Fully blooming spring in Quang Binh

Part of Vietnam’s north-central coast and located where Vietnam’s north and south intertwine with each other, Quang Binh has an honoured history and is well-known for its distinct natural, economic, cultural, and social traits.

The province stretches out across terrain patterns with rivers, sea, low and mid-lands, plains, mountains, and forests.

Quang Binh boasts Vietnam’s longest coastal stretch dotted with stunning beaches like Nhat Le, Bao Ninh, Vung Chua, Da Nhay, and Hai Ninh.

Unique advantages

Blessed with its long-lasting development heritage, the province is home to a slew of cultural and historical relic sites such as Hoang Phuc pagoda, Than Dinh mountain, the legendary Truong Son trail, Thanh Mau temple, and the grave of General Vo Nguyen Giap.

Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park was twice recognised by UNESCO as the world’s natural heritage site for its high biodiversity. The area hosts more than 400 grottos and caves of diverse sizes which date back to several hundreds of millions of years ago. Many of them are distinctive with unparalleled graces, even in comparison to the famous Son Doong cave, deemed the world’s largest and most imposing cave.

Quang Binh also hosts the Bang hot springs with naturally boiling water at 105 degrees, suitable for the development of resort-style tourism. Through investment and the establishment of world-class golf courses, Quang Binh is well-positioned to grow into a major tourism hub in Vietnam and Southeast Asia.

In respect to Quang Binh’s tourism potential, Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc once commented that the province would be a bright option for a locality that can leave profound impressions on every visitor at first sight. The land is proud of accommodating one of the oldest civilisations in Asia. More importantly, the region is home to hospitable and friendly people that welcome everyone who passes by.

According to the prime minister, Quang Binh is not simply a miniature image of Vietnam, but a true Asian diamond with miraculous values that need to be discovered.

Leveraging its advantages in tourism potential, geographical position, and landscape, Quang Binh aims to become a new tourism centre in Asia with enriched products like adventure, healthcare, and eco-tourism.

Spring comes in full flowers

Throughout the last few years, Quang Binh’s tourism was featured by international media agencies and through Hollywood films, clips, and documentations, showcasing its beautiful nature.

In the not-so-distant-future, a major event of global significance is anticipated to lift up Quang Binh’s tourism to a new height – the Quang Binh Flora Expo 2023. Last May, Japan’s PAN Asia JSC cooperated with Quang Binh People’s Committee to host an international flower festival, which will be called Quang Binh Flora Expo and is expected to be held in 2023.

According to a representative of PAN Asia JSC, after getting in-principle approval from Quang Binh’s leaders, the company asked the International Association of Horticultural Producers (AIPH) to host the international flower festival in Vietnam’s Quang Binh province in 2023.

Last October, at the AIPH’s conference in Japan, the association had approved the organisation of the Quang Binh International Flora Expo in 2023. Accordingly, the event is slated to run for 183 days from December 2023 to May 31, 2024 and will be taking place in Hai Ninh commune, Quang Ninh district across an area of over 89 hectares.

The organisers will be PAN Asia JSC in tandem with Quang Binh International Exhibition Company and Japan’s event organiser Hakuhodo. The total cost for implementation is expected at around $148 million, with construction cost amounting to $72.8 million.

According to Koichiro Kimura, chairman of PAN Asia JSC, the flower festival could attract about eight million visitors, and generate revenue touching $179.6 million from ticket sales and the franchise of food stalls that pay more than VND300 billion ($13 million) to state coffers.

PAN Asia’s chairman said that Quang Binh’s flora festival would be the first of its kind in Southeast Asia. After completing the event’s infrastructure and construction, the organiser will hand over the complex to Quang Binh in accordance with AIPH’s regulations.

According to Nguyen Hoai Nam, director of Quang Binh Department of Tourism, a success of Quang Binh Flora Expo 2023 would boost the province’s tourism industry, leaving a hallmark in the world’s tourism map.

“It is Quang Binh’s great honour to host the first-ever international flower festival in Vietnam. It also aligns with the province’s development orientation gearing towards tourism, agriculture, and green industry. The success of the festival will accelerate the exposure of Quang Binh in the international stage,” Nam said.

Ho An Phong, Deputy Chairman of Quang Binh People’s Committee, revealed that after agreeing with the investor’s proposal, the province leaders assigned Quang Binh Department of Tourism to join with relevant authorities and work on the preparations in an inclusive manner.

“Local management agencies must assure the best conditions for the investor. It is necessary to ensure good preparations and to accurately survey the current situation in Quang Binh to plan the infrastructure development and from there reach the best outcome with the sponsor. Quang Ninh district needs to effectively prepare the land to ensure the project can progress without a hitch,” Phong noted.