Binh Thuan, Ninh Thuan and Lam Dong Promote Tourism and Trade Ties

A conference entitled ‘Binh Thuan-Lam Dong-Ninh Thuan: potential and opportunity for investment, and trade and tourism exchange’ was held by the Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry (VCCI) and three provinces in Ho Chi Minh City on December 20, 2005. Receiving information about the potential and advantages of each province, many investors are seeking business and investment opportunities from the three localities’ co-operation.

 

Doan Duy Khuong, Vice President of VCCI and Chairman of the conference, said that regional co-operation would help each locality develop its own advantages for socio-economic development and environmental protection. Also, regional co-operation will facilitate information and consultancy services for enterprises, thus helping them increase their advantages, competitiveness and helping localities promote their economic development. With their potential for economic development in general and tourism in particular, featured by famous landscapes, traditions and cultures, the provinces are expected to succeed in their regional co-operation.  

With three main roads, national highway N⁰ 27 connecting Phan Rang town (Ninh Thuan province) and Da Lat (Lam Dong province), national highway N⁰ 28 linking Bao Loc town (Lam Dong province) and Phan Thiet (Binh Thuan province) and the national highway N⁰ 1A connecting Binh Thuan and Ninh Thuan province, the three provinces have convenient conditions for promoting their economic and trade exchange ties. Investors can rely on the advantages to develop inter-provincial projects or promote their co-operation in the region to develop their business activities.

 

The most attractive field for the three localities to promote their co-operation is tourism. Accordingly, the three provinces can link up their advantages to form specific tours based on their similarities and differences. For example, ecological, adventure and cultural tours to attractions in three provinces can be developed with various schedules to interest visitors. Specifically, beautiful landscapes along the coast of Binh Thuan and Ninh Thuan provinces, and magnificent waterfalls in Lam Dong, specific Cham culture and architectural works, including ancient Cham towers: Poshanu and Poklong, the Co Thach beach, the My Nghiep brocade making village, and the Bau Truc pottery village, as traditional festivals of people in the three provinces offer opportunities to develop tourism. Compared to Lam Dong and Binh Thuan provinces, Ninh Thuan developed its tourism later. However, the province has seen a rapid development in infrastructure facilities with roads linking the province with other localities nearby and beautiful sites, including Ninh Chu and Nam Cuong beaches and Vinh Hy bay, which have great potential for tourism development. This will help the province to catch up with other localities and attract more investment in the future.

 

However, the most important issue is how to attract capital outside the State budget for their development. Via the conference, VCCI and three provinces expressed their wish that there would be an investment wave to the region. Nguyen Van Thu, vice chairman of the Binh Thuan People’s Committee, said that it was very important to create an open and convenient investment and business environment. Accordingly, the localities would continue to implement their ‘one door’ mechanisms and policies, accelerating compensation, resettlement and site clearance work, renewing policies and approaches, thus encouraging and creating more favourable conditions for all economic sectors to develop. They will also adjust and perfect their master plans on using land and manufacturing products of their advantages. Furthermore, infrastructure development will be boosted, facilitating the implementation of projects. They will reorganise and improve the quality of services of trade, tourism and investment promotion centres. Co-operation among authorised agencies will be promoted to help investors overcome difficulties, thus accelerating the implementation of their projects.

 

Also, the three localities will consider the implementation of joint projects and programmes to increase their strength. For example, they can jointly carry out tourism and investment promotion, organising festivals in a complete chain to increase their attractiveness.

 

In a context of international integration, multilateral and bilateral co-operation plays an important role for successes.