Although it is a tourist distribution center of northern Vietnam, a transit point and a bridge for Southeast Asian tourism, Hanoi still develops its tourism products mainly based on natural factors, without proper investment. 

The capital city lacks unique, competitive tourism products as well as large-scale entertainment sites that are attractive enough to encourage tourists to stay longer and spend more. 

The West Lake Water Park and Bao Son Paradise are only two outdoor entertainment areas in the city, but their scale is small, with a lack of diversity in entertainment services. These works were built a long time ago, so they have degraded. Meanwhile, indoor entertainment centers are mainly located in commercial centers and they can only serve the needs of the people around the area. During weekends and holidays, Hanoi’s entertainment centers are all packed.

For a long time, Hanoi has invested very little in entertainment activities. The city seriously lacks amusement parks and entertainment areas.

Mr. Nguyen Cong Hoan, Flamingo Redtours General Director, said that Hanoi has been listed among the cheapest tourist destinations in the world for years. “I think that's sad, because it means that Vietnam does not attract a lot of money from tourists,” he said. 

The city has approved some world-class amusement parks such as Kim Quy Park and Hello Kitty Park, but they have not been implemented yet.

The capital city also needs to build and improve the quality of facilities for tourism like parking lots, toilets, rest stops, and service points at tourist attractions. Hanoi also does not have specialized parking lots for tourists, and no yacht harbor along the Red River.

Mr. Pham Ha, Chairman and CEO of Lux Group, said that Hanoi has a lot of potential, but the infrastructure is not good for tourism development. 

The city has a beautiful Red River and very large West Lake, which are valuable heritage sites. However, it does not have a marina nor an inland waterway, resulting in the underdevelopment of waterway tourism.

“Many tourists complain that it is sad to stay in Hanoi as it does not have many tourism activities. Let’s look at Singapore, a small island nation with few tourism resources but still a tourism hot spot with many activities, from cultural arts and exhibitions to activities on the water," Ha said.

Mai Lan