When new names become icons

Cable to the world

On October 25, the New York Times (USA) published an article praising Phu Quoc tourism. In it, the most impressive experience of author Patrick Scott was taking the cable car from Sunset Town to Hon Thom.

Patrick marveled at the clear blue water, against the backdrop of colorful fishing boats.

He described the cable car station area as a "full-blown version" of the Colosseum in Rome, and the entire town of Sunset as an elaborate version of a Mediterranean city in Italy.

The sea view from Hon Thom cable car makes every visitor admire the clear water color, blending with the brilliant colors of fishing boats.

Patrick Scott believes that Sun World Hon Thom and Sunset town are among the most amazing man-made structures in Vietnam.

Sharing the same thought with Patrick, reporter Baek Seung-ryeol of Yonhap (Korea), shared: "Here, world-famous landmarks such as the ruins of Pompeii, the Roman arena... are recreated."

At the time of its opening in 2018, Hon Thom cable car set a record for the longest three-wire cable car in the world, making the whole world admire.

The 4 nautical mile journey by canoe has been reduced to just 15 minutes by cable car. Taking the cable car to Hon Thom has become an activity emphasized in many travel forums and travel guides of prestigious international agencies.

This is also the first project of the Sun World Hon Thom marine entertainment complex of Sun Group in the south of the island, and is the "bridge" leading to Hon Thom - a place oriented to become a "paradise island", a destination for the global rich, comparable to the world famous islands of Bora Bora, Monaco or Maldives.

Phu Quoc, along with the birth of the Hon Thom cable car system and the Sun World Hon Thom entertainment complex, is constantly mentioned as an attractive new destination.

From leading American newspapers such as New York Times, Condé Nast Traveller, Travel+Leisure…; the world's leading travel consulting websites such as Lonely Planet, Travel Lemming, Travel Off Path, Bored Panda… and most recently prestigious Korean newspapers such as Yonhap news agency or AsiaA, all have given the pearl island special favor and praise.

According to Travel2Next, taking the Hon Thom cable car offers the most beautiful scenery.

The Korean newspaper AsiaA also used many beautiful words to describe this experience: "15 minutes by cable car, you will be able to see the whole view of the emerald green sea of southern Phu Quoc island from above, immerse yourself in the fresh sky and see the islands".

Sun World Hon Thom entertainment complex offers exciting experiences.

Associate Professor, Dr. Tran Dinh Thien, former Director of the Vietnam Economic Institute, said: "As an island city, after only a short time, Phu Quoc has managed to gather many top tourist projects in the world.

These works can stun anyone who visits because of their uniqueness and level of development. With those works, Vietnamese people can be proud of their country."

Lifetime works

At the same time as the Hon Thom cable car, the Golden Bridge was inaugurated at Sun World Ba Na Hills (Da Nang) in June 2018.

In July 2018, a photo of the bridge in the sunlight was posted on Street Art Globe's Instagram and immediately went viral.

In just a few days, the photo received nearly 1 million interactions. After that, the bridge became famous and "landed" on the travel pages of many major news channels such as CNN, BBC or The New York Times, Time, FoxNews, The Guardian...

The New York Times described: "From the cliffs, a pair of giant hands appeared, supporting a golden thread, as if the mountain itself had grown hands."

The US Huffington Post did not hesitate to affirm that this is "the most interesting bridge ever seen", while The Guardian also affirmed that the Golden Bridge is "one of the most spectacular pedestrian bridges in the world".

The Independent news site describes the Golden Bridge as "one of the 10 most unique and "unbelievable" bridges in the world"...

Golden Bridge has become a symbol of Da Nang tourism in the eyes of international friends.

In just three months after the Golden Bridge opened, Da Nang has added four new international routes. The number of international flights to Da Nang in 2018 and 2019 skyrocketed.

Thanks to the Golden Bridge effect, in 2018 - 2019, out of every three international tourists registering for a tour, two will request to check-in at the Golden Bridge of Ba Na Hills.

The number of international visitors to Da Nang in 2019 also increased by 22.5% over the same period in 2018, reaching more than 3.522 million arrivals.

Up to now, the bridge is less than 10 years old but has established a symbolic position for both Sun World Ba Na Hills in particular and an important highlight for Da Nang tourism in general.

Another project that has left a strong impression is the Sun World Fansipan Legend Tourist Area, with the highlight being the train and cable car to the top of Fansipan (Sa Pa, Lao Cai).

More than just a mountain climbing route, the experience of taking a train through the brilliant Muong Hoa valley, experiencing the dances in the clouds on the top of Sun World Fansipan Legend is truly an immersion in the legends at the meeting place of heaven and earth.

Sa Pa tourism has been stagnant for many years, but it seems to have had a boost from Sun World Fansipan Legend and is continuously creating new impressions.

Immediately after the Fansipan cable car - a project that achieved two world records - was launched in 2016, millions of visitors came to Sa Pa.

Lao Cai province's tourism revenue reached VND19,200 billion in 2019, four times higher than in 2016, when the Fansipan cable car was first built.

Fansipan cable car is considered an intellectual miracle of the Vietnamese people.

Back to the story of Hon Thom, Phu Quoc is not known as a beautiful island now.

In 2014, National Geographic Travel Magazine published the list of "Best winter trips 2014" and Phu Quoc ranked 3rd.

However, it was not until a series of new projects appeared in Phu Quoc, along with the investment in luxurious infrastructure, that Phu Quoc became truly known and became a resting stop for many international tourists, rising to be worthy of the title "pearl island".

From a pristine island, where the only tourism products outside the beach are wartime prison relics and traditional fish sauce factories, making it difficult to keep tourists for more than two days, Phu Quoc now has a diverse and unique product system, exploiting from indigenous culture to international cultural experiences.

Luxury resort chains such as JW Marriott Phu Quoc Emerald Bay; Premier Village Phu Quoc; New World Phu Quoc; La Festa Phu Quoc, Curio Collection by Hilton... or the upcoming appearance of two high-end resort brands, Ritz Carlton Reserve and The Luxury Collection; entertainment areas such as Sun World Hon Thom, Aquatopia water park or recently the Cau Hon project at Sunset Town... are all outstanding products and strongly attract tourists.

Mr. Graham Cooke - Chairman and founder of World Travel Awards (WTA) believes that Sunset town deserves to compete in the "Premier League" of iconic buildings worldwide.

Regarding the newest project in Sunset Town, Kiss Bridge, the chairman did not hesitate to compare it with famous bridges in the world such as Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco (USA) and Tower Bridge in London (UK).

The Kiss promises to be the next "blockbuster" to attract tourists to the pearl island.

Now, it is not difficult to name new attractive, modern, and splendid tourist destinations in Vietnam that are not inferior to anywhere else in the world.

The prestigious awards given to these destinations are a testament to this. The Golden Bridge was listed in the world’s 100 best destinations just two months after its launch, and to this day, it remains a symbol of Da Nang tourism.

InterContinental Danang Sun Peninsula Resort (Da Nang) received the "Best of the Best" award for architectural achievement voted by Virtuoso Hotels & Resorts and Virtuoso Life Magazine in 2015, showing the uniqueness and masterpiece design of "resort wizard" Bill Bensley.

In 2023, Sun World Fansipan Legend Tourist Area was honored as a typical spiritual and cultural complex of Asia - Pacific.

And also in the year Today, Travel + Leisure magazine continues to rank Phu Quoc 3rd out of 23 best destinations in the world.

Obviously, it's not just the natural beauty that makes great destinations.

The works invested with high aesthetics and art, bringing diverse experiences to tourists have been creating attraction for each destination.

This resonance really promotes sustainable tourism development.

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