Actively Tapping River Tourism Potential
Dong Nai has dozens of kilometres of river routes with appealing tourist sites along the river banks which provide strong tourism potential. Accordingly, Dong Nai Province is giving increasing attention to river based tourism development.
From its lower section to its source, the Dong Nai River is blessed with great potential for river tourism development, including beautiful landscapes and cultural values. In order to effectively develop this type of tourism, since 2006 the provincial People’s Committee has approved planning for the Dong Nai River to be one of five tourism development routes under the vision to 2020. According to the plan, this route comprises such attractive tourist sites as Ben Go ancient village, Nguyen Huu Canh’s temple, Ong pagoda, Bo Cap Vang tourist resort, and Nam Hue eco-tourist site – Tan Trieu grapefruit village. Furthermore, Dong Nai tourist route is located right in the heart of Bien Hoa City and can be connected to nearby tourist attractions in Ho Chi Minh City and Binh Duong to diversify tourist products. Though Dong Nai has just started to develop its river-based tourist route and link to other provinces, it has gained initial success.
The development of Dong Nai River-based tourism helps to appropriately exploit tourist resources and protect the environment, in addition to providing relaxation and entertainment for tourists. It also helps to promote the value of local historical and cultural heritage as well as the natural beauty of Dong Nai. However, how to achieve effective investment in and exploitation of this potential tourism type is still an issue of concern. Fully aware of this, Dong Nai has paid significant attention to developing river-based tourism. During the past years, the provincial authority has conducted numerous surveys seeking investment solutions, effective tourism links and effective co-operation methods. Many workshops have also been organized to find solutions for successful collaboration between Dong Nai and neighbouring provinces also wishing to develop river tourism.
The hope is that the tireless endeavours of stakeholders to develop this potential will bear fruit and build a bright future for Dong Nai’s tourism sector in general and river-based tourism in particular.
Thanh Tan
Vietnamese
