VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI

UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGE AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES

FACULTY OF ENGLISH LANGUAGE TEACHER EDUCATION

ENGLISH FOR TOURISM

FINAL ASSIGNMENT
Bang Pagoda
Quang Ba Market Flower - Ho Chi Minh Museum

Lecturer: Tran Thu Ha

Group: Number 1
Nguyễn Minh Phương - 19040991
Nguyễn Quỳnh Trang - 20041264
Trần Thu Huyền - 20040325
Hoàng Khánh Linh - 21040186
Chu Thúy Quỳnh – 21040026
Class: ENG 2070 2

Hanoi - 2022

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 Table of Contents
Description of destination ....................................................................................... 3
Tour description .......................................................................................................4
Marketing plan .........................................................................................................6
1. Current market situation ..............................................................................6
1.1. The chosen tourist destination ......................................................6
1.2. Market situation.............................................................................7
2. SWOT analysis............................................................................................9
2.1 Strengths.........................................................................................9
2.2 Weaknesses ....................................................................................9
2.3 Opportunities.................................................................................10
2.4 Threats ..........................................................................................10
3. Marketing strategy ....................................................................................11
3.1. Target market...............................................................................11
3.2. Product/Service ...........................................................................11
3.3. Unique Value Proposition ...........................................................12
3.4. Budget (Cost structure, marketing budget)..................................13
3.5. Promotion ....................................................................................14
4. Action plans ..............................................................................................15
References ...............................................................................................................17

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I. Description of destination: Bang Pagoda - Quang Ba Flower Market - Ho
Chi Minh Museum

1. Bang Pagoda

Bang Pagoda is located at 63 Bang Liet Street, Hoang Liet Ward, Hoang Mai
District, Hanoi city. Once reconstructed in 1654, it now preserves a number of
architectural works of art such as the Tam Bao Palace, the Ancestral House, the Thap
To Zone, etc (Nghiem, 2021). Recently, new architectures including the Bao An
Palace, the tallest Buddhist tower which also has the greatest number of bronze
statues in Vietnam, and the Guanyin Garden - regarded as the biggest Guanyin garden
in Vietnam - were built.

2. Quang Ba Flower Market

The Quang Ba (so-called Quang An) flower market was unintendedly founded
to satisfy the self-sufficient needs of people in flower-growing villages in Tay Ho and
Tu Liem areas. In the first days, it was located at the junction of Xuan Dieu and Au
Co Streets. However, after Tay Ho District was established in 1996, the market was
moved to the current location at 236 Au Co Street, Quang An Ward, Tay Ho District,
Hanoi. From this movement, it has developed to become one of the largest night
flower markets in the Northern part of Vietnam.

Quang Ba market nowadays not only sells local flowers but also sells imported
ones. The exotic flowers are from various sources, from national provinces such as
Vinh Phuc, Da Lat,… to foreign countries like China, Thailand, Netherlands, South
Africa,...(Quy, 2021). Each area in each season has different flowers. Therefore,
flowers sold at Quang Ba Flower Market are seasonal and diverse.

3. Ho Chi Minh Museum

Located within Ho Chi Minh Complex, this special museum was constructed
in nearly 5 years to celebrate Ho Chi Minh’s 100 years of birth. It is in the shape of a
huge white flower, 20 meters in height.

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The ground floor is a hall with 400 seats where Vietnam’s national as well as
international meetings are usually hosted. The second floor displays a tremendous
exhibition with more than 2000 priceless historical documents and masterpieces
which systematically reflect Ho Chi Minh’s working life and Vietnam’s
revolutionary stages (Pham, 2021).

The exhibition here contains three main contents:

● How Vietnamese people follow Ho Chi Minh’s Testament and How was his
life as well as Revolutionary Cause.
● How Vietnamese people’s Life turned from Poverty into Victory under the
lead of Uncle Ho.
● The world’s major historical events, shown in 8 halls.

