On the Trans-Asian route of the East-West Economic Corridor from Northeast Thailand through Lao Bao International Border Gate (Quang Tri, Vietnam), there are many attractive tourist destinations, especially eco-tourism, historical landscapes... attracting tourists from countries in the region. There was a time when road tours on this route were very busy and bustling. Accompanying tourists on this route are tour guides. They are considered the people who connect distant lands...
Phasawat Long (seated, first row from left) leads Thai tourists to visit President Ho Chi Minh's mausoleum - Photo: TB
*Phasawat Long - lecturer at Bangkok Thonburi University, tour guide: Always promoting and connecting tourist destinations on the East-West Economic Corridor route "My name is Phasawat Long, born in 1973, in Ubonratchathani, Thailand.
I have been a tour guide for over 20 years,” the brief introduction of a Thai man who spoke fluent Vietnamese surprised me.
But this tour guide surprises others with many more things, such as his current job as a lecturer in tourism at Bangkok Thonburi University; he is very knowledgeable about the history and culture of the central provinces of Vietnam, including Quang Tri.
Phasawat Long graduated from university with a degree in Human Resources Management and was trained as an international tour guide. For Phasawat Long, the only reason for choosing the career of a tour guide is passion. Since 2004, this Thai man has backpacked and traveled with Thai tourists on the trans-Asia route through the Lao Bao International Border Gate. Each destination on this route has left a deep impression on Phasawat Long and he has passed on his inspiration and impression to tourists. “For tour guides, no matter which country they are in, the important thing is to help tourists love their destination. This requires the tour guide to be knowledgeable about the culture of that land and demonstrate that understanding through the information they provide to tourists,” Phasawat Long shared.
Caravan tour of Vietnamese tourists in Khonkhen province (Thailand) - Photo: TB
The Trans-Asia tour has many attractions, because it connects 3 countries on a convenient route. On this tour, tourists will learn about the cultures of 3 countries: Thailand - Laos - Vietnam. The attraction of this tour is that in one day, tourists will enjoy the cuisine of 3 countries such as breakfast in Thailand, lunch in Laos and dinner in Vietnam. According to Phasawat Long, Thai tourists love to travel to the central provinces of Vietnam, including Quang Tri because this place has famous tourist attractions and the cuisine is very suitable for Thai people because it is rich in flavor and spicy.
However, when the direct flight from Bangkok (Thailand) to Da Nang (Vietnam) was opened, the number of tourists traveling by road from Thailand decreased significantly compared to before. Therefore, in the process of teaching students as well as leading tours, Phasawat Long always promoted the attractiveness of this tour. According to Phasawat Long, to attract tourists to choose the Trans-Asia road tour, the most important thing is that travel companies must make customers feel that their programs are special. Travel companies in Vietnam need to cooperate with each other, compete on service quality, not on price.
“Although I have been involved in road tours for a long time, and am very familiar with the journey and destinations on this route, every time I lead Thai tourists to visit historical sites in Quang Tri such as Vinh Moc tunnels and Hien Luong bridge, I experience different emotions. This shows that the experience will be different at different times and tours on this route have their own charm. This is also what Phasawat Long wants to tell his tourists every time he leads a tour,” Phasawat Long shared.
Pham Thi Nha Trang, tour guide of Greensea Travel Da Nang Company: Road is still the first choice of many Thai tourists.
Years of studying at Ubon Ratchathani Rajabhat University, majoring in Business Administration, helped Pham Thi Nha Trang (born in 1982) acquire a rich Thai language vocabulary. This is an advantage for Trang to pursue a career as a tour guide, specializing in bringing tourists from Thailand to Vietnam.
While studying in her second year of university, Nha Trang was invited by travel companies to work as a Thai interpreter for tours to Vietnam by road. From the job of an interpreter, Trang gradually fell in love with it and studied for a tour guide certificate to stick with this job until now.
Nha Trang on a trip leading Thai tourists to visit Vietnam - Photo: TB
Usually, tours have been planned in detail, so the tour guide process does not encounter many difficulties. However, what attracts tourists besides the destinations is the understanding and flexibility of the tour guide. “Knowing that, I always improve my knowledge, learn more about the history and culture of regions in the country.
In Quang Tri, every time Thai tourists visit Hien Luong Bridge and Vinh Moc Tunnels, they are moved by the tour guide’s stories about the history of these places. Many tourists burst into tears when hearing about the lives of local people during the war years,” Nha Trang shared.
Nowadays, with the opening of direct flights, Thai tourists have more options for transportation to Vietnam. However, for people in the Northeast of Thailand, the road is still the number 1 priority because of its convenience and the opportunity to experience many destinations. Many visitors to Nha Trang have returned many times on this route, the most impressive of which for her was a monk in Chanthaburi province, Central Thailand.
