Da Nang turns specialties into tourism experiences

From traditional foods and handicrafts to locally made gifts, Da Nang is promoting its One Commune One Product (OCOP) offerings as a way for international visitors to discover the city’s cultural identity while helping local businesses reach wider markets.

Bringing Da Nang’s local products closer to international visitors

Bringing OCOP products into restaurants, hotels, resorts, tourist attractions, ecological sites and airports is emerging as a way to increase their value and connect local producers with visitors.

Rather than being sold simply as souvenirs, these products can become part of a broader travel experience, linking consumers with the stories, traditions and communities behind them.

OCOP products often reflect the history of a place, local ways of life and traditional knowledge passed down through generations. By incorporating them into tourism activities, destinations can encourage visitors to explore not only finished products but also their origins, production methods and cultural significance.

In Da Nang, 28 display and promotional points under the “Made in Da Nang” program were established in 2026 at tourist destinations, upscale coastal resorts and the Da Nang International Airport.

These locations offer opportunities to introduce local products to visitors throughout their journeys.

The city currently has 477 OCOP products with valid certifications, including four rated five stars, 80 rated four stars and 393 rated three stars.

Food products account for approximately 71.7 % of the total, while handicrafts make up around 13.6%. The remaining products include medicinal herbs, services and other categories. For international visitors, these products offer a way to take home a tangible connection to Vietnam.

Local specialties can also encourage further exploration, whether through food experiences, visits to craft villages or tours that introduce the landscapes and communities where products originate.

Turning local specialties into a driver of tourism growth

As reported, international visitors in Vietnam currently spend around 12 – 15% of their budgets on gifts and merchandise, below the Southeast Asian average of 22.5%.

It is suggested that local products could generate significant additional tourism revenue. If 5% of the 19.5 million visitors targeted for 2026 purchased a basket of local specialties worth VND250,000, the resulting sales would amount to approximately VND244 billion.

This is an illustrative estimate based on the stated visitor target and spending assumption, rather than a forecast of actual revenue.

At the Da Nang International Airport’s Terminal 2, the promotion of local products follows four stages: awareness, experience, selection and sharing. The “Essence of Da Nang” display introduces visitors to the stories, values and quality of local products, in tandem with packaging information helps them identify origins and remember brands after their trips.

Integrating local products into tourism can create benefits for both producers and destinations. Businesses gain access to new customers, while communities have more opportunities to preserve traditional skills, cultural heritage and local knowledge.

When visitors learn the story behind a product and experience its cultural value, it becomes a meaningful part of their journey and a way to share the identity of Da Nang with audiences around the world.

For travelers seeking authentic experiences in Vietnam, discovering OCOP products offers another way to explore the country’s diversity, support local communities and bring home a piece of the places they visit.

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