Central Ha Tinh province looks to tap sea tourism potential

It is located in the northern part of central Vietnam, about 340 km (211 miles) south of Hanoi, facing Nghe An province to the north, Quang Binh province to the south, Laos to the west, and the East Sea to the east.

Concerning transport, Ha Tinh has about 130 km (82 miles) of National Road 1A stretching from Ben Thuy Bridge (Vinh City) to Deo Ngang Pass which links Ha Tinh and Quang Binh. The province also has Road 8 that runs from Hong Linh town to Laos and the Vietnam – Laos highway spanning from Vung Ang harbour (Ky Anh district) to Laos.

Ha Tinh was once a bustling trading area with five sea ports – Hoi Thong, Cua Sot, Nhuong Ban, Hai Khau and Xich Lo – dating back to the Ly and Tran dynasties.

Thien Cam beach in Ha Tinh Province. Photo: vietnamtourism.org.vn 

It is endowed with beautiful beaches, such as Xuan Thanh, Chan Tien, Thach Hai, Thien Cam, Ky Ninh, Mui Dao, where the water is calm and clear. Thien Cam beach is the most popular and many tourists named it as the best beach in the north. Thien Cam is also listed among the 46 areas to be developed as national tourist destinations by 2020.

Ha Tinh also holds potential to develop tours of historical, cultural and spiritual interests.

There are 73 national-level and 322 provincial-level relic sites in Ha Tinh, of which 30 percent are located across local coastal communes. The central province is home to myriad coastal intangible heritages, such as Sac Bua and Cheo Can singings, Chieu Trung temple and Chan Tien pagoda festivals.

To tap into these potentials, local authorities have been investing significantly in the development of transport infrastructure to connect tourist destinations to the province’s central areas and neighbouring localities as well as to Laos and northeastern Thailand.

These projects include road systems linking Cam Xuyen district to Thien Cam, Nghi Xuan district to Xuan Thanh and Ha Tinh city to Loc Ha. Notably, the construction of a coastal road spanning across Xuan Hoi, Thach Khe and Vung Ang is underway. 

The local tourism sector has secured cooperation deals with Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City and other provinces to expand its tourism network domestically. Meanwhile, sea routes have been established between Ha Tinh and the Thai provinces of Sakon Nakhon and Nakhon Phanom as well as the Lao provinces of Khammouane, Bolikhamsai and Vientiane.

In terms of tourism accommodation, Ha Tinh has a network of 193 facilities with nearly 5,000 rooms.

Despite recent progress, overall tourism development in Ha Tinh still falls short of potential. The local tourism remains seasonal with services not yet standardised.

Being aware of the importance of the sea-based economy, Ha Tinh is making all-out efforts to upgrade the Thien Cam tourism site into a national tourist destination, expanding urban space for the development of sea economic zones, and building tourism infrastructure. Ky Anh sea tourism site is also given a facelift to meet increasing demand from the Vung Ang economic zone.

A series of new, quality, and sustainable tourism products are being developed. They include tours to fishing villages and tours combining ecotourism and spiritual tourism.

Ha Tinh aims to boost its traditional tourist markets in Hanoi and other northern provinces, while attracting more visitors from Ho Chi Minh City, and the central cities of Hue and Da Nang. ASEAN member states and China are also considered a great source of holidaymakers.

Source: VNA