The Vietnam Business Forum has a talk with the Vietnamese entertainment tycoon, Dinh Van Vui, CEO of Suoi Tien Culture Tourism Incorporated Company, one of pioneering businessmen to introduce cultural tourism to diversify the entertainment industry in Vietnam. With his great contributions to this industry, he has been recently decorated the Thanh Giong Cup by the Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry (VCCI) on Vietnam Entrepreneurs’ Day 2009.
Would you mind revealing your intention to form Suoi Tien tourist site and founding difficulties?
I still clearly remember that when I came here to break the fresh land to set up my forest farm in 1987, the place was very desolate. It only featured a long stream called Suoi Tien - the stream of fairies. This stream originated from the Lo O stream (Thuan An district, Binh Duong province) which runs underground and resurfaces at this place and runs to join the Dong Nai River. At that time, Suoi Tien had a specialised forest and a temple of seven young streamside ladies who were born in the same year of the dragon and passed away when they went for a bath in a deep section of the spring. They are known as the seven fairies. The natural landscape and the very legend urged me days and nights to build a tourist site of national stature.
However, the hardest difficulty at that time was to upgrade the stream. Hundreds of workers had to work day and night to dig up a very large amount of stone and soil to beautify the stream but rains appropriated the fruit of their labour. After nearly two years, the stream was improved with storage dams to regulate the water.
Our effort bore fruits but my way of developing tourism changed when I visited Thailand and called in on a crocodile-rearing farm. I thought that with my experience and ability, Suoi Tien would become the kingdom of crocodiles in the near future. Plus with our cultural diversity, we would be able to attract as many tourists as other entertainment industries in neighbouring countries.
Do you plan to develop Suoi Tien Tourist Park into a national and international convention centre?
At present, with the function of an entertainment park, we are striving to create the best amusing atmosphere for children as well as adult visitors who want time for leisure.
With its proximity to downtown Ho Chi Minh City, isolation from noisy areas and favourable location, I believe that Suoi Tien will become an ideal destination for meetings. However, we will consider this plan in the future.
Do you feel pressure when you are the leader of a cultural tourism company?
To guarantee and develop the material life for more than 1,400 employees is our objective. However, to reach this target, we have to serve our customers better every day. Quarterly and annual business results have to be prepared more carefully. At present, the demand for entertainment is getting higher and the number of visitor arrivals to the park therefore increases. Hence, we cannot rest but attempt to create and develop this tourism space to please visitors and make them want to come back. I have worked without weekends for 10 years but my happiness is to work and relax in the world I have created. I always take care of the books recording visitors’ opinions to improve the park with better service.
Reported by Phan Thanh
Vietnamese
