The bronze monument of Saint Gióng is located on the peak of Sóc Mountain inside the Soc Temple complex in Sóc Sơn Commune, Hà Nội. — Photo vinwonders.com

HÀ NỘI — Home to the renowned Sóc Temple Complex, the UNESCO-recognised Gióng Festival, scenic natural landscapes, and traditional craft villages, Sóc Sơn Commune has significant potential to become a thriving tourism hub.

Experts and tourism delegates convened to discuss strategies for overcoming current local challenges. Prior to their discussion, the delegation visited Sóc Temple, the Vân Quân Rice Painting Workshop, and the Phạm Văn Thanh Bamboo Flower Workshop. These activities enabled businesses to directly assess resources, products, and service capabilities, thereby facilitating the proposal of tour itineraries tailored to market demand.

This initiative also aimed to strengthen ties between businesses and local sites while enhancing overall tourism service quality in Sóc Sơn.

Lê Xuân Dũng, Vice Chairman of the Sóc Sơn People's Committee, acknowledged that his commune possessed rich potential for tourism development, but potential resources alone didn't make marketable products, leaving the local tourism market weak.

Currently, Sóc Sơn is implementing several projects, including a conservation area project within the Sóc Sơn Cultural and Tourism Zone, a smart tourism and a heritage digitisation project with a budget of more than VNĐ18 billion (US$694,000). They are also setting up a multi-purpose entertainment complex and horse racing track.

Delegates visit the Vân Quân Rice Painting Workshop, a suggested tourism spot in Sóc Sơn. — Photos courtesy of organisers

The artistic programme titled 'Sóc Temple Night – The Heroic Spirit of Saint Gióng', with a budget VNĐ13 billion, was currently being developed with the aim of extending visitor stays and boosting spending.

The locality also planned to develop the 'Footsteps of Gióng’s Horse' journey, linking cultural, spiritual, and ecological experiences.

Addressing at event, Trần Trung Hiếu, deputy director of the Hà Nội Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism, said Sóc Sơn was designated as a northern tourism hub, focusing on the development of cultural, spiritual, eco-tourism, resort, and sports-recreation tourism.

The locality benefited from its proximity to Nội Bài International Airport and boasted the Sóc Temple, a Special National Relic site, along with a network of 96 historical relics and diverse natural landscapes.

"To effectively leverage its existing potential and advantages, Sóc Sơn needs to continue focusing on connecting destinations, diversifying and differentiating its products, improving service quality, and developing human resources," said Hiếu.

"At the same time, it must strengthen partnerships with travel agencies to expand its market and enhance the efficiency of tourism operations. A destination can only truly realise its value when its resource-based advantages are transformed into tangible, high-quality experiences that meet visitors' needs and ensure their satisfaction."

Trần Trung Hiếu, deputy director of the Hà Nội Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism, speaks at the conference to promote Sóc Sơn tourism.

Hiếu asked representatives of travel companies to contribute ideas for Sóc Sơn, prioritising feasible solutions that can be implemented following the conference, with a focus on enhancing service quality and building long-term partnerships with the business community.

Phùng Quang Thắng, permanent vice chairman of the Việt Nam Travel Affiliated Association of the Việt Nam Tourism Association said the rice painting was an impressive product that he had never seen anywhere in the country.

He advised that the commune and the workshop owner register intellectual property rights for Vân Quân rice paintings, thereby enhancing brand value and developing distinctive souvenirs.

Ông also suggested Sóc Sơn to develop its night tourism space linking Sóc Temple with surrounding area and open a route for night cycling tour discovering the Sóc Mountain.

According to him, it was necessary to enhance the quality of heritage interpretation and storytelling in Sóc Sơn's destinations to help visitors deeply experience the legend of Saint Gióng through the use of space, lighting, and experiential activities.

Bamboo flower making is expected to attract tourists when in Sóc Sơn.

Nguyễn Tiến Đạt, vice chairman of the Hà Nội Tourism Association, noted that after the two-day, one-night trip to Sóc Sơn for a 30-person family group, he realised the area holds immense, untapped potential.

He proposed developing a model that combines a café with musical performances in settings such as pine forests or lakeside areas, similar to the outdoor music experiences often seen in Đà Lạt.

This model could encourage visitors to come to Sóc Sơn to enjoy the arts and cuisine and then stay overnight.

He also said the segment for the elderly and retirees should be focused. Tours for through sightseeing, leisure, and experiential programmes were suitable for them during weekdays. 

Acknowledging the delegates' feedback, vice chairman Dũng stated that Sóc Sơn would focus on enhancing regional connectivity, promotion, and landscape quality while improving local environmental standards and services. He expressed confidence that with support from Hà Nội authorities and active cooperation from travel enterprises, the district's tourism sector will achieve sustainable growth in the near future. — VNS