Tourists visit the Tam Coc tourist area in Ninh Binh Province.

Irreversible trend

According to the 2025 sustainable tourism survey by online travel platform Agoda, Viet Nam is one of the Asian countries with the highest interest in sustainable tourism. 77% of Vietnamese tourists consider sustainability when planning their travel (higher than the average of the whole of Asia at 68%); 22% choose to travel in the off-peak seasons to ease pressure on the destination; and 21% prefer accommodation facilities with sustainability certification.

This shows that tourists' awareness and travel behaviour are changing to be more responsible towards the environment and the community. Green tourism is not only an intrinsic requirement of the tourism industry, but also a solution to improve competitiveness and meet the needs of modern tourists.

Aware of the role and value of green transformation in tourism, in recent times, many tourist areas and accommodation facilities in Ninh Binh, Hoi An, Co To, Con Dao, Phu Quoc, Quang Binh, and Da Nang have pioneered in implementing environmentally friendly tourism models, from using renewable energy, reducing plastic waste to developing community tourism associated with nature conservation.

Typical examples include Lang Nho-Ho Lang Nhot Tourist Area, Suoi Rao Ecolodge, Trang An Tourist Area, Thung Nham Ecotourism Area, Mui Ne Bay Resort, and Six Senses Ninh Van Bay Resort.

These facilities have contributed to forming green destinations on the Vietnamese tourism map, proving their attractiveness in attracting customers who are increasingly demanding green factors in tourism and are willing to pay more to experience sustainable tourism activities.

According to experts, the efforts of individual bright spots alone will not be enough to make the journey to greening Vietnamese tourism. From the experience of enterprises’s green transformation application, Dr Pham Ha, Founder and Chairman of Lux Group (a unit whose member travel agency Lux Travel DMC has just been granted the international certificate for sustainable tourism Travelife Certified), said that the first challenge that enterprises face is the economic problem, because investment in energy-saving equipment, waste treatment systems or environmentally friendly materials often comes with high costs and long payback periods. The cost of sustainable tourism products is also higher, making it difficult to reach mass customers.

In addition, awareness of green transformation in tourism is still uneven throughout the supply chain and market, and it is difficult to convince partners, especially in remote areas, to commit to implementing green standards. Additionally, the lack of preferential policies on tax, credit, product bidding, and market access also makes small- and medium-sized enterprises, which account for a large proportion of the industry, not interested in green transformation.

According to Phung Quang Thang, Permanent Vice President of the Vietnam Society of Travel Agents (VISTA), difficulties also come from the lack of specialised personnel in tourism green transformation, the fear of change, and old operating habits. These "bottlenecks" must be overcome with specific solutions and clear resources.

Sustainability requires collective commitment

To turn green transformation into a lever for enhancing tourism value, improving competitiveness and positioning Viet Nam’s national brand, entrepreneur Pham Ha highlighted three strategic factors. Firstly, sustainable development must start with the leader’s mindset, long-term vision and commitment. Secondly, building a supply chain that works together through dialogue, training, and mutual support is essential. Thirdly, awareness among staff, communities and customers must be raised regarding the long-term values of responsible tourism.

Sharing his experience of bringing visitors to Ha Long Bay, Ha admitted feeling ashamed when his environmentally standardised cruise ship encountered “rivers of rubbish” floating amid the World Heritage landscape.

From this reality, the Lux Group Chairman affirmed that green tourism cannot rely on isolated efforts. A green supply chain must extend across restaurants, hotels, transport and destination management to ensure a green, clean and beautiful tourism environment, helping foster a positive image of Viet Nam among domestic and international visitors.

According to Phung Quang Thang, each enterprise has different capacity, scale, and target customers, so there needs to be a set of criteria for green tourism and transformation so that enterprises have a basis for implementation orientation. At the same time, there also needs to be a synchronous policy ecosystem to support green transformation enterprises and spread and replicate successful models.

He emphasised that one of the important solutions is to build separate training programs for regions and business groups to develop teams with green thinking and skills. Green criteria must be integrated into the training program so that future generations of tourism employees can absorb the value of green tourism and proactively apply it to their professional practice.

Sharing at the Forum “Developing green destinations, elevating Viet Nam tourism” within the framework of the Viet Nam International Travel Mart (VITM Hanoi) 2025, Deputy Head of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Viet Nam Patrick Haverman said that the impressive growth figures of Viet Nam tourism in recent times have demonstrated the strong potential of the industry, there needs to be a real transformation towards green activities to truly elevate and develop sustainably. According to him, in addition to the conservation efforts of the community in marine areas and protected areas, green transport also plays a vital role in green destination formation.

“Encouraging travellers to choose eco-friendly transport options not only enhances their experience but directly contributes to cleaner air and supports Viet Nam’s ambitious net-zero emissions targets,” he said. He also cited recent pilot projects in Phu Yen Province and Hue City, where newly launched “Green Transport Check-in and Sharing Stations” mark concrete steps towards this orientation.

Chairman of the Viet Nam Tourism Association Vu The Binh said that it is time for partners in the tourism industry to “join hands” closely to participate in the green destination development programmes based on clearly defining the responsibilities of the involved parties.

Binh said the association has focused on building and promulgating the Green Tourism Criteria (VITA Green) to create a basis and practical tools for businesses and destinations to apply systematically. In the coming time, the association will continue to implement green tourism transformation activities based on five pillars: participating in building mechanisms and policies on green transformation in tourism; developing green destinations based on the Green Tourism Criteria; conducting green promotion and advertising activities; green training; and applying green technology.

The VISTA under the Viet Nam Tourism Association has just been officially launched, opening up many expectations for jointly building a responsible and creative green tourism ecosystem, promising a sustainable green journey for Viet Nam tourism.

Trang Anh - Translated by NDO