Associate Professor, Dr. Pham Hong Long: Life is a journey

The student passionate about ecotourism

As one of 349 teachers recognized by the State Council of Professors as meeting the standards for the title of Associate Professor in 2019 and the only Associate Professor in the tourism industry, Mr. Pham Hong Long said that this is the State's recognition of not only the contributions of individuals in training and research, but also the efforts of the Faculty of Tourism and the school's academic reputation.

“I am proud to be one of the people who have been formally trained in tourism, belonging to the first generation to study tourism in the country and later have the opportunity to study for a master's or doctorate abroad. The title of Associate Professor is an honor and at the same time puts on my shoulders the responsibility of promoting tourism training and research of the Faculty of Tourism Studies to be worthy of being one of the leading tourism educational institutions in the country and reaching the regional and world level,” said the new Associate Professor Hong Long.

During 20 years of working, Associate Professor Pham Hong Long has completed 4 scientific research topics/projects; participated in 3 provincial-level research topics and 2 ministerial-level research topics.

Associate Professor Dr. Pham Hong Long has been passionate about ecotourism since he was in high school. The student from Hai Phong's hometown has a passion for tourism that began with his family working in forestry. Therefore, as a final year student majoring in tourism, he chose Ba Be National Park as the first destination in his scientific research journey...

When he was retained as a lecturer at the Faculty of Tourism Studies of the University of Social Sciences and Humanities, with the support of an Australian expert, young teacher Hong Long published a scientific research work entitled "Some solutions to develop ecotourism in Ba Be National Park", which was used in the proceedings of the scientific conference celebrating the 5th anniversary of the Faculty's establishment.

Later, when he had the opportunity to participate in field trips and field research at many tourist destinations across the country, young teacher Pham Hong Long continued to delve into research on ecotourism, community tourism and sustainable tourism development. Mr. Hong Long has done extensive research on the current status of planning and management in some national parks such as Xuan Thuy, Cuc Phuong, Ben En, Cat Tien, Bach Ma, Phong Nha - Ke Bang...

Connecting with foreign countries to develop sustainable tourism

With many years of teaching and researching tourism, plus a master's degree in Tourism Management in Malaysia and a doctorate in Tourism in Japan, Associate Professor Pham Hong Long understands the problems of the country's tourism industry. With a rapid growth rate, contributing greatly to the country's GDP; however, Vietnamese tourism is developing "hotly", focusing more on the number of tourists. Foreign tourists coming to Vietnam spend almost the same number of days as other countries in the region, but on average, they only spend about 96 USD/day, while in Thailand it is almost double.

Determining that tourism development must be in harmony with three aspects: Economy - Culture - Society, teacher Hong Long focuses on sustainable tourism research projects. Based on actual data, teacher Long has conducted a comparative study of tourism development policies in several countries that were consulted by the National Assembly Office and the General Department of Tourism during the process of amending and promulgating the 2017 Tourism Law.

Associate Professor Pham Hong Long (standing far right) often tells students to travel a lot, and traveling is the fastest way to learn.

Also because of the desire for the country's tourism to develop quickly, strongly and sustainably, the scientific seminars by the Faculty of Tourism under the leadership of Mr. Hong Long all aim at the factor of international integration.

Recently, on December 3-4, 2019, the Faculty of Tourism Studies organized an international scientific conferenceSustainable Tourism Development: Lessons for Southeast Asian Countries, attracting 60 scholars from 22 countries and territories to exchange and share knowledge, reposition the position, and recognize the role of Vietnamese tourism in the context of integration.

“To support local people in tourism, for many years I have been to Hanoi, Bac Ninh, Hai Phong, Quang Ninh, Nam Dinh, Thanh Hoa, Nghe An to train and coach local communities in communication skills and how to do community tourism. We hope to instill in those involved in the most initial stages of tourism activities,” said Associate Professor Hong Long.

For tourism activities to truly develop sustainably and have cultural depth, teacher Hong Long often tells students to travel a lot, and traveling is the fastest way to learn. As a famous person said, "The world is like a book, and those who do not travel only read one page." Travel to turn the pages of the book. With the mindset of a tourism student, traveling is not for enjoyment but to observe, learn and accumulate experience.