This person was Trang's guest on a road tour to Vietnam and has been "fated" for nearly 10 years now. During that time, every year he has traveled to Vietnam by road (except during the years when COVID-19 occurred) through Lao Bao International Border Gate, then from there he visited Quang Tri and continued traveling by different means to many other provinces and cities in Vietnam.
“Although the distance from Chanthaburi province to Mudahan is 600-700 km, from there we move to Laos and Vietnam, but every year, the monk and his friends and family choose this route to travel to Vietnam. He also invited Trang’s family to visit Thailand, and when they returned, he sent a lot of fruit as gifts,” Nha Trang said.
Thai tourism has been developed for a long time, so the requirements of tourists are also very high, requiring tour guides to work professionally. Therefore, Nha Trang always focuses on perfection in work from the smallest details to satisfy customers.
“I started taking the tour from Lao Bao International Border Gate. The road from Huong Hoa to Dong Ha has many curves, so the tour guide can sit down to make it easier to explain. However, I always stand facing the tourists to explain to show closeness and respect, even though I have to brace myself to stand firmly. There were many times when the driver braked suddenly, causing me to fall down,” Nha Trang shared.
Currently, Nha Trang mainly welcomes Thai tourists to Vietnam at the airport. She only guides a few trips per month on the road route. According to Trang, to attract tourists on this route, Quang Tri needs to increase promotion; create new tourist attractions and invest in building entertainment areas to keep tourists staying in Quang Tri.
Nguyen Van Ha (born in 1980), Director of Viet Ha Travel and Tourism Company Limited: Wishing to keep guests staying in Quang Tri
Mr. Nguyen Van Ha has been a tour guide and operator of inbound (foreigners entering Vietnam) and outbound (Vietnamese tourists going abroad) tours for many years. According to Mr. Ha, road tours through the East-West Economic Corridor have great potential for development. During its heyday (from 2006 to 2010), there were dozens of buses taking tourists in both directions on the Trans-Asia route every day, most of which were inbound. However, from 2011 to now, the number of tourists traveling by road on this route has gradually decreased.
Although there are many border gates in the Central region through Laos and Thailand, the route from Lao Bao International Border Gate to the above countries is still the shortest and most beautiful route. After the pandemic, caravan tours (self-driving tours) tend to develop.
The difference of this tour is that tourists drive themselves (4-7 seater car or large displacement motorbike); have a license issued by the Ministry of Transport; have a guide car and tail lock; participate in traffic on the left.
However, what makes many tourists choose this form of tourism is because they want to control their own vehicle in another country and experience the feeling of adventure on steep mountain passes in Vietnam... In recent years, many Vietnamese tourists have also chosen this form of tourism through Lao Bao International Border Gate to go to Laos and Thailand.
As someone who has been involved in tourism for a long time, what worries Mr. Ha is that the accommodation services in Quang Tri are not attractive enough to attract tourists. Therefore, Quang Tri is only a place to visit, not a place to stay. Tourists from the northeastern provinces of Thailand and Laos love the sea.
Most of them have the same feeling that Quang Tri beach is as beautiful as other places in the Central region. However, they only stop by, swim and leave because the distance between Quang Tri, Hue, and Da Nang is too close, while tourism services here are not yet developed.
“When designing the tour, we try to keep guests in Quang Tri for one night, but the final choice still belongs to the tourists. Thai and Lao people love a lively atmosphere, unlike European tourists who prefer quiet. Therefore, they want to stay in cities with entertainment services such as Hue and Da Nang,” Mr. Ha shared.
To retain tourists, according to Mr. Ha, it is necessary to focus on innovation from tourism products to infrastructure and service attitude. Previously, the trend of tourists was to visit spiritual sites and historical relics, but now sea and island tourism and ecotourism are the choice of many people. To do so, the locality must have rich and diverse tourism products to meet the tastes of visitors.
“Vinh Moc Tunnels is a destination that Thai and Lao tourists cannot miss. However, the infrastructure here has not been invested in commensurately, such as the parking lot is not arranged properly, the toilets are not hygienic while still charging service fees from visitors,” Mr. Ha gave an example.
Besides, the role of tour guides is also very important, they are the ones who "breathe life" into the tourists' tours. "Through the lens of tour guides, distant lands become closer in the eyes of tourists, leaving in them the most beautiful images of the country and people of Vietnam.
Therefore, tour guides are not only good at knowledge but also have experience in guiding, organizing groups and the ability to handle situations," said Mr. Ha.
Phan Hoai Huong
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