Hanoi (VNA) - Sea and island tourism has contributed greatly toVietnam’s tourism sector, accounting for about 70 percent of the country’s totalflow of visitors.

Vietnam holds great sea and island potential  
                         
Vietnam boasts the greatest sea and island potential amongSoutheast Asian nations. It has a coastline of more than 3,260 kilometres and seawatersurface of over 1 million square kilometres, dotted with some 2,700 islands ofall shapes and sizes.

According to Dr. Du Van Toan, Head of the Division ofMarine Resources and Climate Change Research of the Vietnam Institute of Seasand Islands under the Vietnam Administration of Seas and Islands, the sea’seconomic value is not only about seafood and oil and gas resources. Forgenerations, the maritime environment has shaped Vietnam’s culture and beliefs,reflected in traditional festivals, practices, cuisine, folk art and more. Thenation’s history has also been shaped by sea-related economic achievements and nationalliberation victories.

Vietnam’s coastal areas have nurtured variousUNESCO-recognised world natural heritage sites and biosphere reserves,and natural preservation areas. This maritime value helps Vietnam leadthe region in sea-island tourism development, Dr. Du Van Toan told the VietnamNews Agency (VNA).

Deputy General Director of the Vietnam NationalAdministration of Tourism (VNAT) Ngo Hoai Chung said the Government’s master planfor tourism development by 2020 aims to develop seven key tourism zones, ofwhich five are sea-island related zones, reflecting the importance of sea and islandtourism.

Beyond tourism revenue, sea and island tourismcontributes to the country’s socio-economic development while consolidating nationaldefence and security. Developing tourism in sea-related areas boosts servicesand trading, thus creating jobs for local people. Further, tourism developmentis also the best way to get people to live and work in remote areas. Thecivilian presence of Vietnamese people in far-flung areas is the bestway to affirm and guard Vietnam’s sea and island sovereignty, Chung said.

Taking full advantage of the coastline

Along the country’s coastline, there are 125 tourism beaches.Among them, Da Nang beach was voted by Forbes magazine as one of the six mostcharming beaches on the earth. Ha Long Bay, the UNESCO-recognised world naturalheritage in Quang Ninh, and Nha Trang Bay in Khanh Hoa are also among theglobe’s most beautiful bays.

According to Chung, to fully exploit coastalpotential, priority has been given to developing three marine tourism hubs,namely Ha Long Bay, Da Nang, and Nha Trang Bay, serving high-end demand andMeetings, Incentives, Conferences, and Events (MICE). Investmenthas also been poured into suchpromising beaches as Sam Son in Thanh Hoa, Non Nuoc and My Khe in DaNang, Mui Ne in Binh Thuan, and Vung Tau in Ba Ria-Vung Tau.

Sea and island tourism has also drawn a large numberof foreign and domestic investors, accounting for 70 percent of the sector’stotal investment. The biggest projects, offering the most luxurioustourism products are in sea and island tourism. The top-notch InterContinental Da Nang SunPeninsula Resort with 200 rooms overlooking the sea has been named as the world’s Leading Luxury Resort at the World Travel Awards, and several otherregional crowns.


Vietnam’s sea waters and beaches host various nationaland international recreational activities and sport games, contributing tosea-related tourism development. The reputation of local special seafood anddishes is also buoyed by the development of tourism, such as Nuoc Mam (fishsauce) in Phu Quoc, Cha Muc (chopped squid) in Ha Long, single garlic in LySon, swallow’s nest in Nha Trang, and wild honey in Cat Ba.  

Developing sea-island tourism sustainably

According to Dr. Du Van Toan from the VietnamInstitute of Seas and Islands, the climate varies region to region, resultingin high biological diversity. Vietnam’s coastal areas are home to dozens of ecosystems,including coral reefs, seagrass and mangrove forests.

With appropriate approaches to preservation andexploitation, these ecological values offer resources for ecotourism. However, nature-basedtourism development should respect nature, he underlined.

Dr. Duong Van Sau, Dean of the Faculty of CulturalTourism of the Hanoi University of Culture (HUC) said seaand island ecotourism is new but will be popular in Vietnam. He also attachedsignificance to the role of enterprises in developing the sector, saying thatwith the nation’s limited financial and sci-technological resources, strategicinvestors will help Vietnam enhance its sea and island tourism reputation.

Financially and technologically capable andexperienced firms will help fully exploit sea and island tourism potential, saidSau, suggesting the Government take caution in selecting investors, licensingprojects and products, even in allowing tourists to explore sea and island areas.

In order to realise Politburo Resolution No. 08 onmaking tourism a spearhead sector, the sector needs to ensure strong, steadyand sharp criteria. Vietnam’s tourism potential is strong, and the sector’space of development has so far been steady. The rest is being sharp, Dr. Saucommented, expressing his belief that sea and island tourism is what makes thesector sharp.-VNA