II. Tour description

Main details

Give your wanderlust soul a little break from routined cubicle life and come with us
to experience a peaceful life in Bang Pagoda, an ancient temple in the prosperous
capital. The temple is located in a peaceful area in the Hoang Mai district, surrounded
by large fields, away from the hustle and bustle.

The pagoda is also known as Linh Tien Pagoda, appeared for a very long time, dating
back over 400 years. It is one of the oldest pagodas in the heart of Hanoi.
Withstanding many wars and rain, this ancient temple still preserves many valuable
relics. However, the most impressive thing is still the temple campus built with many
works bearing the beauty of Buddhism, contributing to enhancing the value of Bang
pagoda.

At 8:30, guests will check out of the hotel and leave for the tour. To take tourists to
the streets of Hanoi in the Ba Dinh-Hoang Mai region, we will set up a unique vehicle.
The guests will enjoy a buffet lunch at Yakimoto Linh Dam restaurant after spending
two to three hours snapping pictures, checking in, and getting gorgeous shots. The
best time to go to Bang Pagoda is in the afternoon. In addition to sightseeing, guests
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may have the opportunity to participate in rituals or gatherings that the temple hosts.
We will eat dinner at the Phuong Nguyen restaurant in the evening, which is
renowned for its prime views of West Lake and delicious fare. Hanging out in the
Quang Ba flower garden on Au Co street is another potential activity. If customers
have little interest, they can opt to relax at the hotel as this flower market opens at
night, about 9 pm. We'll take visitors to the Ho Chi Minh museum on the second day.
In addition to displaying relics associated with President Ho Chi Minh, this museum
also welcomes knowledgeable guides to speak about Uncle Ho's life and career. We
will be in charge of sending everyone home at the end of the excursion if necessary.

Additional Details

What to Carry

● Smart casual clothes, modest below-the-knee clothing is a must;

● Reusable water bottle as we don’t consume single-use plastic bottles;

● Hat, sunglasses, and sunblock (take off when going to the main worship area);

● A pair of flip-flops to take off easily when visiting pagoda (optional);

What’s Included

● Domestic transfers (bus + motorbike)

● Accommodation (Bang Pagoda, Ho Chi Minh Museum, Quang Ba Flower

Market)

● Three standard meals per day (breakfast + lunch + dinner)

● Licensed English speaking guides

● First aid kit

What’s Not Included

● International transfers

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 ● Alcoholic beverage

● Souvenirs

● Personal expenses

● Porter (if required)

Overview

● Group Size – 15-30

● Transportation – Tourist Bus + Motorbike

● Best Season to Travel – Spring

● Tour Type – Cultural tourism & Religious tourism

● Language – Vietnamese/English

III. Marketing plan

The plan consists of 4 parts: Market situation, SWOT analysis, Marketing strategy,
Action plan

1. Market situation

1.1. The chosen tourist destinations: Problem and solution

This marketing plan aims to market these destinations to become well-known cultural
tourism destinations for the viewing of religious monuments and artifacts purposes,
a branch of sightseeing and for check-in places in Hanoi for tourists by creating a
one-day experience tour for tourists.

In fact, Bang Pagoda, located in Hoang Mai, Hanoi has a little reputation. However,
it is only known to a small group of people, mostly people nearby, people who have
beliefs in Buddhism, people in the religious community - the Buddhism community
in particular. Moreover, the tourism aspect of Bang Pagoda has not been widely
promoted. People are here mostly for the sermon or a short-term retreat for teenagers.

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Quang Ba Flower Market is a night market. Despite its high potential to become a
hot-trend check-in place for young people (The variety of types and colors of flowers
as well as the bustling atmosphere of the market at night), Quang Ba flower market
has not achieved its reputation and a worthy investment for the infrastructure.

Also, Ho Chi Minh Museum, a part of the Ho Chi Minh Complex around Ba Dinh
Square in Hanoi's "Old Quarter", will not only be the complementary place for the
abovementioned sites as its reputation as a historical, dedicated and check-in place
but also be complemented by the others (an ancient and religious spot (Bang Pagoda),
a hustle, trending and stress-relieving site (Quang Ba Flower Market) and memory-
praised location (Ho Chi Minh Museum)) to attract more tourists.

