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Project: |
Swiss Tourism for Sustainable Development in Vietnam (ST4SD) |
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Code: |
TOR.C1.19/01/2026 |
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Consulting service: |
Development of a tourism master plan for Tuyen Quang province |
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Contract term: |
From February 2026 to 30 April 2026 |
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Application deadline: |
Before 28 January 2026 |
1.Background
The Swiss Tourism for Sustainable Development (ST4SD) project is funded by The Swiss State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO) for a duration of four years, from April 2023 to March 2027, with implementation led by HELVETAS Swiss Inter-cooperation in Vietnam (Helvetas Vietnam) as the Lead Implementing Agency, and CRED Tourism & Agriculture Solution Consulting Company Limited (CRED) as the Consortium Partner.
The main objective of the ST4SD project is to contribute to a more sustainable and inclusive tourism sector in Vietnam. In the long term, the project aims to support the creation of new livelihoods and promote sustainable economic development in the country. This overarching objective will be achieved by focusing on three key outcomes:
- Outcome 1 (macro level): Enhancing sustainable tourism development by ensuring that national and subnational action plans, master plans, and relevant policies include necessary actions. This includes facilitating the decision-making and implementation processes.
- Outcome 2 (meso level): Strengthening Vietnamese training institutions to provide quality training and develop skills and expertise in sustainable tourism. The project will assist in the selection and enhancement of these institutions.
- Outcome 3 (meso and micro level): Encouraging tourism destinations and companies to adopt more sustainable practices in their operations and investments. This outcome aims to make both the destinations and the companies more environmentally and socially responsible.
From 2025, the ST4SD Project provided consultancy and support to Tuyen Quang in sustainable tourism development. In 2026, the Project continue to support Tuyen Quang in building master plan for tourism development to 2035, vision to 2045. Thus, the Project is recruiting a national consultant to carry out this assignment in early 2026.
2. Objective(s) of the mission (or consultancy)
The objective of this consultancy is to provide technical support and draft a technical consultatory reports to provide inputs to the masterplan by the Tuyen Quang Culture, Sports and Tourism Department. This detailed support is expected to be demonstrated in the following areas:
- Assessment of current status and development resources: Develop a report assessing the current state of tourism, including key factors and resources driving tourism development.
- Contextual analysis (Domestic and International): Develop a report analyzing domestic and international tourism contexts and their impacts on the sustainable development of Tuyen Quang’s tourism industry.
- Objectives and core strategies: Formulate and propose strategic objectives and core pillars for the Tuyen Quang Tourism Development Project through 2035, with a vision toward 2045.
- Sustainable development initiative framework: Develop a framework of key initiatives for the sustainable development of Tuyen Quang tourism.
3. Expected deliverables
The national expert is expected to deliver the following key deliverables:
- Prepare a comprehensive report of at least 40 pages in each language, comprising four sub-reports, including:
- Report on assessment of Current Status and Development Resources,
- Report on contextual Analysis (Domestic and International),
- Report on formulating objectives and Core Strategies, and
- Report on sustainable development initiative framework
- Attend to and present advice at one meeting or workshop organized by the Tuyen Quang Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism related to the aforementioned advisory content.
*All reports and deliverables must be prepared and submitted in both English and Vietnamese.
4. Key competencies and experience
The selected expert is expected to have the following qualifications and experience:
- A minimum of a Master’s Degree in Tourism;
- At least 20 years of professional experience in the tourism sector;
- Proven knowledge on tourism policy development and tourism planning, including the experiences to consult or work with governmental agencies of Tuyen Quang province.
- Experience in sustainable tourism development, especially in mountainous areas like Tuyen Quang
- Proven knowledge in writing research, books, papers on sustainable tourism or tourism policies and planning is an advantage;
- Proficiency in both English and Vietnamese, with the ability to prepare and submit all deliverables in both languages;
- Demonstrated experience working with NGOs, government agencies, or donor-funded projects related to sustainable tourism development.
5. Main Tasks and Activities of the Assignee (or consultant)
Under the coordination of the ST4SD Project and in close collaboration with Tuyen Quang DoCST, the consultant will undertake the following tasks:
- Conduct a desk review of current situation of tourism development in Tuyen Quang, The domestic and international contexts influencing the development of Tuyen Quang over the next 10 years, up to 2035, and with a vision to 2045; the core objectives and strategies, as well as the framework of initiatives for Tuyen Quang tourism development up to 2035, are based on assessments of the current situation and context, as well as information on current strategies and planning for Vietnam’s tourism development system.
- Conduct field research in at least 2-3 key tourism development areas of the province to understand the current state of development and collect relevant primary data.
- Drafting the comprehensive report with above requirements.
- Participating in a consultation meeting with provincial Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism (DoCST) for clarifying the consultatory contents.
All activities should be carried out in a participatory manner and ensure alignment with the overall objectives of the ST4SD project.
6. Working methodology
Of the various applicable research methods and techniques available to consultants, it is expected that at least the following will be applied.
- Consultative meetings with project staff, Tuyen Quang DoCST, and key tourism stakeholders to ensure alignment and gather inputs;
- Desk review of relevant policies, strategies, and reports on sustainable tourism destination management in Vietnam and comparable contexts;
- Sites inspection to collect data and assessment.
7. Time Frame of the assignment
The indicative start date for the assignment is expected to be on February 20, 2026 and the period of implementation is expected to end on April 30, 2026. The assignment would officially end when the project accepts the deliverable.
8. Logistics
- ST4SD will provide logistics support to the consultant if needed.
- The field trip expenses will be covered by Helvetas in accordance with Helvetas’ cost norms.
- All other expenses and procedures incurred during the execution of the consultancy will be managed by the consultant, in compliance with the terms outlined in the contract with HELVETAS.
9. Application document
Interested experts are invited to submit application to ST4SD project at [email protected] and [email protected] and no later than 28 January 2026. Application documents include:
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- CV of applicant
- Methodological approach to conduct consultancy
- Certificate of good completion of similar consultancy and experiences.
- Financial proposal (with number of working days and proposed daily rate)