Connecting Destinations, Lengthening Visitor Itineraries

Phu Tho’s tourism space after the merger expands broadly from Hung Temple, Tay Thien, and Tam Dao to Long Coc, Thanh Thuy, Xuan Son, Hoa Binh Lake, and Mai Chau... Every region bears its own distinct nuances, but the greater advantage lies in the capacity to connect these diverse resources into multi-day itineraries. From survey and promotion programs to cross-route tours launched by businesses, a clear direction is emerging: not letting tourists visit just one location and depart, but providing additional reasons for them to continue traveling, stay longer, and increase their spending.

Expanding Itineraries from New Spaces

Since the beginning of the year, Phu Tho has welcomed over 11 million visitors, with total tourism revenue exceeding 11 trillion VND. However, the proportion of overnight staying guests remains significantly lower than daytime excursionists. This gap demonstrates that Phu Tho retains substantial room to extend length of stay, thereby elevating spending levels and the economic value each tourist brings to the local tourism sector.

Tourists visit the Hoa Binh Hydropower Plant and take commemorative photos at the President Ho Chi Minh Monument.

Mr. Bui Xuan Truong, Deputy Director of the Department of Culture, Sports, and Tourism, noted that following the merger, Phu Tho gains added conditions to resolve this equation. Whereas tourism regions across former Phu Tho, Vinh Phuc, and Hoa Binh previously developed within relatively independent spatial boundaries, they now lie within a unified administrative border. The new tourism space converges diverse forms—from cultural, spiritual, ecological, and resort tourism to community, agricultural, and healthcare tourism.

Hung Temple carries ancestral origin values; Hung Lo is tied to heritage space; Tay Thien and Tam Dao hold strengths in spiritual, ecological, and resort tourism; Long Coc and Xuan Son represent spaces of tea hills, forests, and natural experiences; Thanh Thuy and Kim Boi offer hot mineral springs; Hoa Binh Lake opens up lake-reservoir tourism products; while Mai Chau and Hang Kia – Pa Co entice visitors with landscapes and community culture.

“Rather than competing through individual isolated destinations, the new spatial layout allows Phu Tho to forge a larger product—a multi-experience journey,” stated Mr. Nguyen Ngoc Lan, Chairman of the Provincial Tourism Association.

This orientation is also formalized in the Scheme for Tourism Development in Phu Tho Province for the 2026–2030 Period, approved by the Provincial People’s Committee under Decision No. 2229/QD-UBND dated July 15, 2026. By 2030, the province strives to welcome at least 20 million visitors, including approximately 7.8 million staying guests; achieve tourism revenue of 26.5 trillion VND; possess over 22,000 accommodation rooms; and generate employment for a minimum of 30,000 direct and indirect workers.

In practice, promotional activities are gradually shifting toward this direction. The Famtrip – Presstrip program titled “Phu Tho Tourism Connecting Heritage Lands – Multi-Faceted Experiences” brought over 40 travel and media agencies to directly survey local destinations. Phu Tho also hosted an international Famtrip delegation comprising 88 travel enterprises from 8 countries and territories to survey destinations and tourism services.

Bringing enterprises directly to survey holds greater significance than conventional promotional events. Tour operators can evaluate which locations pair well on a route, transit durations, lodging facilities, dining services, and experiential activities before constructing commercial programs for customers. From a “resource map,” Phu Tho is step-by-step shaping a “product map.”

Transforming Linkages into Commercial Products

Several cross-route products have already emerged on the market. Chan Troi Moi Travel constructed the 2-day, 1-night Hung Temple – Thanh Thuy Hot Mineral Spring tour, linking ancestral origin visits with wellness resorts. Du Lich Xanh introduced the 2-day, 1-night Hanoi – Hung Temple – Tam Dao tour, where guests tour Hung Temple and the Hung Vuong Museum before heading to Tam Dao for overnight lodging and next-day exploration.

The noteworthy aspect lies not merely in pairing two geographical names into a single itinerary, but in their capacity to complement experiential offerings. Hung Temple generates motivation for the trip through cultural and spiritual values; Thanh Thuy adds hot mineral relaxation; and Tam Dao provides climate, scenery, and service infrastructure. Destinations must not only bring guests in, but create reasons for them to stay.

The western spatial zone also opens similar itineraries. The Mai Chau – Hang Kia – Pa Co routes guide tourists from Mai Chau valley to higher elevations, combining cycling through villages, exploring weaving crafts, stilt house architecture, and local cuisine with natural landscape and ethnic Mong, Thai, and Muong cultural experiences.

This illustrates how scale advantages after the merger can convert into market advantages. However, connecting destinations does not automatically mean forming a complete tourism product. A cross-route itinerary demands participation from travel enterprises, transport units, destinations, lodging facilities, restaurants, OCOP facilities, and craft villages. A flaw in just one link can impact the appeal and commercial viability of the entire itinerary.

Tourists listen to a presentation at the Muong Cultural Space Museum (Thong Nhat ward, Phu Tho province).

According to Provincial Tourism Association Chairman Nguyen Ngoc Lan, linkage potential currently exceeds the volume of products actually sold on the market. Some locations feature beautiful landscapes but few experiential activities; night products, shopping, and entertainment remain under-developed; and service quality across points is uneven. If tourists visit a site merely to sightsee, take photos, and reboard their bus, dwell time and economic value remain limited. Conversely, when an itinerary extends by one additional night, the spending chain lengthens accordingly: lodging, dinner, entertainment, shopping...

Mr. Le Manh Tuong, Director of Tuong Anh Travel Company, observed that connecting destinations does not stop at tracing a line on a map. Each route must be calculated as a complete product, featuring reasonable transit times, distinct experiential elements, relatively uniform service quality, and pricing tailored to target market segments. Alongside this, authorities and businesses must develop night products, shopping spaces, culinary offerings, and community culture to ensure the time following sightseeing does not become a “blank gap” in the journey.

Phu Tho now possesses a vast and diverse “resource map.” The next necessary step is converting that map into sellable itineraries backed by operating enterprises and supporting service systems.

Retaining tourists does not necessarily mean holding them at a single point for a long time. More importantly, upon departing Hung Temple, tourists feel inspired to continue to Thanh Thuy; from Tay Thien, they want to ascend Tam Dao; and from Hoa Binh Lake, they desire to travel on to Mai Chau and Hang Kia – Pa Co... When each destination becomes the reason to discover another, visitor itineraries lengthen, and the economic value of tourism stays behind with local enterprises, communities, and the province.

Ngoc Tuan