Expecting the 'Vietnam - Laos - Cambodia' journey to become a tourism brand

The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism believes that if it takes drastic action, the "One journey, three destinations" model of Vietnam - Laos - Cambodia will become a major brand in Asia.

At the high-level meeting between Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh, Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet and Lao Prime Minister Sonexay Siphandone in February, one of the contents agreed upon by the three countries was the "One journey, three destinations" tourism model. Accordingly, tourists participating in this tour will follow a schedule to explore the three countries of Vietnam - Laos - Cambodia.

The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism (MCST) said the meeting marked an important step forward in tourism cooperation between the three countries, creating a solid foundation to put the above model into practice in the coming time.

Peaceful scene in Luang Prabang, Laos. Photo: XYZ Asia

Vietnam will work with the Cambodian Ministry of Tourism and the Lao Ministry of Information, Culture and Tourism to agree on cooperation, coordination, and planning on the time and location of the first Trilateral Ministerial Conference. The Ministry will establish a working group for the three countries, connecting prominent destinations, focusing on typical tourism products. In which, Vietnam has strengths in sea resort tourism - culture - cuisine; Cambodia develops spiritual - heritage tourism; Laos focuses on eco-adventure tourism.

Vietnam is establishing a Tourism Promotion Office in Laos to connect tourism with countries in the region, taking advantage of the common strength to attract more international visitors to the three countries. To further attract tourists in "one journey, three destinations", the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism said that it is possible to consider having more flexible visa policies between the three countries for international visitors.

Airlines, travel agencies, hotels, and transportation businesses from the three countries are also mobilized to participate in product development and promotion. In addition, the Ministry will take advantage of major tourism events in Vietnam such as international tourism fairs to promote cooperation between businesses.

Similar to Vietnam, the Cambodian Ministry of Tourism and the Lao Ministry of Information, Culture and Tourism need to promote tourism product development, improve service quality and human resources to harmonize the overall tourism quality of the three countries. In addition, the two countries can also consider expanding air connections and road and river infrastructure with Vietnam.

Connecting the three points by road and river will facilitate tourism development in border provinces, distribute visitors to less prominent destinations and help diversify tourism products.

According to the assessment of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, the "One journey, three destinations" model brings many benefits to the Vietnamese tourism industry such as increasing international tourist attraction, having the opportunity to welcome many long-distance and long-term tourists. At the same time, this model also contributes to promoting Vietnam's destinations to Cambodian and Laotian tourists as well as nearby markets, who are likely to return many times.

Vietnam has the advantage is an aviation hub with the largest international flight network among the three countries; a bright spot for transiting passengers from European, North American, and Middle Eastern countries to Laos and Cambodia. Vietnam's transportation, transit, and accommodation services will also benefit as more passengers choose to fly to and from Vietnam, connecting to the other two countries.

Angkor Wat Temple in Cambodia through the lens of Vietnamese tourists. Photo: Hoang Diep

Director of the Asian Tourism Development Institute Pham Hai Quynh said many travel companies in Vietnam began offering tours following this model since the mid-2000s, thanks to the increase in trade and cooperation between the three countries. Over time, the number of tourists on this tour increased by 10-20%, especially when governments in the region created favorable policies for tourism.

Deputy General Director of Viet Tourism Pham Anh Vu added that this model is mainly sold as "Indochina" discovery tours for international visitors and Laos - Cambodia routes for Vietnamese visitors. At the company, the Hanoi - Luang Prabang - Siem Reap tour with a 10-15 day itinerary combining road and air in 2012-2018 used to account for nearly 20% of the market share of routes for international visitors. Mr. Vu said that this number could increase to 40% in the near future thanks to support policies from the three governments.

"Current tour prices range from 500 to 1,200 USD, depending on length of stay and services," said Director of the Institute of Tourism Development Pham Hai Quynh.

Suggested itinerary for this tour: days 1-5: explore Vietnam (Hanoi, Ha Long, Da Nang/Hoi An or Ho Chi Minh City); days 6-9: visit Laos (Luang Prabang, Vientiane); days 10-15: explore Cambodia (Siem Reap, Phnom Penh).

According to Mr. Vu, this tour is suitable for international guests, especially Western guests who want to explore Indochina in a seamless journey as well as spend a lot of money and stay for a long time. Vietnamese guests often choose the road through border gates, often choosing border routes to travel in the shortest time but still visit all three countries and at a cheaper price.

Ha Long Bay seen from a seaplane. Photo: Khai Phong

According to the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, the tourism model "One journey, three destinations" has many advantages. when all three countries have diverse tourism resources, complementing each other to build specialized tours, suitable for the needs of many types of visitors. Traffic connections are increasingly convenient. Vietnam is expanding its flight network and putting a number of new airports into operation in the near future. The three countries have exempted visas for each other, creating conditions for intra-bloc travel; the visa policies of the three countries are open, and have applied electronic visas for tourists.

However, the above tourism model still faces some problems. Difficulties such as: the infrastructure system connecting the three countries needs to be improved; the quality of road traffic is not synchronized between the three countries when some routes to the North of Laos are of poor quality and not very safe. The Mekong River connection has great potential but has not been fully exploited, the infrastructure of tourist ports is still limited.

Mr. Vu said that many customers complained about the long travel time on the routes from Hanoi to Vientiane or from Vientiane to Siem Reap, causing fatigue. From Hanoi to Vientiane, customers mainly travel by coach or bus, taking about 20-24 hours, through Cau Treo border gate. The Hue - Savannakhet journey takes about 12-14 hours by coach, through Lao Bao border gate. The long time is mainly due to the mountain pass conditions and stops at stations, with the journey mostly moving rather than sightseeing and resting. This journey still faces challenges such as complicated visa procedures, no common visa policy or simplified procedures among the three countries.

The quality of tourism services and human resources in the industry among the three countries is not uniform, according to the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism. Vietnam has a more prominent advantage than the other two countries in terms of high-end tourist accommodation according to international standards, but there will be difficulties when the three destinations want to attract high-end tourists.

However, the Ministry believes that difficulties are also opportunities for the tourism industry; if the three countries have drastic policies and actions, this model will become a major brand of the tourism industry in Southeast Asia and Asia.

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