Bonghwa-gun Selected for the 2025 Planned Contest-Type Regional Tourism Development Project
Aims to Create Korea's Only Vietnam-Themed Tourist Destination in Connection with the K-Vietnam Valley Project
Bonghwa-gun in North Gyeongsang Province announced on May 6 that it has been finally selected for the "2025 Planned Contest-Type Regional Tourism Development Project" organized by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism.
This project is a national initiative that allows local governments to autonomously identify and plan tourism development projects tailored to their needs, working in cooperation with the central government to enhance project management capabilities. The total project budget amounts to 12 billion KRW.
After competing with 14 metropolitan cities and provinces nationwide, Bonghwa-gun passed the first round of document screening and the second round of on-site evaluation, ultimately being named as one of the three final selected sites.
With this selection, the county plans to invest a total of 12 billion KRW over the next five years until 2029, including 6 billion KRW in national funding, 1.8 billion KRW in provincial funding, and 4.2 billion KRW in county funding, to promote tourism development projects in connection with the "K-Vietnam Valley" establishment project.
The project is themed "Fostering Bongtnam (Bonghwa + Vietnam), Korea's Only Vietnam-Themed Destination," and aims for comprehensive expansion of tourism infrastructure. This includes developing tourist attractions centered around the Vietnamese Ly Dynasty relics in Bonghwa-gun, creating a Vietnam-themed village, and developing related tourism products.
Bonghwa-gun has been preparing for the K-Vietnam Valley establishment project through consultations with multiple ministries, including the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, the Ministry of the Interior and Safety, the Ministry of Education, and the Ministry of SMEs and Startups.
Comprehensive Plan for the Gyeongbuk Bonghwa-gun Planned Contest-Type Regional Tourism Development Project.
Through this project, Bonghwa-gun will be able to implement not only tourism facilities but also a variety of resident-led initiatives, which is expected to strengthen project execution and contribute to increased participation and income for local residents.
Park Hyunkook, Mayor of Bonghwa-gun, stated, "This is a new model in which the local community leads tourism development, and it will be an important turning point in overcoming the crisis of regional extinction. Bonghwa-gun will do its utmost to provide a unique tourist destination where both domestic and international Vietnamese tourists, as well as Korean tourists, can experience Vietnam."
This selection is expected to serve as a significant opportunity for Bonghwa-gun to grow as a tourism hub in the northern inland region of North Gyeongsang Province, and will greatly contribute to enhancing the county's tourism competitiveness.
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