Except complimenting others, the tour is the combination of multiple factors of

cultural tourism and satisfies every aspect of cultural tourism.

1.2. Market situation

Industry trends (market trends): Cultural tourism is the type of tourism that tourists
travel to learn, discover, experience, and consume the tangible and intangible cultural
attractions/products in a tourist destination. This type of tourism experience products
includes architectural and archaeological treasures, culinary activities, festivals or
events, historic or heritage sites, monuments and landmarks, museums and
exhibitions, national parks and wildlife sanctuaries, religious venues, temples and
churches (UNWTO, 2017).

Cultural tourism is always considered a huge sector of tourism and is a growing trend.
At least 40% of all tourists worldwide can be considered cultural tourists (UNWTO,
n.d) and culture is one of the most important motivations for tourists as well. In
Vietnam, it is undeniable that cultural tourism accounts for a large proportion of
tourism and most of the famous tourist destinations are cultural-related sites. In fact,
cultural tourism is identified as one of the four main product lines of Vietnam's
tourism. For 3 consecutive years (2019-2021), Vietnam was voted by the World
Travel Awards as "Asia's Leading Cultural Destination". With that achievement, it

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can be confidently said that culture is the lever and foundation for tourism to develop
and reach out (Hong Minh, 2022).

In recent years, religious tourism, a branch of tourism related to cultural tourism, has
emerged as a major cultural trend in Vietnam and globally. In Vietnam, spiritual
tourism is associated with religion and faith and, in which Buddhism has the largest
number (accounting for 90%) (Ha Thai, 2019). Traveling and pilgrimaging to
pagodas at the beginning of the year is a habit in Vietnamese culture. Currently,
visiting religious places like temples, and pagodas have become a more popular trend
among not only the old but also the young people for not only pilgrimage, worship or
praying but also for sightseeing, and festivals. In 2019, out of 85 million tourists,
34.85 million visitors went to spiritual sites (temples, pagodas, mausoleums, palaces,
memorial areas, holy places, etc), accounting for about 42% (Industry and Trade
Magazine, 2021). This number will continue to grow higher in 2022 as after a long
duration of the Covid-19 pandemic, mental health is more noticeable and many
people choose religious tourism to find inner peace due to beliefs in tradition, spirits
and religion of Vietnamese culture. As an illustration, in February 2022, immediately
after Hanoi and some provinces and cities allowed historical and cultural relics to
open to visitors, spiritual tourist attractions attracted a large number of visitors. A
representative of the Quang Ninh Department of Tourism said that from February 1
to 15, the total revenue from tourism reached about 1,000 billion VND (Le, 2022).

Based on product type in religious tourism, Buddhism holds the third largest share in
the segment globally, which can be attributed to the purpose of visiting a religious
place such as pagodas and temples, makes the viewing of religious monuments and
artifacts purpose, and a branch of sightseeings a strongly developing and potential
market. On the basis of Geography, the Asia Pacific region has accounted for the
largest Market share in the segment this region is nurtured by the diversity of the
product and religious-specific countries (Verified Market Research, 2021).
Furthermore, when visiting Vietnam, the popular tourist activities of international
tourists are not only to enjoy the natural landscape but also to experience the rich

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culture and history. Therefore, visiting temples, pagodas, mausoleums, palaces,
memorial areas, holy places, etc is also one of the popular parts of the tour.

Photography is important in tourism. “‘To be a tourist, it would seem, involves taking

photographs”. (Robinson & Picard, 2009). Used to be keeping memory only,
photography in tourism nowadays has become a form of special interest tourism in
which the tourist visits a particular place with the primary aim of photographing
subjects. Many people travel to take pictures.

These trends create favorable conditions for making a tour visit these destinations.

