Dong Thap Puts Green Tourism Center Stage at VITM 2026

At the Vietnam International Travel Mart (VITM) 2026 in Hanoi, Dong Thap is using one of the country’s largest tourism showcases to position itself as a leading green destination built around wetlands, lotus culture and community-based travel.

VITM 2026 Highlights a Shift Toward Sustainable Travel

VITM 2026, held at the Hanoi International Centre for Exhibition from 9 to 12 April, has placed sustainability and digital transformation at the heart of its program, reflecting broader priorities in Vietnam’s tourism strategy. Organisers have promoted the fair as a platform where provinces can demonstrate how they are turning green growth targets into concrete tourism products, rather than treating sustainability as a side theme.

Reports on the fair indicate that exhibitors were encouraged to foreground low-carbon transport options, nature-based itineraries and community partnerships in their offerings. Many provincial booths showcased new eco-routes, cleaner accommodation standards and environmental education elements designed to appeal to a growing segment of environmentally conscious travelers.

Within this context, Dong Thap has emerged as one of the most visible examples of how a Mekong Delta province can build a tourism identity around ecological assets and rural culture. Publicly available information on the event suggests that visitors to the Dong Thap space encountered a coordinated narrative that links wetland conservation, agricultural heritage and local livelihoods.

The prominence of green tourism at VITM 2026 also reflects continuity with recent editions of the fair, which have focused on developing green destinations and elevating Vietnam’s tourism brand through stronger environmental standards. That long-term orientation has created an opening for destinations like Dong Thap that have been investing in eco-tours and community-based experiences for several years.

Dong Thap’s Pavilion Showcases Wetlands, Lotus and Rural Life

Reports from local media describe Dong Thap’s pavilion at VITM 2026 as a visually distinctive space built around the province’s signature images of lotus ponds, bird-filled wetlands and fruit orchards. Decorative elements highlighted the “Dong Thap – Purity like the soul of the lotus” branding that the province has used in recent tourism promotion plans, linking its natural landscape with ideas of purity and renewal.

Promotional materials at the fair spotlighted key attractions such as Tram Chim National Park, Sa Dec Flower Village and the Xeo Quyt eco-historical site. These locations have become central to Dong Thap’s green tourism narrative, combining biodiversity protection, landscape conservation and cultural interpretation in a single itinerary that is easy to package for domestic and international visitors.

Information made public about the pavilion indicates that Dong Thap placed particular emphasis on experiences that keep visitor flows aligned with environmental carrying capacity. Displays highlighted birdwatching tours that respect breeding seasons, boat routes that follow existing waterways instead of carving new channels and community homestays that use local materials and traditional designs.

The pavilion also showcased typical agricultural products and craft items tied to green tourism circuits. By connecting mandarin orchards, rice fields and lotus farms with homestay networks and guided tours, Dong Thap promoted an integrated model in which spending from visitors supports small producers while encouraging the maintenance of traditional cultivation techniques.

Community-Based Tourism as a Cornerstone of the Green Revolution

Well before VITM 2026, Dong Thap had been building a portfolio of community-based tourism sites, many of them concentrated in rural communes and riverine settlements across the province. National tourism authorities have previously noted that Dong Thap has developed close to 100 such locations, including homestays, farm-stay experiences and village-based activity hubs.

At the Hanoi fair, this groundwork translated into a strong focus on people-centered tourism products. Materials distributed at the Dong Thap booth presented community families as hosts who guide visitors through orchards, fish ponds and flower gardens, offering hands-on experiences such as harvesting seasonal fruits, learning about lotus-based cuisine or joining small-scale farming tasks that do not disrupt daily work.

Publicly available documents on Dong Thap’s tourism planning show that provincial strategies encourage these community sites to adopt clear environmental practices, such as waste sorting, limited use of single-use plastics and the protection of waterways that feed into larger wetland ecosystems. Many community partners are also involved in tree planting and habitat restoration activities that can be incorporated into visitor programs.

By bringing this community-based model to a national stage like VITM 2026, Dong Thap used the fair to underline that its green revolution is not limited to protected areas or showcase projects. Instead, the province framed sustainability as a network of everyday practices distributed across villages, agrotourism clusters and small family businesses.

Wetland Conservation Anchors Dong Thap’s Green Identity

Tram Chim National Park, one of Vietnam’s most significant wetland reserves, remains central to Dong Thap’s tourism identity and featured prominently in its VITM 2026 messaging. The park protects extensive flooded grasslands in the Plain of Reeds and serves as a key habitat for migratory waterbirds, including the endangered sarus crane, which has become an emblem of wider conservation efforts in the province.

Tourism operators working in and around Tram Chim have increasingly adopted low-impact practices that are now promoted as part of Dong Thap’s green tourism offer. Information from eco-tour providers describes the use of electric boats on some routes, small-group birdwatching excursions timed to minimize disturbance and interpretive programs that explain the ecological importance of water level management in the wetlands.

At VITM 2026, Dong Thap’s materials linked Tram Chim with other nature sites such as Gao Giong and the canal networks around Xeo Quyt, presenting them as components of a broader wetland corridor that visitors can explore over several days. This approach encourages longer stays and more even distribution of visitor pressure while reinforcing awareness of how different parts of the province’s ecosystem interact.

Public coverage of green tourism initiatives in the Mekong Delta has also highlighted campaigns to protect the habitat of flagship species and preserve a “million shades of green” in wetland landscapes. By aligning itself with these regional efforts, Dong Thap strengthened its claim at the Hanoi fair to be a province where tourism growth actively supports environmental stewardship.

Digital Tools and Market Positioning for a Green Future

While much attention at VITM 2026 fell on landscapes and community stories, digital transformation formed a parallel thread in Dong Thap’s presentation. National tourism development strategies have stressed the importance of smart solutions and online platforms for promoting green destinations, and provinces participating in the fair were encouraged to show how technology can amplify sustainable practices.

According to published coverage of the event, Dong Thap’s tourism partners highlighted the use of digital channels to manage visitor flows, provide real-time information on weather and water levels in wetland areas and distribute codes of conduct that encourage responsible behavior. Online booking tools for community-based homestays and eco-tours were also promoted as a way to give travelers more transparent choices and allow operators to plan capacity more accurately.

The province’s longer-term plans, including targets to attract millions of visitors while keeping its “Purity like the soul of the lotus” positioning, depend heavily on such tools to balance promotion with protection. Data on visitor numbers, spending and seasonality are being used to guide investment into sites that can handle more guests and to protect more fragile areas from overuse.

By weaving technology, conservation and community participation into a single narrative at VITM 2026, Dong Thap sought to present itself not only as a picturesque Mekong Delta stop but as a laboratory for Vietnam’s broader transition toward green tourism. For travelers evaluating low-impact options in the country, the province’s performance at the Hanoi fair signaled that its green revolution is moving from policy documents into visible, bookable experiences.