Hoi An – Da Nang Tourism: Two growth spearheads are converging, paving the way for a “super marine heritage region”

Talking Data: Parallel Acceleration

In 2024, Hoi An will welcome 8 million visitors, of which 5.5 million are international visitors, bringing in 9,200 billion VND in tourism revenue. In the same year, Da Nang recorded 10.9 million visitors, with revenue reaching 31,000 billion VND, continuing to hold the leading position in the Central region's sea tourism. In total, these two localities alone contributed more than 40,200 billion VND to the country's tourism industry - a number that cannot be ignored when assessing the investment potential in this area.

Hoi An Ancient Town is recognized by UNESCO as a world cultural heritage.

Scenario of merging Hoi An into Da Nang: Will the "Asian dragon" take shape?

It is no longer an assumption, but an inevitable possibility. The connection between Hoi An and Da Nang has existed from infrastructure to tourist flow. The Nguyen Duy Hieu - Ong Dien bridge route has just been opened to traffic, the gateway connecting Da Nang to Hoi An ancient town, which is also a new infrastructure link that shortens the distance between the two tourist destinations. Highways, coastal roads, Co Co river corridor and tourism ecosystems are also increasingly synchronized.

The An Heritage project - a resort metropolis along the Co Co river, next to Nguyen Duy Hieu bridge, benefits from infrastructure upgrades

In the near future, if administrative mergers or expansion of regional management boundaries are considered, a “sea – heritage – resort – technology megacity” will be formed, with a scale and structure equivalent to key regions in Thailand, Indonesia or the UAE.

5 possible impacts of a merger:

• Breakthrough in regional planning: Administrative consolidation allows for synchronous implementation of tourism, transport and logistics plans, thereby increasing the efficiency of public investment and attracting international capital.
• Global brand positioning: Hoi An + Da Nang can successfully build a leading tourism brand in Asia – similar to Phuket – Krabi or Bali – Ubud.
• Increased value of suburban land: As in the Hanoi - Ha Tay scenario in 2008, land in suburban areas, especially land planned for resorts or tourism, can increase in price 5-10 times in 5-7 years after the merger.
• Shifting long-term investment capital: Instead of just FOMOing the “wave”, investors will aim for sustainable products: Boutique hotels, family resorts, second homes, cultural specialty accommodation services.
• Changing customer structure: As the region becomes a true international hub, the number of middle-class and upper-class international visitors will increase sharply. This is a high-spending, long-stay group with a need to own real tourism real estate – not just as guests.

Why is this time worth considering?

In the picture of the recovery of the whole industry, it is no coincidence that Hoi An and Da Nang have become two prominent bright spots in terms of both the number of visitors, revenue and investment attraction. With more than 47,000 billion VND in expected tourism revenue in 2025, along with new infrastructure routes such as Nguyen Duy Hieu - Ong Dien bridge, expanded riverside - coastal corridors, Hoi An area is not only developing in quantity, but is gradually improving in quality. This is no longer a "potential" area, but an accelerating area, with a clear tourist structure, high international ratio, specific accommodation needs, and a long-term attachment trend.

Real estate models associated with experience - accommodation - culture, especially products with real operational capabilities, are attracting medium- and long-term capital flows.