Many solutions to develop railway tourism and build Hai Phong Station into an attractive tourist destination are being implemented by Hai Phong.
“Joining hands” to build new products
Hai Phong Station was built by the French and put into use in 1902. This is one of the four main stations of the 99km railway line connecting Hai Phong City with Hanoi City. This is also considered one of the most beautiful train stations left by the French in Vietnam. Hai Phong Station is also one of the few remaining stations with strong French architectural imprints in Vietnam, besides stations in Hue (Thua Thien Hue), Nha Trang (Khanh Hoa), Da Lat (Lam Dong).
After 120 years of history, Hai Phong Station still retains its ancient beauty with bold French architecture, preserving memories of a time in Hai Phong City. Not only is it a familiar tourist attraction and check-in point, it also contains many values of Hai Phong City in general and its people in particular.
In order to develop railway tourism products and increase the experience value for tourists, recently, Vietnam Railways Corporation has "joined hands" with Hai Phong City to organize the "Hoa Phuong Do" train, expected to put into operation 20 new carriages on the Hanoi - Hai Phong railway route. The expected opening date is before May 13, 2025 to celebrate the 70th anniversary of Hai Phong City Liberation Day. This is not only an activity to renew railway tourism products but also opens up opportunities for Hai Phong to enhance the experience of tourists, shaping high-end tourism products.
Of the 20 newly invested train carriages, there will be 2 VIP carriages with a 36-seat compartment design including 16 single sofas, 5 long sofas with 20 seats arranged in three different spaces. The remaining 18 carriages are designed with 56 swivel seats, plastic carpet floors, decorative floral fabric ceilings and 2 rows of LED lights installed along the walkways, with LCD screens and LED advertising frames. This new train is expected to become an attractive railway tourism product and enhance the experience for visitors.
According to Vietnam Railways Corporation, the color, lines and design of the "Red Flamboyant" train are expected to combine modern lines and traditional Asian colors, with the green of the phoenix leaves, the red of the phoenix flowers, the blue of the sea and parallel lines illustrating the ocean waves as well as the Port City.
Sharing about this cooperation, Ms. Tran Thi Hoang Mai - Director of the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism of Hai Phong said that the luxury tourist train named "Hoa Phuong Do" is not only a means of transportation and a journey on the train, but also an opportunity for tourists to enjoy the unique cuisine of Hanoi and Hai Phong City right on the train, easily participating in Foodtour when arriving in Hai Phong.
When the train is put into operation, there will be many restaurants participating in the railway tourism program. Tourists using tourist train tickets will receive discounts when using dining, shopping and resting services. These activities will help Foodtour have new vitality, increasing the experience for tourists. At the same time, this activity is expected to strongly promote tourism between the two major economic and cultural centers of the North.
"New push"
In fact, in recent years, traveling by train has been increasingly chosen by many tourists, especially during the peak tourist season. Train passengers are mainly young people such as students, university students and the elderly. Most of them go to Hai Phong City to explore food tours and visit tourist attractions, historical sites and museums in Hai Phong. Tourism has been "reviving" the Hanoi - Hai Phong railway line, one of the oldest railway lines in the country.
Mr. Tran Van Hanh - Director of Hai Phong Railway Transport Branch shared that since the trend of experiencing Hai Phong Food Tour by rail exploded, the number of passengers has increased significantly. To serve the needs of tourists, Hai Phong Station has renovated and repaired the road through the station to make it more convenient for passengers to travel. Regarding the equipment on the train, Vietnam Railways Corporation pays great attention to the stations on the route. Regarding the equipment of the carriages, the railway industry has brought good quality carriage equipment to serve on this route.
According to statistics, in the period of 2022 - 2024, the number of passengers traveling by train from Hanoi to Hai Phong increased by an average of 10% per year, reaching more than 1.5 million passengers. In 2024 alone, more than 1.5 million passengers came to Hai Phong City by rail, an increase compared to 1.4 million passengers in 2023.
It is expected that on the occasion of the May 13 anniversary, Hai Phong City will welcome tens of thousands of people and tourists via rail. This will create momentum for the breakthrough growth of the city's railway tourism in 2025. This is also a positive signal for the railway industry to continue to innovate, improve service quality and exploit potential to attract more tourists in the coming time.
It is known that Hai Phong City is also completing procedures to recognize Hai Phong Station as a tourist destination, check-in point and enhance the experience for visitors right from the moment they set foot in the city. Plans to connect railway tourism with river and sea tourism are also being implemented to create unique tourism products.
According to Ms. Tran Thi Hoang Mai, if in the past, the number of passengers traveling by train to Hai Phong City to experience Foodtour, Citytour were mainly young people, students, now, the operation of luxury train cars, especially VIP cars, will attract more high-class passengers to Hai Phong. The "Hoa Phuong Do" train will also help tourists from Hanoi and international tourists coming to Hai Phong have more high-class options, experience many exciting tourist activities in the summer of 2025 at famous tourist areas of the city.
"We expect this to be a unique railway tourism product, contributing to diversifying choices for tourists. At the same time, it will bring new experiences, helping tourists explore Hai Phong from a different and more interesting perspective. We are working with tourism businesses to build tours combining trains, island tourism, City tours and culinary experiences", Ms. Tran Thi Hoang Mai shared.
Mr. Tran Van Hanh added that nowadays, not only young people but also many groups of elderly people or people working in the same agency travel by train to Hai Phong. This also helps Hai Phong's tourism develop.