Competition and competitors in the market:

Completed-process tours of famous travel agencies to famous spiritual sites (such as

Bai Dinh pagoda (Ninh Binh), Tran Quoc pagoda (Hanoi), Tam Chuc pagoda (Ha
Nam), etc.); to famous check-in Flower Market (Mê Linh night Flower Market, Lạc
Long Quân Flower Market, Hàng Lược Flower Market, etc) and museum in Hanoi
(Vietnam Museum of Ethnology, Vietnam National Museum of Fine Arts, VCCA
Vincom Center for Contemporary Art , etc)

2. SWOT

Strength Weakness

- The places: The scenic, the - The places:

meanings, the beauty
● Precious relics and antiquities
such as the "self-signed Linh
Tien" stele, Bao An tower, and
others (Bang Pagoda)
● Many unique architectural and
historical features are preserved
(HCM Museum, Bang Pagoda)
● Progressive communication on
● Small space (Bang Pagoda and
● The surrounding landscape is not
impressive
● Located right in the middle of the
crowded area of the capital, not
suitable for resort tourism.
● The flower market has not been
actually invested in infrastructure.

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 many platforms: Facebook,
Website (HCM Museum, Bang
Pagoda)
● Regular organized assemblies and
retreats (Bang Pagoda)
● Special meanings: A memory-
praised for the greatest leader of
Vietnam (HCM Museum)
● Various kind of flowers create a
beautiful street market
● The tour: A complementary
combination of a religious site, a
hot-trend photographic tourism
and a historical and meaningful
place arouse the excitement of
tourists.

Opportunities Threat

● The growing cultural and ● The competition from other

religious travel trend
● The change of tourism after
Covid-19: After two years of
quarantine, social distancing and
isolation, and movement
restrictions, tourism is in a strong
recovery. According to UNWTO,
international tourism recovered
almost 60% of pre-pandemic
levels.
famous destinations, tour and
travel agencies in Hanoi in
particular and Vietnam in general
leads to the lack of attention to the
tour and the destination.
● The cultural degradation in the
society leads to the degradation of
the destination, physically and
culturally.
● The lack of management,
attention and collaboration of the

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 Local Authorities.
● The security: Pickpocket,
overpriced, etc

3. Marketing strategy

3.1 Target market: Demographic customer segmentation technique

The target customers for the tour are at all ages (ideally the young 20-30), all
gender, all race, education, occupation, and nationality who have an average income
or more.

Especially, the target customers who are interested in Buddhism spiritual sites and
exploring culture.

3.2 Product/Service (detailed itinerary, key activities)

Transport: hire 10-15 coach - go with you all day

Food

- Breakfast: Up to your choice: fresh bread, steam sticky rice, banh day, salad,
cake, biscuit,... or we will go on the coach first and find some freshly made
noodles or pho/ hu tieu/…
- Snack: Based on your choice (salad, snack, fruit, cake, biscuit,...)
- Lunch: Yakimoto Linh Đàm (Ô số 5, Dãy A, Lô TT3 Tây Nam Hồ Linh Đàm,
Hoàng Liệt, Hoàng Mai, Hà Nội)

Activities:

- Bang pagoda:
+ Sightseeing with relieving scenes
+ Praying…
+ Listening to monks
- Flower market: sightseeing, checking, photo taking (photographer from our
tour company)

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- Ho Chi Minh Museum: tour guide with profound knowledge, photo taking
(photographer from our tour company)

3.3 Unique Value Proposition

You're sick of crowded cities, noisy cars, and long workdays?

You want to get away from the hustle and bustle of everyday life and find a
peaceful and tranquil location to soothe your mind and relax your body?

You're overwhelmed by the number of suggestions when you search for must-see
places in Hanoi on the internet?

Don't worry! We are here to help you!

Take our tour with Bang Pagoda as the main location or you'll regret it! Below, I'll
discuss four reasons why you should visit this location at least once!

1. Pray for a happy and peaceful life

In Vietnam, paying homage to Buddha and praying for peace and prosperity has
become an integral part of respect and morality.

On the first day of each month and on the full moon day, the Bang Pagoda will
hold a Dharma lecture to pray for the nation's peace and development.

