Structuring Tourism Products Imbued with the Ancestral Land’s Identity

Beyond Hung Temple, Xoan singing, and ancestral belief festivals, Phu Tho also possesses peaceful villages, hot spring resorts, lakes, and attractive ecological landscapes. Upon a new development space, Phu Tho province is connecting cultural, natural, and human values—step-by-step forming signature tourism products aimed at becoming an appealing year-round destination.

New Experiences

In recent years, Phu Tho tourism has gradually shifted from visiting standalone destinations to developing diverse experience itineraries. Tourists returning to the Ancestral Land do not merely offer incense to commemorate the Hung Kings, but also enjoy additional options for accommodation, cultural learning, Xoan singing appreciation, craft village exploration, and experiencing local life.

Restoring the custom of Xoan singing alliance brotherhood between An Thai Xoan guild (Van Phu ward) and Thanh Dinh village (Hy Cuong commune).

At the Hung Temple Historical Relic Site, the tourism product “Sacred Ancestral Roots — Hung Temple by Night” offers a new approach to heritage spaces. Alongside this, experiencing Xoan singing at the ancient Hung Lo Communal House, learning about folklore, and savoring traditional cuisine contribute to enriching activities serving visitors.

The highlight lies not only in forming new products but also in bringing heritage closer to tourists. Xoan melodies become captivating when linked with origin stories, performance spaces, and traditional customs. Craft villages also generate appeal when tourists directly observe production processes, experience product creation, and interact with artisans. Through this, heritage is not only preserved but also becomes a resource for tourism development.

Phu Tho currently owns rich cultural resources with 2,778 historical and cultural relics, nearly 2,000 intangible cultural heritage items, and 5 UNESCO-inscribed heritages—including the Worship of Hung Kings in Phu Tho and Phu Tho Xoan Singing. This provides an important foundation for developing deep, culturally rooted tourism products that create a unique mark for the destination.

However, abundant resources only yield value when transformed into attractive products backed by quality services and connectivity capabilities. Driven by that requirement, the provincial tourism sector orientates the building of cultural-spiritual tourism routes connecting Hung Temple with Tay Thien, Tam Dao, Thanh Thuy, and ethnic cultural regions. Through this, each journey not only links destinations but also crafts seamless experiences across history, culture, and nature.

Mr. Dang Tuan Hung — Head of the Tourism Management Division, Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism — stated: “Phu Tho possesses advantages in infrastructure, landscapes, and cultural resources to develop high-quality tourism. Among these, cultural and spiritual tourism continues to serve as a signature product linked with historical and folk belief spatial connection routes, while concurrently expanding eco-tourism, resort, and community-based tourism.”

Shifting from individual destination exploitation orientations, Phu Tho is moving toward building mutually supportive, interconnected experience chains. Hung Temple continues to maintain its anchor role as the ancestral root, while opening journeys to discover nature, culture, and community life across the province.

Connecting Colors, Creating Four-Season Attraction

If heritage forms the foundation creating the Ancestral Land’s tourism brand, then natural landscapes and ethnic cultural identities serve as advantages for Phu Tho to expand experience spaces and attract tourists year-round.

Mai Chau attracts tourists with traditional stilt houses, green fields, and villages nestled amidst Northwest hills.

Destinations across the province possess conditions to form diverse itineraries—combining pilgrimages to Hung Temple with Thanh Thuy hot spring relaxation; exploring Tam Dao, Dai Lai, Xuan Son National Park, and Long Coc Tea Hill; and experiencing Muong and Thai cultures in Mai Chau, Kim Boi, and the Hoa Binh Lake region. Topographical, landscape, and cultural diversity create conditions to develop resort, healthcare, eco-tourism, and community experience products.

Local residents are increasingly affirming their role as primary actors in community tourism development. In Nhot hamlet (Mai Chau commune), Ms. Lo Thi Hieu utilized job creation loan capital to renovate stilt houses and develop homestay services, receiving 150–200 guest arrivals per month during peak seasons and creating jobs for local workers. The model demonstrates that identity-rich tourism products can begin right from stilt house architecture, local cuisine, and resident hospitality.

In Van Son commune, digital transformation contributes to promoting tourism potential. Party Committee Secretary of the commune Nguyen Duy Tu directly produced videos introducing Muong landscapes and culture on social media, attracting millions of views and contributing to destination promotion.

Beside this, incorporating local specialties, craft villages, and OCOP products such as Long Coc tea, Doan Hung pomelo, Thanh Son sour meat, Hung Lo rice noodles, and beeswax batik textiles into tourism itineraries helps increase local product value. Tourists not only purchase specialties but also have opportunities to learn about production processes and discover the cultural stories behind each product.

Chairman of the Provincial Tourism Association Nguyen Ngoc Lan observed that new development spaces create conditions for Phu Tho to shift from exploiting individual destinations to constructing linked tours with multi-faceted experiences. The Famtrip - Presstrip program “Phu Tho Tourism Connecting Heritage Realms — Multi-Color Experiences,” featuring participation from over 40 travel and media units, represents one of the activities driving connection, promotion, and service quality elevation.

Tam Dao Tourist Area organizes outdoor acoustic and ballad music nights, creating additional entertainment products to attract visitors.

Tourism development directions are concretized in the Phu Tho Provincial Tourism Development Scheme for the 2026–2030 Period, issued alongside Decision No. 2229/QD-UBND dated July 15, 2026. The province aims to transition from seasonal sightseeing tourism to year-round experience development, in which the government plays a constructive role, enterprises serve as the core force, and residents act as primary subjects. Digital technology continues to be applied via digital maps, 3D libraries, and 360-degree virtual reality—helping tourists access information and select destinations more conveniently.

Initial tourism development efforts have delivered positive results.

Despite lingering infrastructure and service synchronization challenges, Phu Tho’s proactive mindshift in resource exploitation—turning destinations, heritage, and villages into cohesive value chains—is laying a solid foundation for a sustainable, attractive four-season tourism brand.

Ngoc Tuan