Tourism exploitation of Red river in Hanoi

The rivers in Hanoi are considered as reserves for tourism exploitation, including the Red River. However, the exploitation of tourism on the Red River is currently still limited, not commensurate with the value of the river...

The river and lake system of Hanoi is not only a natural source but also a cultural and historical flow on the land of a thousand years of civilization. In particular, the Red River flowing through the capital area has very special values.

The Red River flowing through Hanoi is about 160km long, of which 40km passes through the inner city, and is identified as the main landscape space axis, the space connecting the central urban area of Hanoi. Along both banks of the Red River, there are still many unique historical and cultural relics, along with festivals such as: Tan Vien Son Thanh, Thanh Giong, Duc Thanh Tran Hung Dao and Duc Thanh Chu Dong Tu... Also on the river flowing through Hanoi, there is Long Bien Bridge - a witness to history.

Along with that are traditional craft villages, ancient villages such as Duong Lam village - the first ancient village to be awarded the National Historical and Cultural Relic Certificate; Bat Trang village - a place to preserve traditional crafts, a tourist attraction drawing visitors; Nhat Tan peach village (Tay Ho); bamboo and rattan weaving village (Thuong Tin)...

Talking about the tourism potential of the Red River for the capital Hanoi, Mr. Pham Hai Quynh - Director of the Asian Tourism Development Institute, commented that the Red River tourism route is an attractive product not only for domestic tourists, but also for international visitors. If exploited properly, this product has a lot of room for development, especially for foreign tourists from Europe.

Although it is considered a mineral vein with abundant reserves built up over thousands of years of history, and was once expected to be an important direction for tourism in the capital, the exploitation of the Red River tour has only stopped at a small scale and has not been properly invested in. Travel agencies say that this tourist route mainly serves tourists traveling in groups, combining eco-tourism with spiritual tourism, with almost no individual tourists.

According to tourism experts, the main reason why the Red River tourism product has not yet fully exploited its potential is due to the lack of and weak infrastructure, and the exploitation units face many difficulties in terms of wharves and transportation leading to the wharf. The Red River area has two wharves, in Chuong Duong Do and in Bach Dang, but the access is very difficult.

Associate Professor Dr. Pham Hong Long - Head of the Department of Tourism Studies (University of Social Sciences and Humanities - Vietnam National University, Hanoi) said that the overlap in policies and regulations on licensing and management of inland waterway ports and waterway transports makes many investors afraid to operate and exploit river tourism products in Hanoi.

Promote investment and product innovation
It is known that currently, Thang Long - GTC Joint Stock Company is the unit licensed to operate Chuong Duong wharf, the Red River tourist route from Hanoi - Hung Yen. However, GTC Company has not yet fully exploited historical and cultural relics because the connecting traffic system, technical infrastructure, and river tourism services have not been invested to meet the requirements of welcoming guests.

According to Mr. Pham Hai Quynh, what can be done immediately is for GTC Company to cooperate with other units to invest in ship wharfs to create attractive check-in points for tourists. Build high-end night ship products. For the time being, the Red River tourism exploitation unit needs to complete the destination instead of the old way of sightseeing.

Chairman of the National Tourism Advisory Council also said that in order for Red River tourism to develop, the management agency needs to prepare infrastructure conditions for river tourism products. Specifically, building and licensing the operation of river tourism wharves; planning and investing in traffic connecting pick-up points from river to road according to schedule...

According to Associate Professor, Dr. Duong Van Sau - former Head of the Faculty of Tourism (Hanoi University of Culture): It is necessary to focus on researching and investing in developing the city on both sides of the Red River in a scientific and modern manner, closely linked to the preservation and protection of the natural ecological environment and the humanistic ecological environment. The construction of bridges across the Red River must be key traffic works, and each bridge must become a unique and distinctive work of architectural art. Plan the riverbank area, embank and dredge the river for safe and smooth waterway traffic.

It can be seen that the Red River tour has a lot of potential to become a typical and attractive tourism product of Hanoi. However, for this product to really flourish, besides the efforts of businesses, there needs to be determination from the authorities.

Locally based and experienced in travel industry, Aurora Travel Vietnam would be able to offer our clients lower prices compared to other operators in Vietnam.