Be polite and kind-hearted, and all the blessed things you pray for will come to
you.

2. Explore the Vietnamese people's local customs

Burning incense and making small offerings of food or money is a traditional ritual
in any pagoda, including Bang.

If you plan to pray here, bring some food or a small amount of money. It prefers
to make a simple and straightforward offering to the gods at pagodas.

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 Vietnamese people consider odd numbers to be lucky. As a result, when burning
incense, people frequently bring three incense sticks to the Bang pagoda to pray
for health, good luck, and success.

If you want to learn about local customs, make Bang Pagoda your next stop on
your journey now!

3. Take stunning photographs at Bang Pagoda in Hanoi

According to Thrillist, the Bang pagoda has the architecture of a lotus in bloom,
which makes people think of Buddha's lotus. Let yourself take a moment to walk
through the calm atmosphere and enjoy the timeless beauty of the red brick or the
scented cloud of incense ascending from the large incense burner.

It's no surprise that Bang Pagoda is an excellent location for taking stunning
photographs. It would be very regrettable if you left Hanoi without taking pictures
of Bang Pagoda.

4. Find inner peace

A visit to Bang Pagoda will blow away the stresses and worries of everyday life,
bringing each Buddhist to a place where they can find peace and solitude. Bang
Pagoda will provide you with many memorable experiences if you are interested
in learning about religious culture, discovering the beauty of ancient architecture,
and enjoying the story of Buddhism.

Time seems to have forgotten about this ancient and primitive pagoda. Leaving my
feet on the doorstep, my heart felt suddenly calm and gentle, letting the wind blow
away everything except me and the peaceful space.

3.4 Budget

a. Cost structure:

We establish a reasonable price range for services offered to tourists, including

transportation, entrance fee, homestays, tour guides and insurance, ranging from
1.000.000 VND - 1.800.000 VND/per
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 - Transportation: 100.000 - 200.000VNĐ/per
- Entrance fee to Bang Pagoda: Free
- Lunch and dinner for tourists: 400.000 - 800.000/ per
- Homestays in Hovi De Bali: 500,000VND - 800,000 VND/person/night
- Entrance fee to museum: Free
b. Marketing Budget

- Cost of starting and maintaining marketing activities (print, advertising design

such as newsletters, brochures and press releases, direct mail costs, website
development, public relations trade): 300 million VND
- Salary for staff: 500 million VND
- Derived expenses: 100 million VND

=> Estimated total budget: 900 million VND

3.5 Promotion (Distribution channels, marketing strategies)

a. Distribution channels: Youtube, website, staff who deal with direct bookings,
sales agents, hotel concierges, hostels.

b. Marketing strategies:

1. Encourage customers to write positive reviews after the tour.

2. Get personal.

- Keep track of customers’ booking to customize and automate email

reminders for their upcoming trip and ensures a more personalized
customer experience

4. Offer free content about the destination on the website.

- Offer live web cams to attract site visitors

- Offer a downloadable guide or travel tips about the destination that is

available free of charge and only requires the customers to provide their

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 emails —the basic information needed to build a subscriber list to send
email newsletters in the near future.

5. Enhance tour descriptions on our website.

- On our website, add more details about the tour. For instance, include
bulleted lists with highlights of the tour, indicating which activities are
most-talked about, and include high-quality photographs alongside
each description. Embedding a short video to keep customers engaged
and eager to learn more about the tour.

