“Concerts”, “the World Cultural Heritage site of Yen Tu”, and “re-brand” and efforts in destination re-branding have emerged as “keywords” of Quang Ninh tourism. These trends reflect a clear shift from expanding scale to enhancing quality and visitor experience, while reaffirming tourism’s role as a major driver of the provincial economy in 2026 and the years ahead.
In the 2025 tourism overview, “concerts” have become one of the most prominent keyword, replacing the small-scale music stages in 2024. From outdoor stages to professionally produced performances, Quang Ninh’s culture and tourism sector has flexibly adapted to emerging trends and audience preferences, continuously refreshing tourism products to maintain appeal. In just the final three months of the year, the province hosted three large-scale concert events, drawing more than 110,000 spectators and generating strong ripple effects for destination.
Alongside the surge in events, “heritage” remains a foundational keyword for Quang Ninh tourism in 2025, particularly toward year-end. After nearly 13 years of preparation, advocacy and nomination, the Yen Tu – Vinh Nghiem – Con Son, Kiep Bac Complex of Monuments and Landscapes was officially inscribed by UNESCO as a World Cultural Heritage site on July 12, 2025. This recognition raised Vietnam’s total number of World Heritage sites to nine and made Quang Ninh a locality jointly owning two UNESCO-recognized sites, including Ha Long Bay as a World Natural Heritage Site.
Another keyword for Quang Ninh tourism in 2025 is “re-branding”. Localities such as Mong Cai 1, Luc Hon, Binh Lieu, Hai Lang and Dong Ngu have swiftly adapted following the nationwide implementation of the two-tier local government model on July 1, 2025. These areas continue to promote traditional festivals that have already established strong identities, including cross-river singing on the Bac Luan border river, the Golden Harvest Festival, the “So” Flower Festival, the expanded Quang Ninh Ethnic Minority Women’s Football Tournament, the Duc Ong Hoang Can Temple Festival, cultural and sporting festivals for ethnic communities... Notably, Yen Tu Ward has demonstrated particular dynamism by launching a series of off-season tourism stimulus activities, such as the “Autumn Zen Colors of Yen Tu” Festival, marathons, trail-running races and the Yen Tu Festival, contributing to positioning Yen Tu as a year-round destination.
As a key tourism hub in northern Vietnam, Quang Ninh welcomed more than 21.28 million tourist arrivals in 2025, including around 4.5 million international arrivals. Tourism revenue reached 57 trillion VND, significantly contributing to both national tourism growth and the provincial economy, and helping Quang Ninh achieve the highest GRDP growth rate nationwide at 11.89%. Looking ahead to 2026, with a target of 22 million tourist arrivals, Quang Ninh aims to develop into a modern, high-end, smart and culturally-rich international destination.
By Dao Linh
