Tourism to Become Tra Vinh’s Spearhead

As a coastal province in the Mekong Delta, surrounded by two main rivers, the Tien and Hau Rivers, Tra Vinh is full of charm. With hundreds of pagodas featuring unique and diverse architecture, endless beaches and vast fields, Tra Vinh promises amazing and surprising discoveries. The most appealing spot to tourists in Tra Vinh is Ba Om Pond, a famous local beauty spot. It is a square pond, filled with fragrant lotus blossoming in the summer. Surrounding it are century old hopea, and decades old gurjul. Many of the ancient tree’s roots rise out of the soil to form remarkable shapes.

 

With over 140 pagodas of Khmer people, 50 pagodas of Vietnamese (Kinh ethnic) and five of Chinese, Tra Vinh offers many colourful Khmer cultural features. The famed pagodas include Ang, Sm-rong-ek, Co, and Hang pagoda. Among those, Hang pagoda cannot be missed when coming to Tra Vinh. Located in Chau Thanh district, five kilometres South of Tra Vinh’s centre, Hang pagoda named because of the unique gate which gives the impression of going through a cave when entering the pagoda. The pagoda is located in a large campus, including a natural forest full of chattering birds. The architecture is harmonious and unique, with design of an ancient Khmer pagoda.

 

Ngheu Hill is only completely revealed when the tide recedes and exposes natural oyster beds, offering tourists pure air, beautiful scenery and delicious dishes from oysters. Ban hillock is an islet attracting tourists with its wild nature, while thousands of cork-trees grow densely amid the large Tien River, Long Tri, Long Hoa and Tan Quy, among gardens, and peaceful and picturesque villages.

 

Ba Dong, My Long beach in Duyen Hai and Cau Ngang District are pristine beaches with dunes as beautiful as Mui Ne sand dunes. Primeval forests run along the beach. Just up off the rolling beaches, fishing villages lie behind verdant forests.

 

Coming to Tra Vinh, tourists can enjoy the local specialty in Tra Vinh, Cau Ke coconut with solid pulp, like condensed milk. Coconut pulp mixed with milk and ice is an excellent refresher.

 

Tra Vinh province has many ethnic groups, with numerous festivals suitable for tourism packages. Aware of the above issues, Tra Vinh will make efforts to promote its unique, natural tourism attractions.

 

 According to Mr Tran Hoang Be, Director of Department of Information and Communication, to ensure long term exploitation, there must be a balance between exploitation and embellishment to reserve historical and agricultural values, not only to serve tourism exploitation but also to educate the coming generations.

 

In this period, Tra Vinh boosts domestic and foreign economic sectors to invest into a 3-star resort, 10 2-star hotels, and diverse offshore and onshore modern entertainment sites to meet tourists’ needs when coming to Tra Vinh.

 

Concerning Tra Vinh tourism, Mr Tran Hoang Be said, from 2011 to 2015, the province will build Tra Vinh City into a tourism city featuring trees, resorts, modern amusement parks and walking streets, with Kinh, Khmer, and Chinese cultural features. Duyen Hai District will become a coastal town with developed industry and fishery, as well as tourism services, in Dinh An Open Economic Zone.

 

In the coming time, Tra Vinh will gradually socialize tourism development and make tourism the key industry, targeting annual growth in tourist arrivals of 30 percent by 2015. Besides, the province continues to exploit provincial tourism potential to promote both eco-tourism and cultural tourism, increase investment into entertainment activities, promote traditional professions, upgrade and diversify quality handicraft products, souvenirs and typical products to serve tourists.