Building local brands via sports tourism

Situated within the southern key economic zone and serving as a gateway to the East Sea, Ba Ria-Vung Tau possesses numerous advantages for sustainable tourism development.

Building local brands via sports tourism

Tourism has been identified as one of the province’s four strategic pillars of socioeconomic growth. In recent years, Ba Ria-Vung Tau has made substantial investments in infrastructure, service quality enhancement, and product diversification to elevate its tourism appeal. However, to truly stand out, the province is capitalising on its natural endowments and exploring new opportunities in sports tourism in order to promote its image, draw in visitors, and stimulate tourism demand.

The province has successfully hosted large-scale sporting events with significant media coverage across all platforms. Additionally, Ba Ria-Vung Tau has continuously innovated and professionalised its event organisation, balancing between sports competition and artistic performances to increase audience appeal and inspire athletes. For the first time, many sporting events have been held in outdoor tourist locations, generating widespread public interest and fostering a culture of physical fitness within the community.

Beyond the health benefits, these events also contribute economic value, further driving the province’s development. In recent years, Ba Ria-Vung Tau has hosted numerous national and international sporting competitions with support from the Sports Authority of Vietnam.

In 2023, the province hosted 18 sporting events. This number is projected to rise to 26 by the end of this year, and in 2025, the province plans to organise 30 national and five international events. Moreover, Ba Ria-Vung Tau organises over 40 provincial-level sporting competitions each year, nearly half of which are open tournaments that engage participation from across the country.

High-performance sports have evolved into a flagship tourism and entertainment product, positioning Ba Ria-Vung Tau as a favoured destination for large-scale socialised sports events such as the Vung Tau City Trail, Minh Dam Discovery, Tuong Ky Mountain Run Challenge, One Way Vung Tau Marathon, and the Golden Lotus International Marathon.

Elsewhere, the Grand Ho Tram complex in Xuyen Moc district has become a regular venue for international boxing, kickboxing, and MMA events, attracting top fighters from Vietnam, Asia, and around the world. The province also boasts three world-class golf courses, including The Bluff Ho Tram, which ranked among the top 100 most beautiful golf courses worldwide. The Bluff Ho Tram attracts approximately 22,000 international golf tourists annually, accounting for nearly 10 per cent of the international golf visitor market to Vietnam.

Through these efforts, Ba Ria-Vung Tau is steadily asserting its position as an enticing destination for national and international sports events. The development of its sports economy has provided valuable insights for the provincial culture, sports, and tourism industries, particularly in the areas of resource allocation, enhancing organisational capabilities, and leveraging tourism promotion to build a strong regional brand, professionalising event management, and intensifying media outreach.

To further boost the growth of its sports economy and enhance brand recognition, Ba Ria-Vung Tau has called on management agencies to review and refine the legal framework, simplifying procedures related to investment, joint ventures, and partnerships in the sports sector, creating improvements for organisations and individuals to engage in socialisation efforts.

Additionally, the province stresses the importance of organising training programmes focused on the sports economy, equipping managers and industry professionals with the knowledge and skills necessary to align their efforts and actions effectively.

Finally, the development of a national-level strategy for sports tourism, with clear orientations and actionable solutions, is critical to fully unlocking the vast potential of this sector and driving long-term growth.

Potential rises for golf tourism boom With diverse landscapes, a favourable climate, rich culinary offerings, and a welcoming culture, Vietnam is poised to become a premier destination for golf tourism, attracting both local and international visitors.

*)Nguyen Dinh Trung, director, Ba Ria-Vung Tau Department of Culture and Sports