Developing unique tourism products by effectively leveraging natural resources and indigenous culture is a growing trend that attracts visitors. The recent tourism boom in destinations such as Ha Giang, Moc Chau (Son La), Mang Den (Kon Tum), and Da Lat (Lam Dong) demonstrates that unique tourism offerings can awaken “dormant lands” and make them suddenly shine as stars on the tourism map.
Attracting tourists with unique tourism products
At the beginning of 2025, Moc Chau town in Son La province has welcomed a record number of tourists. Along roads winding through the valleys lined with plum trees, long vehicle queues stretched for kilometers. Hotels, homestays, guesthouses, and restaurants have been overbooked. According to the Office of Culture and Information of Moc Chau town, between January 25 and February 2, the town received approximately 105,000 visitors. The valleys and hills, adorned with white apricot and plum blossoms and reflecting the unique culture of ethnic groups such as Thai, Muong, Dao, H'mong, and K’Ho Mu, have become powerful magnets drawing tourists.
A group of tourists capturing the unique beauty of Da Lat's landscapes
Although once dubbed the “second Da Lat” in the Central Highlands, the township of Mang Den in Kon Plong district, Kon Tum province had long been a modest and little-noticed destination. However, during Tet 2025, Mang Den emerged as a popular destination. The prunus cerasoides - a flower from Da Lat - was introduced for cultivation in Mang Den several years ago and has helped attract visitors. In Mang Den, these flowers bloom earlier than they do in Da Lat, carpeting streets and tourist spots with a vibrant rosy hue.
Vice Chairman of the Kon Plong District People’s Committee Pham Van Thang stated that during the nine-day Tet holiday, tourism accommodations in Mang Den welcomed nearly 230,000 visitors, generating an estimated revenue of VND 80 billion. In 2025, Kon Plong district plans to plant one million prunus cerasoides trees to enhance the landscape and boost tourism, with the goal of transforming Mang Den into a town famous for its prunus cerasoides’ blossoms.
After several dismal years due to the COVID-19 pandemic and economic downturn, the tourism sector in Lam Dong province made a remarkable turnaround in 2024 by attracting over 10 million tourists - an increase of 2.3 million compared to 2023. Notably, the number of international visitors increased significantly, especially those from Russia and the Republic of Korea. This growth was driven not only by the overall global tourism recovery but also by the successful organization of the 10th Da Lat Flower Festival in 2024, which featured a series of distinctive cultural, artistic, and tourism programs. Additionally, Da Lat has been recognized as a creative music city by UNESCO, hosting large-scale musical performances. Festivals held during the signature blooming seasons on the Langbiang Plateau, along with unique tour packages, have injected fresh energy into the city, making it an unmissable destination.
Creativity in developing unique tourism products
Experts emphasize that unique tourism products are those that possess unique and authentic characteristics, representing a region’s tourism resources. Although many localities have focused on developing such products, there remains some duplication and monotony. Nguyen Thi Nghia, a homestay owner in Da Lat, explained that tourism products are like commodities; if one sells the same thing as others, visitors may be excited for the first destination, but their enthusiasm wanes at subsequent stops, making it difficult to attract visitors the second time.
At the international conference themed “Da Lat developing green tourism and cultural industry from natural resources, biodiversity, and local culture” held in Da Lat city, domestic and international delegates underscored the importance of unique tourism products and proposed several solutions to further enhance them. Mr. Dang Quang Tu, Chairman of the Da Lat Municipal People’s Committee, noted that the city is developing high-quality tourism products with a unique brand identity, such as experiential tours in high-tech agricultural zones, adventure sports tourism, MICE tourism, and integrated musical and artistic performances. He affirmed that these impressive products have contributed to making Da Lat one of the most sought-after destinations on the online platform Agoda in 2024. The city has also earned the title “Clean Tourism City of ASEAN” for the period 2022–2024 and has been recognized by Lifestyle Asia magazine as one of the 12 most romantic destinations in Asia.
Translated by Trung Thanh
