3:10:09 PM | 26/9/2006
Vietnam Business Forum had an exchange talk with Mr Nguyen Van Thuan, director of the Long An Department of Trade and Tourism, about the local trading and tourism development.
Can you tell us about notable trade and tourism promotion programmes your department has carried out in recent years?
Based on the National Focal Trade Promotion Programme of the Ministry of Trade, the Trade and Tourism Department of Long An Province has drawn up annual trade and tourism promotion programmes to submit the Provincial People’s Committee for approval. The programme comprised of building and gradually perfecting the quality and content of the market and economic news bulletins, arranging trade promotion skill courses for local companies and state trade officials, organising seminars on exports to new markets, organising trade and tourism fairs, and sending delegations of businesses and officials to other countries for market studies. Besides, the department develops cooperative programmes for trade and tourism with other localities in the southern focal economic zones and in Mekong Delta region, especially Ho Chi Minh City.
The information is crucial for enterprises when they approach new markets. What has the department done to process information sources exactly and effectively?
Information is always very crucial for enterprise when they approach new markets; hence, the Department of Trade and Tourism frequently logs in websites of ministries and central and local branches. For specific markets, the department collects information about protection policies, tax policies, consumption demands, favourite commodities, food hygiene and others in targeted countries to provide information for exporting companies. The collected information has been already processed by central ministries and branches; therefore, the Department of Trade and Tourism only supply to enterprise without process.
Long An has a lot of beautiful landscapes, islets and rivers to develop eco-tourism. At present, how is this type of tourism being exploited and developed?
Long An is very rich in natural potential and literary traditions and is very famous for the ancient Oc Eo culture and more than 40 revolutionary relics, architectural works and landscapes. Long An has two renowned rivers, Vam Co Dong and Van Co Tay, to develop eco-tourism. In the past years, the provincial leadership has been aware of the importance of the tourism development and they have thus set up a steering committee for tourism development, spent money on outlining the overall tourism development plan until 2010 and detailed the plans for the development of tourism projects.
Can you tell us about some outstanding points in the overall tourism development plan until 2010?
The tourism development situation in Long An over the past years does not match its potential and resources due to various reasons, including the underdeveloped infrastructure system and technical factors of the tourism sector. To tap the favourable geographic conditions as well as tourism resources, the province has drawn up an overall tourism development plan. The province instructed the development in combination with the development of infrastructure, transport, water supply and drainage, electricity, information and communication systems and advocated the allowance of all economic sectors to invest in tourism. In addition, the province has embellished historical and cultural relics, restored traditional rituals and craft village, developed entertainment and sports centres, hotels and restaurants and promoted tourism security.
Luong Van
Vietnamese
