Tràng An is dubbed "Hạ Long Bay on land" with nearly 100 stunning caves. — VNA/VNS Photos

NINH BÌNH — Ninh Bình welcomed more than 19.4 million visitors for the first time in 2025, underscoring the northern province’s effective development strategy and reinforcing its ambition to elevate itself to an internationally recognised destination.

Diverse tourism products, experiences

Ninh Bình offers visitors a rich blend of spectacular natural landscapes, distinctive local crafts and cuisine, and deep cultural and historical values. Iconic destinations such as Tràng An and Tam Cốc – Bích Động captivate travellers with limestone karsts, pristine caves, and winding rivers that together form a unique natural landscape.

The province also holds strong advantages in cultural, historical, festival and spiritual tourism. It is home to more than 5,000 relics, including eight special national relics, 264 national relics, and 834 others of provincial importance. Ninh Bình boasts a UNESCO-recognised world cultural and natural heritage site – the Tràng An Landscape Complex, along with the practice of the worship of Mother Goddesses of the Three Realms, incribed in the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, and 39 national intangible cultural heritage elements spanning folk arts, rituals, traditional crafts and indigenous knowledge.

These cultural and historical assets are closely interwoven with Ninh Bình's natural scenery and the simple rhythms of local life, creating a distinctive tourism identity. Visitors frequently highlight the province’s scenery, heritage values, and the friendliness of local people, particularly those working in tourism services.

Building on these strengths, the provincial tourism sector has developed a range of signature events and products, including the Tràng An Music and Creativity Festival (Forestival), cultural industry forums, heritage-inspired fashion and arts programmes, craft village exhibitions, and the annual “Golden Tam Cốc – Tràng An” Tourism Week. Surveys, product development, digital tourism mapping, and domestic and international famtrips have also been stepped up to strengthen market connectivity.

A view of the Tràng An Landscape Complex.

In 2025, Ninh Bình welcomed about 19.42 million visitors, up 26.7 per cent year on year, including more than 2.2 million international arrivals. Tourism revenue was estimated at nearly VNĐ21.28 trillion (US$809.9 million), an increase of almost 37 per cent, making tourism a key driver of local socio-economic growth.

Advancing towards international markets

Ninh Bình's sustained efforts have earned high recognition from leading global tourism organisations. The province was named “Asia’s Leading Destination” by the World Travel Awards, while the Tràng An Landscape Complex won the “Best of the Best” title at the Travellers’ Choice Awards 2025, placing it among the world’s top 1 per cent of destinations. Tam Cốc – Bích Động and Bái Đính Pagoda were also listed among the top 10 per cent of the world’s most popular destinations. Meanwhile, the provincial tourism authority received the “Excellent Place Marketing Awards” at the Việt Nam Marketing Awards 2025.

In its future development strategy, Ninh Bình identifies tourism and cultural industries as spearhead economic sectors, aiming to develop them in a green, creative, and sustainable manner. Heritage values willl serve as the foundation, communities as the centre, and businesses and markets as the driving force, while harmony between conservation and development as well as between tradition and international integration be guaranteed.

Bùi Văn Mạnh, Director of the provincial Department of Tourism, noted that 2025 marked a breakthrough year, and 2026 will be the first year of implementing the provincial Party Congress's resolution, which positions tourism and cultural industries as key economic pillars. The province is preparing new support policies and prioritising products such as coastal resort tourism, community-based tourism, craft village tourism, and agricultural and rural experiences.

At the same time, efforts will focus on improving service quality, building a civilised tourism environment, expanding tour connectivity, upgrading human resources, strengthening digital platforms, and intensifying promotion in key international markets like Europe and Northeast Asia, said the official. — VNA/VNS