Sam Son – destination of spiritual culture (Photo: truyenhinhthanhhoa.vn)

Thanh Hoa – Sam Son city in the
central coastal province of Thanh Hoa is famous for its beautiful beaches,
along with historical and cultural sites and landscape.

The Sam Son historical relic and scenery, recognised
as a special national site in 2019, is home to both landscape and architectural
works of historical and cultural values.

Such temples as Doc Cuoc, To Hien and Co Tien have made
the site an attractive destination of spiritual culture.

Doc Cuoc, an ancient temple located on the Truong
Le mountain range in Truong Son ward, worships Doc Cuoc God, who sacrificed himself
to protect fishermen in Sam Son.

Meanwhile, Hon Trong Mai (Trong Mai Rocks) is
associated with the legend of the faithful love of a young couple who died
together.

Another attraction in Sam Son is the temple
dedicated to To Hien Thanh, a good general and mandarin under the Ly dynasty
(1533-1789). The temple was recognised as a national cultural relic in 1962.

There are 35 historical and cultural relics in Sam
Son, of which eight have won the national status and 27 been recognised by the
province, along with many unique traditional festivals like the Doc Cuoc temple
festival, the Banh Chung (square glutinous rice cake) festival, and the Cau Ngu festival by local fishermen, among others.

The city aims to become one of festivals in the
future.

Sam Son beach is a familiar destination for many
people thanks to its hidden charms, including Van Chai ancient fishing village.
The village is busy at dawn as fishermen returning ashore with catches and those
at home coming to help sort out the fish.

Sam Son town was promoted into a city in 2017, in a
move which aims to meet the local urbanisation process and develop Sam Son into
a national tourist city.

In addition to the renowned Sam Son beach, Thanh Hoa
is home to various attractions, namely Hai Tien in Hoang Hoa district, Tien
Trang Quang Xuong in Quang Xuong district, Hai Hoa and Hai Thanh in Tinh Gia, Bai Dong (East Beach), Vinh Son, Quang Nham, and Hai Binh.

Hon Trong Mai (Trong Mai Rocks) is associated with the legend of the faithful love of a young couple who died together. (Photo: baovanhoa.vn)

Thanh Hoa has also been known for Ben En National
Park and part of Cuc Phuong National Park; and Pu Luong, Xuan Lien and Pu Hu
Nature Reserves; and Nam Dong and Sen Tam Quy species reserves. The province
has eight protection forest management boards and 11 conservation areas of
scenic spots, and historical and cultural relic sites.

The province is seen as one of the localities with
huge potential for developing tourism on the back of its diverse and rich
tourism resources, both natural and human.

Known as a “miniature Vietnam”, Thanh Hoa
has all kinds of terrain, from mountain, midland, to plain and coast, with many
beautiful landscapes and valuable historical – cultural vestiges. At the same
time, the province also has a system of infrastructure and technical facilities
for tourism that is constantly expanding, gradually improving quality, convenience
and modernity.

In recent years, Thanh Hoa has become one of the top
cities and provinces in terms of tourism growth nationwide. During the
2016-2019 period, the number of tourist arrivals in the province grew by 15.2% annually
while tourism revenue rose by 31.7%  year-on-year, contributing greatly to local
socio-economic development.

After the COVID-19 pandemic was put under good control, Thanh Hoa
tourism has become bustle again with the reopening of all tourist destinations. The
province is creating its image as a safe, friendly and attractive destination.
Apart from tourism resources, infrastructure and diverse products, difference
is also a highlight, thus prompting visitors to travel to the locality.

Local tourism sector has posted impressive growth in
recent years. However, its development is still not commensurate with
potential./.