Vietnam’s Central Highlands is full of wondrous natural landmarks and native cultural traits, where 47 ethnic groups live alongside each other and represent in themselves many cultural heritages, such as the space of gong culture–a Masterpiece of the Intangible Heritage of Humanity, Elephant Racing Festival, Gong performances, the customs of Bỏ Mả (Ghost Riddance) and Cơm Mới (New Year’s First Meal), among other cultural values, folkloric myths, and unique musical instruments. The distinctive attractions prove that cooperation between provinces is necessary for market expansion and connection, as well as sharing experiences in developing tourism. 

In his conference opening speech, Mr. Nguyen Duc Hoang–Vice Chairman of Gia Lai province’s Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism/Leading representative of the tourism sector for the three attending Vietnamese Central Highlands provinces exclaimed that to attract investment in tourism, the three localities have deployed mechanisms, policies to invite and support active investors and businesses in tourism and offered preferential treatments especially to high-budget projects. The provinces also have participated in partnership and linking events to reach out to other localities. 

The tourism representative of the three Central Highlands provinces expressed the wish to work with relevant investors and businesses, specifically in exchanging and sharing past experiences in handling obstacles, concerns, development/investment attraction policies, establishing partnerships, boosting connections, and promotion. He hoped the three provinces and Hai Phong City would be more tight-knit after the meeting, and tourism development and investment projects would flourish both in number and quality.  

Mr. Vu Huy Thuong, Vice Chairman of Hai Phong City’s Tourism Department declared in his welcoming speech that the city benefited from many advantages thanks to the Hai Phong-Buon Ma Thuot flight route. He demanded cooperation from the tourism departments of the three Central Highlands localities to promote and introduce the visiting destinations, and that tourism-related businesses would research tourism products and tourist markets based on the utilization of local advantages and potential, which would contribute to efficiently speeding up the provinces’ tourism sector, rendering the destinations more appealing in Vietnam’s general tourism portrait. 

The meeting saw the leaders of Hai Phong City and the three Central Highlands’ tourism departments co-sign a program to collaborate in boosting tourism and developing tourism-related products. The program also included simultaneity in brand promotion for Dak Lak, Gia Lai, and Kon Tum provinces to Hai Phong City’s inhabitants and vice versa, among other contents./.