These were the issues discussed at the international conference “Prospects for developing tourism associated with Halal in Hanoi” held on April 15 in Hanoi, organized by Hanoi College of Commerce and Tourism in collaboration with the Institute of South Asian, West Asian and African Studies (ISAWAAS), Vietnam Halal Certification Center. The event is one of the activities to concretize the Project on developing Vietnam’s Halal industry until 2030 approved by the Prime Minister. The conference was attended by 150 domestic and international delegates.

New market

Halal tourism can be understood as Islamic tourism or Muslim-friendly tourism, ensuring that the tourism services provided are in accordance with the specific requirements of Islam. Currently, Halal tourism is still quite new in Vietnam in general and in Hanoi in particular.

Assessing the potential of the Halal market, Dr. Trinh Thi Thu Ha, Principal of Hanoi College of Commerce and Tourism, said that Halal tourism is emerging as a global trend, expected to contribute nearly 350 billion USD to the world tourism industry by 2030. “With more than 1.9 billion Muslims worldwide, this is a potential market that Vietnam needs to proactively approach,” Dr. Trinh Thi Thu Ha said.

Associate Professor, Dr. Dinh Cong Hoang, Head of the Middle East and West Asia Research Department, Institute of South Asia, West Asia and Africa Studies, gave an overview of the global Halal market with a scale of more than 7,000 billion USD in 2024 and expected to reach 10,000 billion USD in 2028 (annual growth rate of 6-8%). "The Halal tourism market is attracting a lot of attention from many countries. In addition to countries with predominantly Muslim religions such as Malaysia, Middle Eastern countries, Indonesia, some countries such as Singapore, Thailand... are also destinations that welcome the largest number of Muslim tourists in the world", Associate Professor, Dr. Dinh Cong Hoang informed.

With rich tourism resources, favorable geographical location, stable political environment and hospitable culture, many experts believe that Vietnam has many favorable conditions to develop this type of tourism. In particular, the capital Hanoi, with its position as an economic, cultural and tourism center, has many advantages to welcome the flow of Halal guests, turning this market into a boost for tourism in the capital, especially in the context of saturated international tourist markets.

In fact, recently, Vietnam has been welcoming a large number of Halal tourists from India and the Middle East, including many luxury and billionaire tourists coming to Vietnam for vacation. This opens up great opportunities for Vietnam tourism in general and Hanoi in particular in exploiting high-spending tourists, contributing to increasing tourism revenue.

Building a Halal Tourism Ecosystem

Although it is considered a potential market with great opportunities for exploitation, experts say that Vietnam's Halal tourism is still facing many difficulties and limitations. Assoc. Prof. Dr. Dinh Cong Hoang analyzed that Vietnam's tourism in general and Hanoi in particular still lacks specific infrastructure for Halal tourists such as: lack of prayer facilities, unsynchronized services from cuisine to entertainment. To welcome Halal tourists in a systematic and professional manner, Vietnam needs to build a Halal ecosystem with full services: cuisine, friendly accommodation, entertainment services meeting Halal standards.

Regarding the criteria for Halal certified services, Mr. Ramlan Osman, Director of the National Halal Certification Center (HALCERT), said that hotels and restaurants need to have food and coffee areas for Halal guests; entertainment areas need to have separate spaces for men and women. Destinations need to meet the requirements of being friendly and suitable for Islamic culture. At airports, hotels also need to have separate areas for prayer...

Sharing more about the Vietnamese market, Mr. Shovgi Kamal Oglu Mehdizade - Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Azerbaijan to Vietnam - said that Vietnam is becoming an attractive destination for many countries such as Pakistan, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Turkey, Arabia, etc. Most Muslim tourists when coming here love the beaches and friendly resort experiences. They are also particularly interested in exporting food products from Vietnam to their countries. "Vietnam needs to attract international experts from Muslim countries to support the development of Halal tourism, thereby attracting more Muslim tourists", Mr. Shovgi Kamal Oglu Mehdizade suggested.

Speaking at the conference, Director of Hanoi Department of Tourism – Ms. Dang Huong Giang – said that there is still a lot of room to attract Halal tourists to Hanoi. To take advantage of this opportunity, Hanoi Department of Tourism will step up propaganda and raise awareness among tourism businesses about the characteristics of Muslim tourists.

In the coming time, the Department of Tourism will work with airports and accommodation establishments to prepare separate areas to welcome Halal guests and prayer areas; at the same time, prepare suitable Halal food services. Hanoi will coordinate with embassies and connect with international organizations to increase the organization of cultural exchange events with Muslim countries; and coordinate the training of human resources to serve Muslim guests.

In addition, the Hanoi Department of Tourism will propose that the city develop mechanisms and policies to best support units serving Muslim guests. “Hanoi will have short-term and long-term strategies to be ready to welcome Muslim tourists to Hanoi in particular and Vietnam in general,” said Ms. Dang Huong Giang.

According to the plan by 2030, Hanoi aims to build a comprehensive Halal tourism ecosystem, prioritizing the formation of "Halal Friendly Zones" - Muslim-friendly areas in central districts.