In 2024, Vietnam proudly received one-third of all accolades presented by the World Travel Awards (WTA), earning recognition as a top heritage destination in both regional and global rankings.

The country also marked a strong rebound in tourism, welcoming 17.5 million international visitors, 110 million domestic travelers, and generating approximately USD 33.4 billion in tourism revenue.

This remarkable achievement is largely attributed to Vietnam’s vast and invaluable heritage resources, which have been preserved and passed down through generations.

The national tourism development strategy to 2030, approved by the Prime Minister, emphasizes leveraging heritage and cultural identity to create unique and competitive tourism products.

This approach not only builds a prominent brand for Vietnam on the global travel map but also transforms heritage values into tangible assets that stimulate socio-economic development.

Creative preservation and sustainable exploitation of heritage can generate distinctive tourism products that attract visitors and contribute to local economies. This feature explores strategies and solutions to transform heritage into national assets that drive sustainable tourism and socio-economic growth.

A catalyst for Vietnam's tourism breakthrough

In 2024, UNESCO inscribed “The embossed inscriptions on the nine bronze urns of the Hue Imperial Citadel” into the “Memory of the World for Asia and the Pacific” and added “The Via Ba Chua Xu Festival of Sam Mountain” to the “Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.”

Notably, Vietnam surpassed major heritage nations such as Egypt, Greece, Japan, and Saudi Arabia to be named the “World’s Leading Heritage Destination” for the fifth time by WTA. As WTA Chairman and Founder Graham Cooke remarked, Vietnam has become a “global tourism spotlight.”

In 2024, Vietnam’s tourism sector experienced a significant resurgence, with 17.5 million international arrivals (up 38.9% year-over-year), 110 million domestic travelers, and a 23.8% rise in tourism revenue. These achievements were supported by the growing international recognition of Vietnam’s cultural treasures.

Vietnam’s rich legacy includes over 41,000 documented relics and landscapes (as of 2020), with more than 4,000 classified as national relics and over 110 designated as special national relics. The country also boasts 164 national treasures.

UNESCO has recognized Vietnam with 8 World Heritage Sites (cultural, natural, and mixed), 16 intangible cultural heritages of humanity, and 10 documentary heritages (3 in the global Memory of the World program and 7 regional).

Additionally, Vietnam is home to 9 biosphere reserves, 3 global geoparks, 9 Ramsar wetlands, 10 ASEAN heritage parks, 5 members of the Global Learning Cities Network, 3 Creative Cities, and 3 of the world’s best tourism villages.

In 2024 alone, Vietnam received over 30% of the total WTA awards. It was named “Asia’s Leading Destination” for the sixth consecutive year, “Asia’s Leading Heritage Destination” for the second time, and “Asia’s Leading Nature Destination” for the third time in a row. Most notably, Vietnam was honored for the fifth time as the “World’s Leading Heritage Destination.”

Vietnam’s heritage is an inexhaustible "gold mine," a priceless asset that empowers cultural tourism and strengthens the country’s cultural industries. These unique resources are essential in shaping Vietnam’s tourism identity and competitiveness.

Cultural heritage: A distinctive advantage

Cultural heritage and tourism are intrinsically linked. While heritage enriches tourism experiences, tourism helps sustain and promote heritage values.

According to Nguyen Trung Khanh, Director General of the Vietnam National Authority of Tourism, “Cultural heritage is the foundation for tourism resources and products that attract visitors. Heritage tourism boosts arrivals, revenues, and job creation, creating broad economic ripple effects.”

Ha Long Bay, a UNESCO World Natural Heritage Site, has become a major driver of socio-economic growth for Quang Ninh province. Data from Dr. Vu Thuy Hien of the Hanoi Institute for Socio-Economic Development Research reveals that Ha Long welcomed 19 million visitors in 2024, generating nearly USD 1.85 billion in revenue and creating approximately 45,000 jobs.

Hue’s Complex of Monuments saw its visitor count grow from a modest few thousand before UNESCO inscription to 3.5 million in 2019. The Trang An Landscape Complex attracted over 6.3 million visitors five years after becoming Southeast Asia’s first mixed heritage site. In 2019 alone, the country’s 8 World Heritage Sites drew over 21 million visitors (including 10.6 million international tourists), earning more than USD 128 million in direct ticket and service fees.

Thanks to its six UNESCO-recognized World Heritages, Thua Thien-Hue province has successfully positioned itself as Vietnam’s “Festival City” since launching the Hue Festival in 2000. Since 2022, this event has transformed into a year-round cultural program celebrating Hue’s heritage.

The “Central Heritage Journey,” a creative tourism concept that connects Hue, Da Nang, and Quang Nam via one of the world’s most beautiful railways (as praised by Lonely Planet), has become a flagship product.

In late 2024, the “Connecting Central Heritage Train” earned top honors in the “Outstanding Experience Activities” category at Hue’s tourism awards. In just nine months, it served over 177,000 passengers, generating USD 1.08 million in revenue.

Properly managed, heritage can transform impoverished rural areas into sustainable, thriving destinations. For instance, Oxalis Adventure has turned Tan Hoa village in Quang Binh - once a flood-prone region - into a model for climate-resilient tourism, earning recognition as one of the world’s best tourism villages by the UN World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), attracting tens of thousands of visitors annually.

Adventure tourism in Quang Binh’s “kingdom of caves” has also helped eliminate illegal logging by converting locals into trained guides. Over 210 young residents now work in Oxalis tours, while hundreds more benefit from the geological heritage of Paradise Cave and beyond.

Heritage: A fragile treasure facing mounting pressures

Katherine Marine Muller, UNESCO’s Chief Representative in Vietnam, noted that “recognition is only the beginning; the greater challenge lies in preserving and promoting heritage.” Unfortunately, some sites suffer from overexploitation and short-sighted tourism practices that risk irreparably damaging their authenticity and value.

Overcrowding, haphazard concrete development, and unchecked hotel construction degrade landscapes and strain infrastructure. Inadequate waste management systems fail to keep pace with tourism growth. Some intangible heritages are distorted or trivialized for mass appeal, eroding their cultural essence.

Nguyen Anh Tuan, Director of the Institute for Tourism Development Research, warned that “commercializing or vulgarizing heritage for profit distorts cultural identity and undermines community pride. Over time, locals may reshape their traditions to suit tourist expectations, causing cultural dilution.”

Vietnam’s tourism sector must strike a balance: empowering communities to understand and value their cultural assets while developing sustainable strategies that preserve heritage for future generations.

Nhan Dan