Ancestral Land – A Friendly Destination

Continuous buses bring tourists back to the Ancestral Land. Some seek heritage sites, others ascend mountains for relaxation, while many select high-country villages and reservoir lakes. In the first 9 months of 2026, Phu Tho welcomed 13.4 million visitor arrivals, including over 4.16 million overnight stays. Amid an increasingly growing tourist stream, the province is aiming to construct a safe, friendly, identity-rich, and attractive destination.

The road passing through Lac Village fields, Mai Ha Commune, opens up an experiential space close to nature.

Elevating Service Quality

During her early-year pilgrimage trip to Hung Temple, Ms. Nguyen Thi Mai, a tourist from Bac Ninh, clearly sensed changes. Vendor areas became orderly, item prices were publicly listed, and her family easily selected regional specialties as gifts. Moving within the relic site also proved more convenient after a system of 70 electric carts was put into operation in mid-January 2026.

According to Comrade Pham Tien Dat, Director of the Hung Temple Historical Relic Site, driving personnel received training regarding service attitudes along with safe and friendly passenger drop-off/pick-up skills. At densely populated spots, management staff regulate tourists between vehicles, minimizing waiting times. A seemingly small service directly influences the experiences of the elderly, children, or large delegations on their incense-offering journey.

In Lac Village, Mai Ha Commune, traditional stilt houses serve as both living spaces for Thai ethnic people and refurbished accommodations for tourists. Homestay No. 12 owned by Ms. Ha Thi Thin features 2 private rooms and 1 communal room. Ahead of each guest arrival, her family cleans the premises, launders bedding, and supplements pillows and mattresses; food for meals is prepared and cooked fresh within the day. During holidays and festivals, guests frequently book rooms one week to a full month in advance.

Currently, Mai Ha has nearly 90 households registered for community tourism business. In the first 9 months of 2026, the commune welcomed nearly 10,000 overnight arrivals, with international visitors accounting for over 30%. From stilt houses and home-cooked meals to brocade handicraft products, tourism practitioners directly introduce local life and culture to visitors. Service prices are publicly disclosed so guests can proactively choose. Feedback following each stay becomes an information source for households to adjust rooms, dining, and activity itineraries.

In Tam Dao, destination quality is reflected through landscape and urban order. In the 9-month period, this tourist area welcomed nearly 400,000 arrivals. On July 18, the commune launched a Peak Month to Embellish and Elevate Quality at Tam Dao National Tourist Area. Joint forces simultaneously conducted environmental sanitation, waste collection and sorting, street cleaning, greenery care, lodging establishment refurbishments, urban order restoration, and traffic safety enforcement. Enterprises signed commitments to raise customer service quality.

Public spaces at Tam Dao National Tourist Area are embellished, creating clean and beautiful stops for tourists.

Highland villages, spiritual relic sites, and urban resort destinations offer different tourism products. However, the common denominator lies in the thoroughness of every individual service, contributing to building the image of a friendly, reliable destination.

Retaining Tourists

Although visitor volume to Phu Tho has increased rapidly, overnight guests account for only about 31% of total arrivals — a “bottleneck” clearly identified in Resolution No. 29-NQ/TU on Phu Tho Province Tourism Development for the 2026–2030 Period. Major constraints include limited connecting infrastructure, uneven service quality across destinations, and scarce entertainment products. The core challenge has shifted from attracting visitors to creating reasons for them to extend their stay. The province positions its tourism brand under the motto “Quality Services – Distinctive Products – Sustainable Efficiency”, striving toward a safe, friendly, identity-rich, and attractive destination.

The recent National Day holiday (September 2) served as a benchmark test for service quality. Across the province, no cases of overcrowding, price gouging, solicitation, or safety risks were recorded. Lodging facilities and restaurants fundamentally listed and sold items at posted prices while guaranteeing food safety. The hotline of the Department of Culture, Sports, and Tourism was maintained to receive feedback, while localities coordinated to inspect and handle emerging issues.

Comrade Bui Xuan Truong, Deputy Director of the Department of Culture, Sports, and Tourism, stated that the sector is advising on developing the night-time economy in Viet Tri and Thanh Thuy, expanding pedestrian streets, night markets, and performance programs. 3D technology, virtual reality, and smart tourism systems will be applied to enrich experiences; workers will continue receiving training in foreign languages, communication skills, and service etiquette. These solutions aim to extend length of stay, expand experiential choices, and elevate service quality across destinations. By 2030, the province aims to welcome at least 20 million arrivals, including approximately 7.8 million overnight stays, with total revenues reaching 26,500 billion VND.

Tourism is a domain where the reputation of an entire land can be decided by a single experience. Building a friendly destination sets demands far beyond temporary cleanup campaigns or service overhauls. It requires shaping a shared service standard across the province so that wherever tourists go, they encounter a professional, trustworthy image of the Ancestral Land. Trust built across every journey will convert growing tourist streams into a long-term development resource for the locality and community.

Nguyen Yen