Six Hours around Three Countries
For years, border gates are mentioned as places for trade exchange between Vietnam and neighbouring countries. However, the concept now has a new meaning with a strategy on developing tourism along the east-west corridor and the trans-Asia highway in the future. International integration has opened up new opportunities for cross-border tourism to develop. Images of the busy border at Khachanaburi with historical Kwai bridge linking Thailand and Myanmar, the border gate of Poipet between Thailand and Cambodia and the border gate between Thailand and Laos have become popular with the development of new tourism products.
Vietnam-Laos-Thailand tour
Around 100,000 Vietnamese nationals live in the northeast of Thailand. Many of them have become successful with tourism, trade and investment activities. This is an important factor, contributing to accelerating tourism along the east-west corridor. Even now, tours to such famous tourist attractions remain difficult for Vietnamese due to high airlines fares. For example, despite promotion activities, one-way flight fare from Ho Chi Minh City to Bangkok remains US$175 per person. To visit Laos via the air route is more difficult as there is only one flight via Phnom Penh (Cambodia) on Tuesday every week. Flight fare accounts for half the cost of tours. From this fact, apart from developing co-operation with airlines, the tourism sector has to plan to open new tours with lower costs, helping more Vietnamese people visit neighbouring countries. The national highway N0 8 with the Cau Treo boder gate in Hong Linh, Ha Tinh province, and the national highway N0 9 with the Lao Bao border gat in Quang Tri province have become an important part in boosting tourism development in Vietnam, Laos and Thailand. The national highways link provinces in Central Vietnam with Laos and provinces in the northeast of Thailand. In two years’ time, it will take only six hours to travel between Hue (Vietnam) and the northeast of Thailand via Laos when the construction of the Mukdahan bridge cross the Mekong river, linking Savanakhet (Laos) with Mukdahan (Thailand) is completed. Krit Kraichiti, Thai ambassador to Vietnam said: "After Vietnam, on January 1, 2005, Thaind signed an agreement on visa exemption with Laos. Therefore, it will take tourists via border gates of three countries less time and money. As a result, tour costs among three countries will be much lower."
The opening of the east-west corridor has offered some further benefits. Apart from investment in tourism development, the corridor has promoted international integration, economic co-operation and helped to reduce poverty among people who live along the corridor. In particular, the corridor goes across famous tourist attractions, such as the world heritage sites of Hue and Hoi An and other attractions such as Cua Tung and Cua Viet in Vietnam, Sukhothai, Authya, Chiengmai in Thailand, and Vientiane, Luang Phrabang, Siengkhoang plian of jars in Laos. This will help create attractive package tours. This will offer tourists from the northeast of Thailand and Laos opportunities to visit Central Vietnam with magnificent beaches. Also, they will be able to visit other attractions, such as Cua Lo, Vinh city, Dong Hoi, Phong Nha cave, Hue, Da Nang, Hoi An and My Son. Vietnamese tourists, in turn, will be able to visit Phuhin, Sen No, Nam Thon, Pha Siva, Dragon Cae, Phabat Phonsan pagoda, Vientiane, Ochinay gold mine, the Savanakhet Special Zone (Laos), and the Thailand-Vietnam Friendship Village, and Phathatphanom and Mukdahan pagodas in Thailand.
Building tourist routes along national highways N0 8 and 9
Three countries have organised exploration trips and meetings of officials to exchange and discuss working hours at border gates. In Vietnam, the Ministry of Transport and the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism are waiting for the Government’s approval and will sign co-operation with Thailand to allow visitors drive to each country. Projects on developing along highways would be carried out after the agreement is signed. In preparation for such event, in late August, the Thai embassy in Hanoi organised an exhibition to introduce Thai culture and food to promote tours along the national highways N0 8 and 9 with the participation of around 100 enterprises in the northeast of Thailand. Vietnam is accelerating the construction of roads linking provinces in Central Vietnam, building and upgrading hotels along central coastline. In the near future, Asian tourists can visit Vietnamese beaches via Thailand and Laos. There are three buses between Da Nang and Savanakhet (Laos). Some travel agencies in Ho Chi Minh City have explored and developed a 12-day tour to Laos and Thailand with a cost of US$ 630. This will certainly be much lower when the east-west corridor is put into operation. Several Thai enterprises organised tours to Vinh city via the Cau Treo border gate. Tourism in three countries has gained good initial results in developing tours along national highways N0 8 and 9. Some Thai enterprises provide automobiles for visitors to drive to Vietnam via the national highway N0 8. The World Bank and the Asia Development Bank has donated towards the upgrading of the national highway N0 8 to help Vietnam, Laos and Thailand develop tourism along the east-west corridor.
Clearly, the development of tours along three countries has become a top priority of the tourism sector of the three countries as it is the best choice to promote tourism development and exchange between people in Vietnam, Laos and Thailand.
Vietnamese
