Coming to Sam Son beach town of Thanh Hoa Province this year, tourists can clearly feel the changes in the way the local government and residents organize and do business from tourism.

According to the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism under the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, during the five-day holidays, Thanh Hoa topped the country in serving tourists, with 1.52 million visitors, a growth of 27.2 percent year on year; and a revenue of VND3.805 trillion, up nearly 33 percent year on year.

Tourists at Sam Son beach during the Reunification Day and May Day holidays 2024

These data showed a spectacular change of the province’s tourism industry.

Thanks to the province’s synchronous investment strategy, the participation of reputable corporations and a series of large-scale projects, Thanh Hoa is standing a great opportunity to become a modern tourist destination that offers different types of tourism services.

The province also maximizes tourism promotion activities and boosts investment attraction, and links tourism development with other key tourism hubs nationwide.

Tourists enjoy the fireworks display of Sam Son Beach Festival 2024

Besides, the crowded holidays this year were partly attributed to the improved roads in the province. Because of the high airfare prices, visitors have tended to choose tourist destinations within a radius of less than 300 kilometers.

For example, instead of traveling to some destinations like Ho Chi Minh City, Phu Quoc, Da Nang, and Nha Trang, with the fact VND10 million per person was only enough for air tickets and travel expenses, they could go to Thanh Hoa with many beautiful beaches, plus a variety of tourism products. With the same spending, tourists can have many options for three to five-star services in Sam Son beach urban area or any other tourist areas in the province.

Furthermore, well-connected highways have shortened travel time, making it more convenient and safer for travelers. After the completion of the two North-South expressways going through Thanh Hoa, many tourist resorts in the province have become destinations at weekends for Hanoians, taking them just over 2.5 hours to drive. From this reality, it is necessary to speed up the progress of transportation infrastructure projects nationwide.

Tourists take a boat ride at Ben En National Park

In the face of new opportunities, Thanh Hoa sets a goal of welcoming 16 million visitors with the total estimated revenue of VND45.5 trillion, developing tourism to become a key economic sector by 2025, and among the nation’s top destinations for visitors.

This goal is entirely achievable as the transport infrastructure in Thanh Hoa Province has basically met the development requirements, synchronously and conveniently connecting with the local tourism infrastructure.

From being considered as a mere leisure and entertainment activity, tourism has now been identified as an economic sector with an important position in the province's socio-economic development strategy. Tourism development has changed the image, created more jobs, and improved the environment and the quality of life of the local residents.