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Da Nang, a livable coastal city in Central Vietnam, is constantly striving to improve the quality of its tourism services to affirm its position as a leading destination in the region. Recently, the Da Nang Tourism Promotion Center opened a special Korean language and culture training course specifically for the city's cyclo drivers. This is considered a smart strategy, directly targeting the city's largest international tourist market: Korean tourists visiting Da Nang.
In the first 11 months of 2025, statistics show that Da Nang welcomed over 2 million South Korean tourists, accounting for an impressive 28% of the total international visitors, affirming its leading position in this market. With diverse experience needs, stable length of stay, and good spending power, professionalizing the team that directly interacts with this group of tourists is a top priority.
The Da Nang City Tourism Promotion Center announced that it recently opened a Korean language and culture training course for members of the Tourist Cyclo Team and staff of the Tourist Support Center.
The Da Nang cyclo tour has long been considered one of the city's most distinctive and iconic tourism products. This experience is not only a means of transportation but also an opportunity for visitors to experience urban life in the most intimate and friendly way. The cyclo journey typically takes visitors past prominent landmarks such as the Cham Sculpture Museum, APEC Park, along the picturesque Bach Dang Street by the Han River, the bustling Han Market, and Tran Phu Street. The cost for this experience is currently around 200,000 VND for 30 minutes per person, making it a reasonable option for tourists who want to explore Da Nang from a traditional perspective.
The Da Nang Tourist Cyclo Team, established in 2003 and strictly managed by the Tourism Promotion Center, currently has 83 members with uniformly designed cyclos, ensuring safety, civility, and no soliciting of customers. However, the language barrier remains the biggest challenge for this group of workers who interact directly with tourists.
The training program aims to improve Korean communication skills and equip participants with knowledge of Korean culture and customs. The course lasts for two days.
The Korean language course for cyclo drivers, which commenced on December 7th, is a pioneering solution to fill this communication gap. The course is designed not only to equip drivers with basic communication skills but also to provide in-depth knowledge of Korean culture and customs. This is particularly important because, according to travel companies, Korean tourists are a demanding and high-spending group. Understanding the culture helps Da Nang cyclo drivers provide more refined service, avoid unnecessary misunderstandings, and significantly improve the tourist experience.
A team of cyclo drivers transports foreign tourists on sightseeing tours through the streets of central Da Nang.
This initiative has created a positive and civilized image, affirming that foreign languages are no longer a distant dream but have become essential skills in the service industry. After completing the training course, the 83 members of the Tourist Cyclo Team are expected to be more confident and communicative, bringing superior friendliness and professionalism.
Besides training personnel, Da Nang's tourism industry has also strongly applied technology to professionalize cyclo tours. Since September, the city has operated an integrated automatic guide system (Auto Guide) on the cyclos. This device uses GPS positioning to automatically activate commentary via headphones in 15 languages as the cyclo passes through tourist attractions.
However, the role of the driver remains irreplaceable. While the Auto Guide system provides comprehensive information, a driver's basic knowledge of Korean will be key to handling direct communication beyond the provided commentary, fostering personal connection and answering tourists' questions immediately. The combination of modern technology and direct foreign language skills creates a perfect tourism product.
"The golden key" to attracting more South Korean tourists to visit Da Nang.
To expand its reach to the international market, Da Nang cyclo tours have also been strongly developed on leading online travel agency (OTA) platforms such as Klook, GetYourGuide, and Kkday.
According to Klook representatives, in just over three months since its launch in September, the platform has recorded nearly 100 bookings, with the majority from South Korean tourists. This shows that the demand for traditional local experiences combined with the convenience of online booking is very high. Increased promotion through OTAs and a team of drivers with good foreign language communication skills will be a strong leverage, helping Da Nang's cyclo tour become a must-try for all international tourists visiting the city.
Da Nang's strategy is not simply about serving a single market, but also demonstrates its commitment to sustainable and high-quality tourism development. Through investment in human resources and the application of technology, Da Nang is gradually building an image of a civilized, friendly, and professional destination, ready to welcome the ever-increasing influx of international tourists.
