Khanh Hoa province is currently hosting about 10 events to celebrate the 80th anniversary of National Day, spanning tourism, entertainment, sports, commerce, and cuisine, creating excitement and attracting tourists. The VnExpress Marathon Libera Nha Trang 2025 (22-24/8) is part of this series of activities.

Nguyen Van Hoa, director of the Department of Culture, Sports, and Tourism, spoke with VnExpress about the significance of the National Day celebrations and the province's goals for developing sports tourism.

What cultural, sports, and tourism activities does the province plan to organize for the 80th National Day anniversary, and how are resources being allocated and arranged for preparation?

Khanh Hoa, along with other localities and businesses in the province, is organizing several large-scale cultural, artistic, sports, and tourism programs. The highlight is an art program on the evening of 2/9 at 2/4 Square (Nha Trang) and 16/4 Square (Dong Hai), which will be broadcast live on television and conclude with a 15-minute firework display.

In addition, there will be ongoing activities such as the Khanh Hoa Food Festival, Vinh Hy Culture and Tourism Week, the Miss Entrepreneur Vietnam Beauty Pageant, the Miss Ocean Pageant, and a seminar on developing Khanh Hoa into a "green destination". The province will also participate in the National Achievements Exhibition in Hanoi, showcasing its economic and cultural development over the past 80 years and its vision for 2045.

Runners in the 21km VnExpress Marathon Libera Nha Trang start at 2/4 Square. Photo: VnExpress Marathon

Runners in the 21km VnExpress Marathon Libera Nha Trang start at 2/4 Square. Photo: VnExpress Marathon

In sports, the Southeast Asian Taekwondo series and international club tournaments stand out, attracting over 900 athletes. The VnExpress Marathon Libera Nha Trang 2025, taking place from 22-24/8, with 13,000 runners, has become one of Vietnam's leading non-professional running events. With its scenic coastal route and various cultural and tourism experiences, the event is expected to leave a strong impression on locals and domestic and international tourists. There will also be street football, kickboxing, and many provincial-level sports tournaments.

In preparation, the province has proactively allocated a budget and mobilized social resources. Departments, sectors, and localities have been assigned specific tasks to ensure security, medical care, and logistics. Facilities such as the provincial stadium have been upgraded to meet standards. Media and promotion efforts have been deployed synchronously to attract a large audience and tourists.

With the above activities, what is the expected number of visitors to Nha Trang and Khanh Hoa province during this holiday? What plans does the province have to serve tourists and avoid service overload?

This year's events are large-scale, spanning from Nha Trang city center to other localities. With a diverse range of activities, such as special art programs, fruit festivals, food festivals, beauty pageants, national seminars, the marathon, and international taekwondo tournaments, we estimate a 15% increase in visitors compared to the same period last year.

The tourism industry has coordinated with associations and service businesses to prepare: improving product quality, introducing new tours, reviewing accommodation facilities, publicizing service prices, and ensuring security, traffic, and environmental hygiene. We are also promoting the application of technology - digital maps and smart tourism - to support tourists.

More importantly, the events are not only aimed at tourists but also serve the local people. Fruit festivals, food festivals, singing contests for the tourism industry, and community sports tournaments all encourage direct participation. For example, more than 4,000 Khanh Hoa residents are participating in the VnExpress Marathon Libera Nha Trang. Through these events, locals have the opportunity to promote OCOP products, specialties, and craft villages; artisans, artists, and young people can perform, contributing to the spread of local culture.

A group of 5km runners, mostly Khanh Hoa residents, wait to compete in front of the provincial People's Committee headquarters. Photo: VnExpress Marathon

A group of 5km runners, mostly Khanh Hoa residents, wait to compete in front of the provincial People's Committee headquarters. Photo: VnExpress Marathon

What does Khanh Hoa province expect in terms of promoting the local image to domestic and international friends through this series of events?

This is a golden opportunity for Khanh Hoa to promote its image as a dynamic and hospitable locality with the infrastructure to host international events. The presence of thousands of athletes, coaches, and domestic and international tourists is a direct and effective channel to promote the people, culture, and services of the locality, creating a positive ripple effect on media and social networks.

The province also hopes to promote the Khanh Hoa brand not only as a leading beach tourism center but also as a reputable sports competition center nationally, regionally, and internationally.

Within the series of events, the VnExpress Marathon has attracted attention with a record 13,000 runners. How do you assess the role of this event?

The VnExpress Marathon Libera Nha Trang 2025 is entering its 4th season, with a record scale of approximately 13,000 participating runners. Over four years, the event has affirmed its brand as one of the largest marathons in Vietnam and a sports tourism event with special appeal to tourists. With its coastal route in Nha Trang, the race offers unforgettable experiences, contributing to building Khanh Hoa's brand as a unique and attractive sports destination.

Compared to the previous three seasons, the scale and reach of this year's event have increased significantly, demonstrating that this is a unique sports tourism product, playing a role in connecting the mass sports movement with local tourism development.

Nguyen Van Hoa - Director of the Department of Culture, Sports, and Tourism of Khanh Hoa Province. Photo: Huynh Hai

Nguyen Van Hoa - Director of the Department of Culture, Sports, and Tourism of Khanh Hoa Province. Photo: Huynh Hai

The event brings in tourists and revenue, but more importantly, it creates an image of a modern province rich in experiences. It has contributed to changing tourism habits, as many people now choose to come to Khanh Hoa not only for relaxation but also to participate in large-scale, professional sporting events.

In the long term, we want to make the VM an annual brand associated with Khanh Hoa. This is a signature product, creating a position for the province on the sports map, extending tourists' stays, and increasing their spending. We hope to build a sustainable "sports tourism" destination brand, contributing to socio-economic development and international integration.

After the merger, Khanh Hoa has a larger area. How does the province orient the development of tourism and sports activities in this new phase to fully utilize its potential?

After the merger, Khanh Hoa possesses a vast development space with a long coastline, numerous beautiful islands, and mountainous areas, plateaus, and unique semi-deserts. This creates favorable conditions for the province to build a tourism and sports development strategy linked to its geographical characteristics, exploiting natural advantages that few localities possess. I believe this is an invaluable resource and an outstanding advantage for the province to promote tourism development with diverse and distinctive competitive products. This is also the basis for Khanh Hoa to become a "green, different, unique, and attractive destination" in Vietnam and Southeast Asia.

Sports tourism is a very effective development trend in coastal localities, thanks to its combination of experience, exercise, exploration, and community connection. Khanh Hoa has great potential to develop this type of tourism. Currently, the province has been focusing on developing sea sports and adventure sports that are popular among young people and international tourists, such as diving, paragliding, mountain climbing, trail running, and marathons. At the same time, we continue to host and organize national and international sports tournaments, combining tourism promotion with sports.

In addition, the province aims to develop adventure and discovery sports tourism associated with special terrains: sand dunes, rocky mountains, sea, and desert. Besides that, we will host international competitions such as kitesurfing, golf, sand moto racing, off-road racing, marathons, and sailing. These will be new tourism products, extending tourists' stays and increasing their spending.

Khanh Hoa also encourages the formation of community sports clubs and the development of experiential services for visitors. The goal is to build a destination brand that offers both relaxation and personal challenges in a diverse natural environment.

We expect that with a new vision and determination, Khanh Hoa will make breakthroughs, affirming its position as a leading tourism and sports center in Vietnam and the region.

Hoai Phuong