 |
| Tourism sector is rolling out green and environmentally friendly tourism tours and products. Photo: Hoang Hai |
Challenge of Balancing Sustainability and Growth
In the days following a series of relentless late-year storms, Ham Rong Beach, a popular tourist destination in Vinh Loc Commune, Hue City, appears like a long and jagged “cut”. Once a source of pride for the coastal area, the sandy shoreline has been ravaged by waves. Beachside stalls lie in ruins, and the ground has been deeply eroded. Nature, in its fury, has laid bare the fragility of destinations long regarded as pillars of the local tourism industry. The devastation left by natural disasters starkly underscores a clear reality: the impacts of climate change are becoming increasingly complex and severe.
Natural disasters are external factors. However, the vulnerability that the tourism sector has suffered is not caused by storms alone. In reality, despite Hue’s efforts to promote low-plastic tourism models, many accommodation facilities, restaurants, and tour operators have yet to fully break away from single-use plastic waste. Plastic bottles, straws, and plastic bags continue to appear at beaches and tourist attractions.
The issue evokes memories of March 2025, when trash in all kinds was washed onto Lang Co Beach after a tidal surge, tarnishing its once picture-perfect scenery. Visitors could only look on in regret. As waste overtakes the landscape, the destination’s image is inevitably undermined.
In fact, Hue is among the early adopters in prioritizing environmental considerations, firmly upholding the principle of not trading heritage and nature for economic growth. The “Green Sunday” movement has gained wide traction, while numerous eco-tourism and community-based tourism models have taken shape. The Laguna Lang Co integrated resort, which has earned EarthCheck Gold certification for many consecutive years, stands out as a compelling example of a sustained commitment to green development.
Nevertheless, it is necessary to confront the remaining “blind spots.” Pham Ba Hung, M.A., Principal of Hue Tourism College and Standing Vice Chairman of the City’s Tourism Association, has voiced concern that many community-based tourism models remain spontaneous in nature, lacking strong linkages within a coherent product-service ecosystem. Waste management, particularly plastic waste generated by daily life and tourism activities, has yet to be implemented in a synchronized and comprehensive manner. At the same time, the risks of overexploiting natural resources and the growing impacts of climate change are exerting mounting pressure on inherently fragile ecosystems, including coastal waters, lagoons, and forests.
Looking beyond Hue, the lesson from Bay Mau coconut forest in Hoi An remains fresh: When tourism expands at breakneck speed, coconut trees are felled, and land is encroached upon to make way for service expansion. Even well-known destinations can be drawn into a downward spiral of degradation in the absence of discipline, planning, and effective oversight. This serves as a reminder that any destination can slip beyond the boundaries of sustainability.
Therefore, for Hue, a locality that embraced sustainable development early as its guiding principle, striking a balance between resource utilization and conservation is not only a challenge of today, but also one for the future.
 |
|
Tourists experiencing cyclos when travelling to Hue |
For a sustainable development
In early December 2025, speaking at the Green National Tourism Annual Forum, Mr. Nguyen Trung Khanh, Director General of Vietnam National Authority of Tourism, affirmed that with its strong recovery and impressive growth, Vietnam’s tourism sector is steadily consolidating its position as a key pillar of the national economy.
The United Nations Tourism Organization has identified Vietnam and Japan as the two fastest-growing tourism markets globally. However, according to the Director General, the impacts of climate change, environmental pollution at certain destinations, and mounting pressures from overcrowding are sounding alarm bells over sustainability, highlighting the urgent need to strike a balance between the effective use of tourism resources, environmental protection, and enhancing destination competitiveness.
These warnings are no longer merely predictive; they are unfolding day by day. In response, Vietnam’s Tourism Development Strategy to 2030 clearly defines its direction: Pursuing sustainable and inclusive tourism development based on green growth, maximizing tourism’s contribution to the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals; Managing and Using natural resources efficiently; Protecting the environment and biodiversity; Proactively adapting to climate change; and Ensuring national defense and security…
According to experts, sustainable development must be approached through the balance of 3 dimensions: economy - socio culture - environment. As early as 2008, Thua Thien Hue Province (now Hue City) adopted a sustainable development plan for the 2008-2020 period, clearly recognizing the need to protect local tourism resources, particularly the natural environment and cultural heritage. For many consecutive years, Hue has been honored with titles such as “National Green City” and “ASEAN Clean Tourism City”. However, these accolades do not sustain themselves; they require a solid policy framework, effective implementation resources, and, above all, a broad-based community consensus.
From the perspectives of professional experts, in the coming time, Hue’s tourism industry will continue to roll out a range of initiatives to position green tourism as one of the city’s core tourism products. These include reviewing and refining support mechanisms for green tourism; applying technology in destination management and promotion; developing tourism products that reflect local identity while minimizing environmental impact; upgrading infrastructure in coastal and lagoon areas; engaging communities as co-managers of natural resources; attracting “green” investment while phasing out environmentally harmful activities; and developing a set of criteria for Hue Green Tourism.
However, alongside these solutions, what arguably matters even more for local authorities and Hue’s tourism sector at this juncture is the level of enforcement and the strength of accountability. If mechanisms remain unclear, planning fragmented, violations handled with undue leniency, and businesses as well as residents continue to view environmental protection as solely the State’s responsibility, then all commitments to sustainability will amount to little more than words on paper.
Beyond building on existing effective practices, the city and its tourism sector need to focus on 3 fundamental priorities: placing resource governance ahead of exploitation; ensuring that communities become active stakeholders rather than passive bystanders; and strengthening environmental communication and education to be more robust, credible, and impactful.
Hue possesses ample potential to emerge as a model for green tourism in Vietnam and achieve a strong breakthrough. What the city needs at this point, however, is not more slogans or pledges, but steadfast commitment, disciplined action, and sustained perseverance.