Each Locality with Its Highlights

According to Mr. Le Thanh Phong, Standing Vice Chairman of Mekong Delta Tourism Association, “In recent years, tourism has been strongly developed in the Mekong Delta Region, among which Can Tho City, An Giang Province and Bac Lieu Province with very fast growth rates have been demonstrating many dramatic changes in their tourism products, displaying their own potentials and unique features.” Can Tho has been gradually forming and promoting its typical waterway tourism products, ecological gardens, MICE (Meetings, incentives, conferences and exhibitions) by facilitating lots of investors in their projects as well as proceeding various highlighted constructions such as pedestrian bridge and  4-5 star luxurious hotels. An Giang has promoted its strength of spiritual tourism and resort tourism by focusing its investment in large scaled projects such as Ba Chua Xu spiritual cultural tourism, Sam Mountain cable car system, Lam Vien Entertainment Park on Cam Mountain, Tra Su Ecotourism, Loc Ngoc Xuan high-tech crocodile and ostrich farm ... Similarly, Bac Lieu is making efforts to exploit the strength of the sea and outstanding tourism products, such as Wind Power Plant tours, Bac Lieu hi-tech shrimp farming, and Performing Khmer Arts Club at Xiem Can Pagoda etc.

Ms. Le Dinh Minh Thy, director of Vietravel in Can Tho City and in the Southwest region, says, “Mekong Delta tourism has grown very strongly in recent years. Its products are greatly diversified and improved. Western tours were one of the top 5 best-selling tours of Vietravel in 2018. Local authorities in the Mekong Delta are constantly investing in new products. Can Tho City has offered community-based tourism in Son Islet, built the pedestrian bridge as the local landmark and held various festivals; Bac Lieu has tours to Wind Power Plant, art activities in the evening; An Giang has a cable car and luxury resorts ..., all of which make it easier for us to design several tours, new routes and offer more options for customers.”

Despite their unique features for development, the tourism in these places still has limits in diverse products, high quality service, well trained staff, good infrastructure ... Mr. Pham The Trieu, deputy director of the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism of An Giang Province states,  “Although the number of visitors to the Mekong Delta has increased, it is not balanced. This can be seen clearly in the very low number of tourists and their expenditure index. In An Giang, in 2018, there were 8.5 million visitors, but only over 1 million of them stayed overnight and the expenditure index of tourists was very low, just about 500,000 VND / day.” According to Mr. Pham The Trieu, this is common in the Mekong Delta tourism. To improve this situation, it requires the localities here to start connection and cooperation for the local and regional tourism development. The first solution is to boost and perfect tourism products that are specific to each place, creating a system of diversified products to provide travel agencies with suitable destinations. Next, they can link their strengths to create wider and larger impact.

Cooperation in Problem Solving and Connecting

Mr. Hong Quang Khai, deputy director of Bac Lieu Tourism Joint Stock Company, says, “I think that the connection among Can Tho, An Giang and Bac Lieu is really necessary and realistic. My good evaluation goes to the rural waterway tours of Can Tho, which inspires me to build a new product: having a countryside tour while staying in a 5-star hotel; or spiritual tourism, visiting cities and towns by waterways and the sea. The tour is short, in 2 or 3 days, traveling through three places (two provinces and one city) with 3 unique features. This is definitely a right choice for visitors from the North of Vietnam.” To make the local tourism original, Mr. Thai Quoc Luu, deputy director of Bac Lieu Department of Culture, Information, Sports and Tourism, suggests, “Bac Lieu defines tourism as one of 5 pillars for local socio-economic development. In fact, in 2019, Bac Lieu Provincial People's Committee launched an action program with very specific objectives focusing on tourism products, service, infrastructure and public investment. Our cooperation with Can Tho and An Giang to strengthen tourism has been established since the end of 2018.” For such connection to be effective, it demands that each locality constantly strive to invest and improve its tourism products. Particularly, Bac Lieu will have tourism products such as tours to the sea, Wind Power Plant, exploiting cultural values ​​related to the land and the people here. In 2019, Bac Lieu will organize Bac Lieu Tourism - Culture Week with more than 20 different activities to attract tourists, in which the highlight is the 100^th anniversary of the birth of the "Da co hoai lang" and the 100^th anniversary of the construction of Bac Lieu Dandy’s House.

Tour to Wind Power Plant is being exploited in Bac Lieu tourism.

Mr. Pham The Trieu, deputy director of An Giang Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism, stresses, “Besides signing cooperation documents, each of us must share the responsibility to promote tourism in the other places. We must join forces in creating largely influential promotional events and activities in potential markets. This is the reason why I have proposed to the Mekong Delta Tourism Association to organize a famtrip to northern markets in Hanoi and Thai Nguyen, to organize the Mekong Delta tourism seminar at the International Tourism Fair in Hanoi." Mr. Tran Viet Phuong, director of Can Tho Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism, comments, “The exchange and cooperation between Can Tho, An Giang and Bac Lieu are necessary for the benefits of all three parties. The attraction from the differences will appeal more visitors to come and stay longer. Each party will review and improve the quality of its tourism products and services. At the same time, it is necessary to facilitate all travel agencies and enterprises operating in the tourism in their exchanging experience and expanding cooperation.”

The cooperation among Can Tho, An Giang and Bac Lieu is gradually coming into being through plans, orientations and agreements. This cooperation will be more effective when Can Tho becomes a transit point of the Mekong Delta region with new direct flights to key domestic and international tourist markets. The cooperation is expected to create a new tourist triangle, offering more options for visitors to the Mekong Delta.