If effectively tapped, sports can become a “golden goose,” significantly contributing to the development and revenue growth of services and tourism in particular and the socioeconomic development of Hue in general.
Coupe De Hue 2019 brought together many international cyclists.
A striking destination
Let’s start with 2018 when Thua Thien Hue organized its first Half Marathon. Despite being the inaugural event, the race attracted nearly 1,500 athletes, including over 300 from Da Nang, Kien Giang, Quang Tri, Hai Phong, and Ha Noi, and about 100 international athletes.
One month after the 2018 Half Marathon came two major sports events: the “Coupe De Hue 2018” International Road Cycling Festival and the “Hue International Marathon 2018,” further enhancing Hue's recognition among domestic and international friends.
The Department of Tourism collaborated with Beebeetravel to organize three free tours for the athletes: “Strolling with Hue - Following the Ups and Downs of History”; “Cycling with Hue - Rediscovering Chi Lang and Gia Hoi of the Past”; and “Cruising with Hue - Listening to the Stories of the Perfume River.” These tours allowed athletes and their families to savor additional moments of deep exploration and experience with Hue and its people.
By 2019, Hue truly became the focal point not only for sports enthusiasts but also for those passionate about exploration and experiences. The “Coupe De Hue” International Road Cycling Festival was elevated in scale, number of participants, quality of athletes, and severity of its various distances: “King of the Bach Ma Laguna Mountain Climbing,” a 15km route from the foot to the summit of Bach Ma Mountain, reaching an elevation of over 1,200 meters. Gran Fondo (Hue City - A Luoi), a 150km route, conquering the Ta Luong, Kim Quy, and A Co mountain passes with 196 bends, including 58 with steep ravines.
With the “King of Bach Ma Laguna Mountain Climbing” competition, Coupe De Hue 2019 was known as the “craziest” but most captivating cycling race in Vietnam. Photo: Tan Phong
The allure of the race attracted renowned figures in the international cycling world such as Javier Sardá (Spain), Chris Butler (USA), and Cadel Evans, a former mountain biking world champion (1998, 1999) and Tour de France winner (2007, 2011), to register for participation.
Alongside “Coupe De Hue,” Hue is also recognized as a striking host for marathon events, especially the VnExpress Marathon, Kun Marathon, and Full Marathon. These events draw a large number of participants and, consequently, tens of thousands of accompanying family members, positively impacting the development of services and tourism.
According to Dr. Phan Thanh Hai, Director of the Department of Culture and Sports, community-oriented sports such as marathon, community football, badminton, tennis, table tennis, basketball, pickleball, boat racing, and SUP racing are highly favorable for development in Hue. This is attributed to Huế’s spacious areas, beautiful landscapes, unique royal and folk heritage sites, rich cuisine, and diverse tourism services, which appeal to amateur athletes and their families.
"The marathon events with VnExpress over the past three years saw annual participation ranging from 8,000 to 10,000 athletes (with about 60% coming from outside Hue). Additionally, the Community Sports Festival (in 2023 and 2024), featuring many community-oriented sports, attracted tens of thousands of participants," Mr. Phan Thanh Hải affirmed.
Aside from community sports, Hue has been entrusted for many years by the General Department of Sports and Physical Training (Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism) to host high-performance national and international sports competitions. This trust is rooted not only in Hue’s experience and favorable environmental conditions but also in its tourism services, culinary culture, scenic attractions, safety, and hospitality.
Golden goose
From 2025, Thua Thien Hue will become a centrally-governed city. Hue is also striving to become a major cultural and tourism hub of Vietnam and Southeast Asia, as outlined in Resolution 04-NQ/TU, dated May 21, 2021, by the Provincial Party Committee. In this road map, sports in Thua Thien Hue have the potential to play a significant role in achieving this goal, as sports are now seen as an important service economic sector capable of making substantial contributions to socioeconomic development.
The most recent example is the week of the VnExpress Marathon 2024, during which the average occupancy rate at hotels and homestays in Hue exceeded 60%, with over 36,500 overnight guests—the highest since the beginning of the year. Tourism revenue was up 16 billion VND against 2023 (reaching 55 billion VND during the VnExpress Marathon).
In addition to marathon events, Hue is also coaching 13 sports disciplines, including some strong areas such as wrestling, archery, and shuttlecock kicking. Alongside its advantages in landscapes, environment, people, organizational experience, and so on, Hue has the potential to develop other high-performance sports according to Southeast Asian and Asian standards, such as dragon boat racing, canoeing, and boxing. This demonstrates the considerable potential for sports economy development.
Currently, Hue is investing in upgrading and constructing several facilities to gradually meet the standards for hosting international sports events, as well as finalizing public cultural and sports institutions and urban space development plans. These include installing electronic scoreboards for swimming and diving events, upgrading and equipping air conditioning in the sports arenas, constructing the Cultural and Sports Square, and so on.
However, to effectively harness the economic benefits of sports, these efforts alone seem insufficient.
With its conditions, potential, and strengths, Hue can become a prominent "destination" specializing in hosting major sports events, both community-based and high-performance sports. However, to truly become a "destination," investment in infrastructure should focus not only on the central areas but also on satellite locations like Huong Thuy, Huong Tra, and Phu Vang. Additionally, it is crucial to finalize the policies that serve as "leverage," identify the "potential customers," position the events, establish effective communication strategies, attract spectators and sponsors, and ensure better coordination between sports and related sectors, especially tourism.
The economic potential of sports is apparent. The remaining challenge lies in the effective exploitation solution to ensure it becomes a “golden goose” for the service and tourism industry in particular and the socioeconomic development of Hue in general.
Story and photos: Han Dang
