There have been many seminars and conferences on building typical tourism products in Can Tho city. Some think that Can Tho tourism products are not unique and the service quality is still poor, so it is difficult for Can Tho city to attract tourists. However, Director of Victoria Can Tho Resort Vo Xuan Thu does not agree with these opinions. She said: “I don’t think so. Although Can Tho and the Mekong Delta localities are somewhat unremarkable compared to coastal localities of the Central region due to the lack of beaches, Can Tho and the Mekong Delta localities have rivers and fruit gardens, a strength to develop agricultural tourism and green tourism. Eco-travel or being close to nature is now a hot trend, so I think we should take advantage of this. It is important to know how to exploit and promote our strengths". Mr. Benoit Perdu, Transmekong Company, said: “Foreign visitors to Vietnam are very fond of trans-Vietnam tours. Specifically, the Mekong Delta is an important destination in these trans-Vietnam journeys, because the natural and cultural scenery here is very beautiful and interesting. But the unique features of tourism here have not been well-promoted much". As a result, how to build and promote tourism products is an important factor to create attraction for local tourism.

From the perspective of a travel agent, Mr. Nguyen Phu Yen, Director of Yen Travel, said: “Can Tho has a famous tourist destination with domestic and foreign tourists. It is Cai Rang floating market. However, it hasn’t changed over the years. If we want to develop Can Tho tourism, we have to invest in building tourism products and improve service quality.” Ms. Le Dinh Minh Thy, Director of Vietravel Can Tho, once said: "Mekong Delta has its unique features. Many of our customers want to discover this land. The Mekong tour has been one of our main products in recent years. In Can Tho, we are exploiting Son Islet and Phuong Nam Truc Lam Zen Monastery beside Cai Rang floating market. However, in the long run, it is necessary to invest in developing more tourism products that are interesting and varied to attract visitors and make them willing to pay. Moreover, the local authorities also need to create orientations for specific tourism products.”

Meanwhile, Mr. Pham Minh Tuan, Director of Victoria Chau Doc Resort and Victoria Nui Sam Resort (An Giang), said: “When people travel to a place, they first think about what to do there. It shows that tourism product is a very important factor influencing tourists' decisions when choosing a destination. The tourism products in the Mekong Delta are not good, monotonous, and less exciting, thus not leaving a good impression on tourists. Therefore, they do not want to return or stay longer in the Mekong Delta. I think that when developing tourism products, it is necessary to pay attention to the quality and have a clear plan.”

It can be seen that Can Tho and the Mekong Delta are still highly appreciated for their potential for tourism development, especially ecotourism and cultural tourism. However, the tourism product and tourism promotion here have not been properly invested. Therefore, it is necessary for Can Tho City to have more breakthrough solutions and actions to attract and impress tourists.

Can Tho City is promoting its strengths in eco-tourism. In the photo: Tourists experience at Lung Tram eco-tourism area.

Green and sustainable tourism development

Ms. Vo Xuan Thu, Director of Victoria Can Tho Resort, said: “We are an accommodation operator but we try to introduce visitors the typical destinations in the Mekong Delta when they stay at our hotel or use our services. In particular, we focus on indigenous cultural factors with green destinations such as Cai Rang floating market, Con Son islet, Tra Su cajuput forest ...”. In recent years, the development of tourism products or itineraries to experience the indigenous cultures of Victoria Can Tho has always focused on factors of closeness to nature and sustainability. That has created a unique highlight for the products and services that Victoria is exploiting in Can Tho and the Mekong Delta. Specifically, Victoria Mekong Cruises is a particular tourism product of Can Tho, impressing tourists with river tourism and the closeness to nature. Mr. Pham Huu Nghia, Director of Victoria Mekong Cruises, said: “We exploit the domestic itineraries of Can Tho - Chau Doc on holidays and Tet. Normally, we go on the international route Can Tho - Cambodia. We are now called Green ship, which means a journey to experience green destinations close to nature, using solar energy and saying no to plastic bags”. By creating Green ship, Victoria Mekong Cruises creates a different highlight on how to exploit the product.

Similarly, Ms. Huynh Thi Bich Tuyen, owner of Mekong Silt Ecolodge resort (Phong Dien district), said: “Our resort aim at green and sustainable tourism, so we always focus on open space, close to nature. We use eco-friendly objects such as spathe of areca trees, coconut trees, and firewood... as the main decoration materials in the resort. In some activities, I also ask tourists not to use cellphones so that they can immerse themselves in nature.” Even though Mekong Silt Ecolodge has only been in operation for a few years, it is highly appreciated on travel websites and attracts many international visitors for its innovative strategy. As a result, the development of green, sustainable tourism will create a highlight in the products and services of Can Tho tourism. Currently, Can Tho City has many tourist destinations with interesting products and experiences that integrate with the hot trend, such as Can Tho Ecolodge, Vam Xang Rustic Can Tho, Can Tho Eco Resort, Lung Tram eco-tourism area, etc.

Dao Thi Thanh Thuy, Deputy Director of the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism of Can Tho City, said: “Developing green and sustainable tourism is one of the main objectives of Can Tho City’s tourism sector. We also studied green tourism models in Quang Nam to orientate the development of a set of green tourism criteria for city tourism. Our goal is to build eco-friendly tourism products and destinations for long-term development. This will also contribute to building unique eco-tourism products, thus creating a highlight for Can Tho green tourism”.