritages.

This will be a special comparative advantage for Quan Ho folk songs to be a key tourism product through Bac Ninh’s tourism development process.

How has Bac Ninh’s tourism sector developed?

Over the years, Bac Ninh’s tourism sector has gained positive advances.

The number of tourism businesses has now increased to roughly 200 with estimated revenues of VND116 billion ($5.8 million) in 2010 while the figures were some 10 businesses and approximately VND1 billion ($50,000), respectively, in 1998. The local tourism enterprises are providing regular jobs for more than 1,500 labourers with stable incomes.

Travellers to the province grow by 15.6 per cent annually on average to reach nearly 200,000 presently.

Technical infrastructure facilities of the provincial tourism sector has strengthened and modernised steadily. In addition, tourism promotion activities have become more diversified and plentiful both in forms and contents. In the past five years, Bac Ninh’s tourism sector has regularly opened training courses for employees in the sector and as a result the workforce has increased in terms of quantity and quality. The sector’s labour force increases to 1,500 people at present from more than 200 in 1997.

What are Bac Ninh province tourism sector’s future specific targets?

Bac Ninh aims for fast and sustainable tourism development, gradually making tourism an important sector in the local socio-economic development strategy. In the coming time, the province will further boost tourism promotion activities, focusing on investing in important tourism spots with high possibility of attracting travellers, building technical infrastructure facilities of the tourism sector, developing human resources, creating tourism products with diversity, high-quality, high competitiveness and imbued with the national character.

Specific targets of the provincial tourism sector in the time to come are as follows:

Firstly, completing the investment in infrastructure of the Quan Ho Co Me cultural tourism resort (Bac Ninh city), working out Den Dam cultural tourism area project and investing in infrastructure of this area, constructing entertainment areas, restaurants, hotels and shopping centres to serve tourists, planning and mapping out the project on developing infrastructure of the Phat Tich tourism resort, completing the overall and detailed plans of tourism resorts and sites, namely, Thien Thai, Nhu Nguyet, Ham Long, Phat Tich Pagoda, Tieu pagoda, Do temple, But Thap Pagoda, Vua Ba Temple, Lim Mountain, Hong An Pagoda, Dong Ho village, Diem Quan Ho folk song village, Dong Ky woodwork village, Phu Lang ceramics village and the tourism route of Bac Ninh-Tien Du-Tu Son-Yen Phong.

Secondly, upgrading historical relics across the province under a decision by the provincial people’s committee.

Thirdly, obtaining an annual growth of 17-20 per cent in tourism revenues to hit VND222.85 billion ($11.14 million) by 2015.

Fourthly, attracting 391,352 travellers and achieving a growth rate of 15-17 per cent in the number of tourists to the province by 2015.