QUANG NINH TOURISM - POWERFUL INVESTMENT WAITING FOR DEVELOPMENT
Quang Ninh really deserves to be called a tourist paradise. In recent years, Quang Ninh has become more and more attractive to domestic and international tourists thanks to powerful investment in facilities as well as high-class tourism services.
IF QUANG NINH IS A RED CARPET, HA LONG IS A SPLENDID STAR THAT STEALS THE SPOTLIGHT. BUT, NOT ONLY FAMOUS FOR ITS UNESCO HERITAGE, QUANG NINH REALLY DESERVES TO BE CALLED A TOURIST PARADISE. WITH COUNTLESS POLLUTION-FREE ADVANTAGES INCLUDING HIDDEN BAYS AND ISLANDS WAITING TO BE EXPLORED, MOUNTAINS AND PLAINS AND PLENTY OF HISTORICAL, SPIRITUAL AND CULTURAL RELICS, QUANG NINH IS A TOURISM STAR IN ITS OWN RIGHT. AND IN RECENT YEARS, QUANG NINH HAS BECOME EVEN MORE ATTRACTIVE TO DOMESTIC AND INTERNATIONAL TOURISTS THANKS TO SIGNIFICANT INVESTMENT IN FACILITIES AND HIGH CLASS TOUR SERVICES.
VAN DON INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT
Located in Doan Ket commune, Van Don district (Quang Ninh), Van Don International Airport was officially inaugurated in late 2018. This is the first private airport in Vietnam and has been designed and built in accordance with international standards.
As a 4E-class airport according to International Civil Aviation Organisation standards, Van Don Airport can accommodate the most modern aircraft in the world. It has a capacity of 2.5 million passengers per year in its first phase plan and is expected to receive 5 million passengers per year by 2030. Van Don is also the only airport in Vietnam to be listed among the top 5 airports with the highest points for quality services in the world in the first quarter of 2019, according to a survey by the Airport Performance Measurement Program (APMP).
In the near future, Van Don International Airport will open more domestic flights to key tourism markets and exploit international routes to potential Asian markets like Taiwan, Thailand, China, South Korea and Japan.
Since being opened, Van Don International Airport has affirmed its strategic position, connected with many famous destinations and contributed to attracting a large number of tourists to Quang Ninh. The airport is ideally located as it takes less than an hour to reach Quan Lan, Co
To, Bai Tu Long bay, Ha Long bay and Bai Dai. And, located on an area of 325 ha amidst the mountains and forests, and with a stylized dome floating like sails above the landscape, Van Don International Airport is not only is an important traffic intersection but also an impressive sight.
MODERN HIGHWAY SYSTEM
In recent years, investment in the highway and road system has helped to make Quang Ninh a golden land. Just since 2018, three major highways linking Hanoi - Hai Phong, Hai Phong - Ha Long, Ha Long - Van Don have been put into operation, easing traffic flow on the roads to Quang Ninh. The highways will also help shorten travel time from Hanoi to Ha
Long to 2 hours, from Hanoi to Van Don to 2.5 hours and from Hai Phong to Ha Long to nearly 1 hour.
With a total investment of about 11 trillion VND, the Van Don - Mong Cai Expressway Project has also been officially started to shorten the travel time between the two localities to nearly 1 hour. The project is expected to be put into operation in 2021.
This investment in transport infrastructure development has already boosted the socioeconomic development in general and directly affected tourism activities, contributing to uplift Quang Ninh tourism.
MORE HI-END RESORTS
In recent years Quang Ninh has attracted a powerful investment in tourism infrastructure facilities to expand tourism space, focus on developing hi-end tourism products and increase the attractiveness of tourist destinations with a series of projects from many strategic brand investors. The systems of 4 - 5 star hotels and resorts appear regularly and include big names such as Novotel, Wynham, Vinpearl, Hilton, and FLC. Other investments and developments have included large scales commercial and entertainment complexes such as Ha Long Ocean park, FLC Ha Long eco-resort with a golf course, hotel, resort and conference center, Sun World Ha Long park and Ha Long Marine
Plaza with the largest indoor entertainment area in Quang Ninh, the first artificial beach in Ha Long Bay and an international-standard cinema. These highclass resorts and entertainment complexes not only enhance the quality of tourism services in Quang Ninh, but also tempt visitors to extend their stay.
Even without the resort market, Quang Ninh has inherent strengths thanks to its cultural and spiritual heritage. The most noticeable attraction is the sacred mountain heritage site of Yen Tu, which is known as the majestic mountains, the ancestral land of Vietnamese Buddhism - Truc Lam Yen Tu. Yen Tu is filled with cultural and historical relics associated with the birth of the Tran Dynasty, a golden age in Vietnamese history. But visitors will also find many ancient pagodas such as Dong pagoda, Hoa Yen pagoda, Mot Mai pagoda, Giai Oan pagoda along with many sacred Buddha relics that attract numerous pilgrims. This area currently features the Truc Lam - Yen Tu Cultural Center project, with the highlight of the Mgallery Legacy Yen Tu resort built in the Tran architectural style, hidden in the mountain ranges. Every detail such as laterite walls, lotus-carved stone sinks and copper bath tubs, reflect the national essence. The project introduces many characteristics of Vietnamese culture and history to travelers, pilgrims and those who are learning about zen and meditation.