4. Action plan - Timescale

Activities Works/ Plans

Tour length 2 days

Tour open period New year festival, Summer vacation, 10/3 Hung King anniversary,
National day

Transportation 15 to 45-seat tourist coach

Estimated leaving First day: 8h in the morning - Take up at your current hotel
time (From Hanoi
center)

Estimated return Second day: 11h at the Ho Chi Minh museum - Drop off at your
time hotel

Optional: if you want to go to flower market, we serve until 2 a.m

in the next morning and bring you back to your hotel later

Day 1 Bang pagoda (Morning)

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 8h30: Start from your hotel

A tour on coach around Hanoi (Just sightseeing and drop anywhere

for you to take pictures/videos) - Route: Ba Dinh-Hoan Kiem-
Dong Da- Hai Ba Trung-Hoang Mai

Lunch and rest - (11h - 13h): Yakimoto Linh Đàm (Number 5, A

Block, TT3 Southwest Linh Đam Lake, Hoang Liet, Hoang Mai,
Ha Noi) - Note: Cost of buffet is 349000VND but we will provide
discount if you book our tour

13h30-16h30: Come to Bang pagoda and listen to monks

“talkshow”- praying, meditate,... (life perception, how to live
meaningful and relieve mind in monks’ way,...)

Dinner: (17h- 20h): Phuong Nguyen restaurant (To Ngoc Van

street) with Westlake view and delicious cuisine

Optional Quang Ba Flower Market (Midnight - optional )

Start from 21h

Before coming to the flower market, you can freely explore around
(Westlake, Ho Guom, Food tour in Old Quarter)

Day 2 Ho Chi Minh Museum (8h30h - 11h)

We have specialized tour guide for you to experience the best

knowledge of history

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 References:

CBI - EU. (2020). The European market potential for religious tourism. Retrieved
from https://www.cbi.eu/market-information/tourism/religious-
tourism/market-potential

Hong Minh (2022). Di sản văn hóa - nền tảng quan trọng của du lịch. Retrieved from
https://www.bienphong.com.vn/di-san-van-hoa-nen-tang-quan-trong-cua-du-
lich-post449185.html

Industry and Trade Magazine (2021, November 22). Du lịch tâm linh thúc đẩy kinh tế
địa phương phát triển. Retrieved from https://tapchicongthuong.vn/bai-
viet/du-lich-tam-linh-thuc-day-kinh-te-dia-phuong-phat-trien-85366.htm

Le, N. (2022, February 17). Mở cửa muộn, du lịch tâm linh vẫn hút khách. Retrieved
from https://kinhtedothi.vn/mo-cua-muon-du-lich-tam-linh-van-hut-
khach.html

Nghiem, T. B. (2021, February 21). Chùa Bằng - Linh Tiên tự: Ngôi cổ tự nơi thủ
đô phồn hoa. Phật Giáo Việt Nam. Retrieved from https://phatgiao.org.vn/chua-
bang--linh-tien-tu-ngoi-co-tu-noi-thu-do-phon-hoa-d45993.html

Robinson, M & Picard, D. (2009). The framed world: Tourism, tourists and
photography; Ashgate publishing limited.

Quy, N. (2021, March 12). Quang Ba Flower Market, Hanoi in early morning & at
night (MAP). Vietnam Discovery Travel. Retrieved November 27, 2022, from
https://vietnamdiscovery.com/hanoi/shopping/quang-ba-flower-market/

Pham, J. (2021, January 25). Ho Chi Minh mausoleum complex hanoi: Opening
hours - dresscode. Vietnam Discovery Travel. Retrieved November 27, 2022, from
https://vietnamdiscovery.com/hanoi/attractions/ho-chi-minh-mausoleum-
complex/#ii-ho-chi-minh-mausoleum-complex

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The World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) (2017, September 16-17). The 22nd
Session of the General Assembly. Chengdu, China

UNWTO (2022, September 26). INTERNATIONAL TOURISM BACK TO 60% OF

PRE-PANDEMIC LEVELS IN JANUARY-JULY 2022. Retrieved from
https://www.unwto.org/news/international-tourism-back-to-60-of-pre-
pandemic-levels-in-january-july-2022

UNWTO (n,d). Tourism and Culture Synergies. Retrieved from https://www.e-

unwto.org/doi/pdf/10.18111/9789284418978

Verified Market Research (2021). Global Religious Tourism Market Size By Product
Type, By Application, By Geographic Scope And Forecast. Retrieved from
https://www.verifiedmarketresearch.com/product/religious-tourism-market/

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