Phu Tho Tourism: Strong Momentum from a New Development Space

As the final months of 2025 approach, with the atmosphere of traditional festivals blending with the colors of Christmas and the year-end tourist season, Phu Tho’s culture and tourism sector is witnessing positive and more pronounced developments than ever before. Following the merger, the cultural and tourism space has expanded, products have become more diverse, and the number of visitors has increased significantly, creating an important foundation for the province’s “smoke-free industry” to accelerate in the new phase.

In this first year post-merger, Phu Tho enters the year-end festival season with a new mindset, new spaces, and high expectations. According to industry reports, visitor arrivals in the last three months of 2025 have increased significantly compared to the same period in previous years. Tourists are not only visiting well-known historical sites and eco-tourism spots but are also experiencing new festival spaces and newly connected travel routes. Notably, there is a rapid trend toward family groups, young travelers, and short weekend or Christmas excursions, contributing to longer stays and higher tourism spending.

The visitor demographic is also becoming more diverse, with an increasing presence of intra-provincial tourists, inter-regional travelers, and visitors from major northern urban centers. This is a positive signal, confirming Phu Tho’s growing appeal on the tourism map.

Phu Tho tourism is making a spectacular breakthrough. In 2025, the province is expected to welcome 14.5 million visitors, with revenue reaching approximately 15,000 billion VND. The province currently offers over 1,500 lodging facilities with more than 20,000 rooms, including many 4-5 star hotels ready to serve domestic and international guests.

A highlight of the 2025 year-end season is the emergence of new tourism products formed through the expanded development space. Linking cultural, ecological, resort, and community-based tourism regions has allowed the industry to build in-depth, experiential product chains.

San Diu ethnic people in Dao Tru commune dress in traditional costumes during a year-end festival.

For many locals, destinations once considered distant or in other provinces—such as Tam Dao, Mai Chau, or the Long Coc tea hills—have now become “in-province” destinations. This has fostered a sense of proximity, stimulating the demand for local exploration and creating positive shifts from within.

The rich cultural heritage, diverse natural landscapes, and profound history of Phu Tho, the ancestral land, form a crucial foundation for developing unique tourism types. When placed within a broader development context, these cultural values ​​are not only preserved but also thrive in contemporary life, becoming a resource for socio-economic development.

Furthermore, the increasing demand for experiential tourism, cultural tourism, short-term leisure tourism, and festival tourism opens up opportunities for Phu Tho to assert its position as an attractive destination within the tourism chain of the northern midland and mountainous regions.

The “Keo Song” (Tug-of-war) festival in Binh Nguyen commune during the early spring always attracts large crowds.

In particular, the province is finalizing the Project for Cultural and Human Development for the period 2025-2030, with a vision to 2045, aiming to effectively exploit the cultural potential of the ancestral land, creating a foundation to become the cultural center of the whole country. Notably, the province has set a target of increasing investment in culture to at least 2% of the total annual budget expenditure - a strong determination demonstrating its commitment to culture as a pillar of development.

The unique “Trâu rơm Bò rạ” (Straw Buffalo and Cows) Festival in Vinh Hung commune.

To ensure sustainable development, Phu Tho must continue to enhance service quality and management, ensuring tourism growth goes hand-in-hand with preserving cultural identity while avoiding the commercialization of festivals. At the same time, promoting regional links, training human resources, and applying digital technology in promotion will be essential to building the image of Phu Tho in this new stage of development.

Quang Nam