Another highlight of the comprehensive investment in the luxury tourism segment is the recent appearance of international-standard golf courses. The first golf course to be to begin operation is the Mong Cai
CRUISE ON HA LONG BAY
Choosing a cruise to enjoy the spectacular beauty of the natural heritage and spending the night on Ha Long Bay has been a familiar experience for many years but the attraction of this service is getting even greater. First, the visitors get to experience the wides range of exciting activities : kayaking on the turquoise seawaters, gazing at the limestone mountains, exploring the magical beauty of the natural cave system, relaxing on the beaches of pristine rocky islands, visiting fishing villages on the bay and squid fishing at night. But the attraction of a cruise also comes from the sophisticated, meticulous and increasingly luxurious investment of the ships themeselves.
Along with the increasing need to experience a night on the bay, there has been a boom in cruise services. Cruise ships operating on the bay have modern, stylish design; spacious, fully furnished and luxurious guest cabins and newly developed interesting, itineraries. Many international standard 5-star cruise lines have been launched such as Paradise Cruise, Calypso, Star Light, Aphrodite Cruise, and more.
Among these cruse lines, Paradise Cruise is a brand that has always inspired travelers by constantly introducing pioneering services, bringing a new definition of luxury tourism to Ha Long Bay. After the success of the Paradise Luxury wooden cruise ships, in 2018 5-star Paradise Elegance launched its line with a steel structure and modern design combining pure Vietnamese style in a masterpiece of high a high end cruise ship. In 2019, Paradise Cruise is set to launch a ship to explore the bay in half day or one day. In addition, this year, Paradise Cruise will introduce visitors to the beauty of Lan Ha Bay through a new project - Paradise Grand. The first dining cruise on Ha Long Bay, Paradise Delight, will also be launched later this year providing guests with a new and unforgettable culinary journey. These new projects of Paradise promise to open a new beginning for cruise service on the bay.
THE ATTRACTION OF A CRUISE COMES FROM THE SOPHISTICATED, METICULOUS AND INCREASINGLY LUXURIOUS INVESTMENT OF THE SHIPS.
The passenger port system has developed alongside the cruise industry. Tuan Chau International Passenger Port System includes Port 1 integrated with Port 2 in a total area of 200 ha with a total length of berths of more than 10 km. Port 1, built with a modern European style, has been in operation since 2009.
The berth length is 2,000 m with the capacity to receive more than 200 large and small ships. The central area of the port is a station, a waiting room and a luxurious operating area of more than 8,000 m2 that can receive about 3,000 passengers. In addition, Tuan
Chau International Port (port
2) is 11 times larger than port 1 with a total investment of up to thousands of billion VND, which is capable of receiving about 2,000 ships. Each year, the passenger port receives more than 3 million domestic and international visitors and is certified by the Vietnam Record Organization as the largest artificial cruise port in Vietnam.
After opening the international tourist pier at the end of 2018, this year, Ha Long International Port has opened the domestic wharf in Ha Long international passenger port located in the center of Bai Chay resort. The new wharf provides a new gateway to take tourists to visit Ha Long Bay more conveniently and safely. The project is designed with 4 modern berths, accommodating up to 300 cruise ships that will visit and stay in Ha Long bay, Bai Tu Long bay and Gia Luan (Cat Ba) wharf.
The wharf will serve cruise ships, sightseeing ships, overnight ships and high-speed ships. This not only creates favorable conditions for Vietnamese travelers visiting the heritage bay from the tourist pier, but foreign travelers from luxury cruises will also be able to change easily to domestic ships to explore Ha Long bay as soon as possible from a cruise docked at an international port.
FLY SEAPLANE IN HA LONG BAY
If tourists are still not satisfied with the cruise, a flight around the bay will please them for sure. Currently, the experience of watching Ha Long Bay from a seaplane is exclusively provided by Hai Au Airlines.
Each flight can carry up to 12 passengers with windows designed to ensure great visibility for everyone. It is a luxury service and more expensive than some other tourist services in Quang Ninh, but flying seaplane not only helps tourists save travel time but also is the perfect way to enjoy all the beauty of this UNESCO natural wonder. Starting from Tuan Chau port with a takeoff and landing on the water, this 25-minute flight will offer a completely different view: the magnificent sea view with nearly 2,000 limestone islands rising from the turquoise waters, spreading over an area of nearly 2,000 km2. From this perspective, visitors will clearly see the shape of numerous mountains on the bay similar to a dragon descending to the sea.
New York Times Magazine (USA) once voted the experience of watching the bay from a seaplane as one of the most attractive travel experiences on the planet.