Vietnam Tapping Marine Tourism Potential

 

Vietnam holds numerous sea related advantages. According to the Tourism Development Institute, Vietnam has over 3,260 km of coastline and a seawater surface triple its inland area. Twenty-eight out of 64 provinces and cities touch the sea and 30 per cent of the Vietnamese population lives in coastal areas.

Vietnam has some 125 seaside resorts, including beaches stretching from 1 or 2km to 18 km, suitable for exploiting maritime tourism potential. Vietnamese beaches are evenly distributed from the North to the South. From Mong Cai to Ha Tien, there are miracle seaside resorts like Tra Co, Sam Son, Cua Lo, Cua Tung, Lang Co, Non Nuoc, Nha Trang, Mui Ne, Vung Tau and Ha Tien. Vietnamese territorial waters are protected with the best security and safety services for tourists, and tsunami are almost unheard of.

 

In addition to the long coastline, Vietnam also has an impressive system of islands and archipelagos, with some 2,800 coastal islands (some 100km from the coastline). There are 24 islands larger than 10km^2, and three over 100km², namely Phu Quoc, Cai Bau and Cat Ba. On the other hand, many mountains are near the seaside, an ideal condition for developing tourism services combining resort, mountain climbing and forest exploration.

 

Nearly 2,600 places have been recognised for their historical and cultural values, including more than 900 relics (over 30 per cent) in coastal provinces and cities. Notably, six out of seven UNESCO natural and cultural heritage sites lie in coastal provinces. Coastal tourism potential is diversified and suitable for developing resorts, water sports, adventure sports, sightseeing and ecological tourism. Each area has its own advantages and potential to develop unique tourism products. The formation of seaside tourism complexes and centres provides a lever lifting Vietnamese seaborne tourism in particular, and the Vietnamese tourism industry in general.

 

Although the Vietnamese coastal tourism potential is diversified, the Tourism Promotion Department under VNAT admits that sea tourism products are rather monotonous and similar from place to place. The most common sea tourism products are now relaxation and swimming. High-grade maritime tourism products are now provided by luxury coastline resorts, but they have fully tapped their potential.

 

In development programmes, many central coastal localities built small resorts lacking recreational activities and facilities, which have proven unattractive to tourists. This is also a waste of land potential.

 

At the forum “Advertising Vietnamese images with the sea,” held by Tuoi Tre Newspaper, several experts said with its tropical climate, Vietnam can exploit seaborne tourism whether in tourist season or not. Tourism promotion activities should focus on advertisements of Vietnamese sea areas to potential markets. On the other hand, seaborne tourism promotion activities should be well-scheduled and well-organised in order to help travel and tourism firms design tours and avoid uneven distribution of tourism promotion events throughout the year.

 

To effectively exploit the potential and advantages, as well as to protect profuse maritime resources, the tourism sector needs to concentrate on developing eco-tourism activities like diving, fishing and yachting. Each locality should pick suitable modes to fully tap their potential. For example, Vung Tau City can combine sea tourism development with sports and entertainment activities. Phu Quoc Island is suitable for luxury recreational resorts. Nha Trang and Phan Thiet cities are ideal for the development of maritime tourism in combination with shopping, conferences and seminars. Danang and Hoi An cities and Quang Nam and Ninh Thuan provinces are suitable for a combination of maritime tourism and Vietnamese traditional, historical and cultural exploration, as they are home to famous world heritage sites and are cradles of characteristic Sa Huynh and Champa cultures.

 

The Vietnamese sea related economic development strategy from now until 2020 focuses on four backbone economic sectors, namely oil and gas, tourism, maritime economy and seafood exploitation. By 2020, the sea economy will contribute to 53-55 per cent of GDP and 55-60 per cent of total export revenues. It will help resolve social issues and improve the living standards of the coastal people.