LongForm

QUANG TRI TURNS THE PAGE, STAKES CLAIM AS CENTRAL VIETNAM'S NEXT BIG DRAW

VNA • 01/06/2026 16:05

Quang Tri is sitting on a gold mine of history, culture, and wild nature, and it’s finally cashing in. The province is rolling out a slew of long-term acts to turn its good looks and deep past into a professional, cash-spinning tourism machine.

Unlocking potential from nature to history

Less than a year after shaking up its development space, Quang Tri’s tourism scene is taking off as central Vietnam’s go-to spot for travellers, using a blend of distinctive natural resources and a dense network of historical and cultural heritage to open multiple sustainable growth paths.

Quang Tri has sustained strong momentum in recent years. In 2025, 9.6 million visitors flooded in, dropping 11.04 trillion VND (424 million USD). The first quarter of 2026 was even better, with nearly 2 million tourists, ringing up an estimated 2.26 trillion VND, a 27.4% spike from last year. The positive results came as the region expanded its development space and launched new products.

Abundant resources underpin the expansion. With over 190 km of coastline featuring beautiful beaches like Nhat Le, Bao Ninh, Cua Tung, Cua Viet, Vinh Thai, and My Thuy, plus the charm of Con Co Island, the area offers great potential for marine tourism. Beyond scenery, coral diving, fishing, and local lifestyle experiences, plus night markets, pedestrian streets in Dong Ha and Dong Hoi, and coastal culinary spaces, are getting tourists to stick around longer and spend more.

Inland, forest ecosystems and cave systems offer another edge. Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park is a subterranean wonderland with over 400 caves, still cementing its reputation as one of the planet’s top thrill-seeker meccas. The crown jewel, Son Doong - the world’s largest cave, is fully booked through 2027.

Park director Pham Hong Thai said a British caving squad probed 29 caves on a 2026 expedition and hit the jackpot: 26 previously unknown caverns totalling 13,643m mapped. Some are so massive and scientifically valuable that they’ve handed geologists a treasure trove of data, proving this karst landscape is world-class.

Historical and cultural tourism remains a pillar. The province is crawling with over 746 ranked heritage and historical sites, including national special relics such as Hien Luong-Ben Hai, Quang Tri Ancient Citadel, Vinh Moc Tunnels and Truong Son National Martyrs Cemetery. New experiential activities, particularly night-time floating lantern ceremonies on the Thach Han River and heritage tours with artistic lighting, are deepening visitor engagement.

The diversity of resources allows Quang Tri to develop integrated products bundling beach resorts, cave exploration, and historical-cultural experiences, exactly what today’s high-rolling tourists crave. These combo packages stretch visits and attract travellers with deeper pockets.

Getting there is getting easier, too. Three international border gates make the province a gateway on the East-West Economic Corridor. An increasingly complete transport network of roads, railways, seaports, and airports is improving access and creating opportunities to pull in tourists from near and far.

“

Quang Tri will continue diversifying tourism products, especially adventure, eco-tourism, cave expeditions, cultural deep-dives, community stays, and island getaways. It will also invest more in heritage restoration and rethink how it serves it all up to wow visitors and crush the competition.

Deputy Director of the provincial Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism Ho Van Hoan

Diversifying tourism ecosystem

Quang Tri aims to welcome about 10.5 million visitors in 2026, including 500,000-800,000 foreigners. With roughly 70 tourism products and sites already humming, the launchpad is set for a serious ecosystem upgrade.

One key thrust is experience-and nature-linked products. Glamping in Phong Nha-Ke Bang is luring in the outdoor crowd, with lush green escapes mixing kayaking, stand-up paddleboarding (SUP), splashy water sports, bonfires, and local cuisine, all squarely on trend with the green travel craze.

New products like Trung Vuong Garden and community-nature tours are enriching the ecosystem, increasing interaction, and meeting rising demand for experiential travel.

Quang Tri is rolling out the red carpet for firms building tourism ecosystems aimed at foreigners. Big-budget projects are popping up everywhere, from coastal resort complexes to eco-zones in Phong Nha – Ke Bang and forest areas. And after dark, it’s all about light festivals, riverside strolls, and river cruises.

The province is boosting its presence in international markets by hosting familiarisation trips for travel agents and foreign media, and partnering with transport operators to offer integrated stimulus packages. Wider use of digital technology in promotion is helping products reach younger travellers and international markets more effectively.

Nguyen Anh Tuan, Chairman of the provincial Tourism Association, said constant product refreshes, better service, and tighter teamwork among enterprises are creating new momentum, stretching visits, and pumping up the number of tourists visiting the province.

Toward sustainable development

With new products, beefed-up infrastructure, and promotion, Quang Tri is cementing its position as central Vietnam’s ultimate adventure-packed playground.

Looking ahead, balancing growth with resource conservation, cultural preservation, and service quality enhancement will be critical. Once a sleepy province full of potential, Quang Tri is morphing into a powerhouse destination ready to muscle in on Vietnam’s and the region’s tourism map./.