Focus on effectively implementing the project "Swiss Tourism for Sustainable Development in Vietnam"

(Fatherland) - On February 28, in Hanoi, the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, in coordination with the Swiss Agency for Development Cooperation and the Swiss Embassy in Vietnam, held a launching ceremony for the project "Swiss Tourism for Sustainable Development in Vietnam".

Attending the ceremony were Deputy Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Ho An Phong; Director of the National Tourism Administration Nguyen Trung Khanh; Vice Chairman of Ha Giang Provincial People's Committee Vuong Ngoc Ha and representatives of training institutions and tourism experts...

On the Swiss side, the ceremony was attended by Mr. Thomas Gass, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Switzerland to Vietnam; Mr. Andri Meier, Deputy Chief of Representative Office of the Swiss State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO), Embassy of Switzerland in Vietnam.

Launching ceremony of the project "Swiss Tourism for Sustainable Development in Vietnam".

Speaking at the opening ceremony, Director of the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism Nguyen Trung Khanh said that in recent years, Vietnam tourism has developed remarkably, becoming a prominent and highly competitive destination in the region.

Vietnam has been continuously honored by the World Travel Awards as "Asia's Leading Destination" and "Asia's Leading Nature Destination". In particular, Vietnam leads the region in tourism recovery after the pandemic, with the number of international visitors increasing by 37% in 2024 compared to 2023. In 2024, Vietnam tourism continues to affirm its position on the world map with 17.6 million international visitors, 110 million domestic visitors and total tourism revenue reaching 840 trillion VND.

Director of Vietnam National Administration of Tourism Nguyen Trung Khanh delivered the opening speech at the ceremony.

According to Mr. Nguyen Trung Khanh, thanks to the close direction of the Government, the synchronous coordination between ministries, departments and branches, more favorable entry policies for international tourists, especially the increasingly close cooperation between Vietnam and countries and international organizations, including Switzerland.

"Vietnam tourism always considers Switzerland an important partner. The Vietnam National Administration of Tourism welcomes and appreciates the support of the Swiss Government through the Swiss Tourism for Sustainable Development Project in Vietnam. We expect this to be an important driving force contributing to improving the quality and sustainability of the tourism industry through the key objectives: supporting the development and implementation of sustainable tourism development policies at both central and local levels; improving the quality of tourism and hospitality training and supporting destinations and businesses in investing and practicing sustainable tourism," said Mr. Nguyen Trung Khanh.

Director Nguyen Trung Khanh said that the Vietnam National Tourism Administration was trusted by the leaders of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and assigned a very high responsibility as the Project Owner, coordinating with sponsor SECO, localities and relevant agencies to research and complete the draft Project Document as well as implementing approval procedures. The project has also agreed to select a professional and responsible project implementation unit.

At the central level, the Project is expected to contribute to supporting the implementation of strategies and plans at the national scale, focusing on supporting innovation in tourism promotion and advertising activities, product development, digital transformation, and supporting the implementation of high-quality tourism and hospitality training programs.

At the local level, the concretization and implementation of the Vietnam Tourism Development Strategy to 2030 requires provinces and cities to develop tourism development projects and plans with vision and close adherence to practical situations.

However, according to Director Nguyen Trung Khanh, in reality, many localities still face difficulties in establishing goals and models for sustainable tourism development, and business participation is limited. Therefore, the Swiss Tourism for Sustainable Development Project in Vietnam will be an important driving force to support localities in strengthening public-private cooperation and promoting the transformation of tourism towards sustainability.

Swiss Ambassador Thomas Gass and Deputy Director of the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism Ha Van Sieu signed an exchange of letters at the ceremony.

The three localities selected for implementation are Ha Giang, Quang Nam and Dong Thap, representing the three regions of the North, Central and South, with potential for sustainable tourism development and their own unique colors. The three localities demonstrate the beauty of Vietnam's tourism, diverse, colorful, and harmonious between conservation and development.

Director Nguyen Trung Khanh also said that in order to effectively implement the Project, the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism will closely coordinate with the Sponsor SECO to receive, monitor and evaluate the project in accordance with Decree 114/2021/ND-CP and Decree 20/2023/ND-CP on management and use of official development assistance (ODA) and preferential loans from foreign sponsors.

"At the same time, I believe that localities, businesses, training institutions and relevant parties will actively accompany and implement the project, ensuring progress and high efficiency, contributing to the rapid and sustainable development of Vietnamese tourism and its rise in the new era," said Mr. Nguyen Trung Khanh.

Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Switzerland to Vietnam Thomas Gass speaks.

Speaking at the ceremony, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Switzerland to Vietnam Thomas Gass said that Vietnam has beautiful and diverse natural landscapes and a unique and distinctive culture. These are considered excellent factors for tourism development. The Ambassador also highly appreciated the potential for tourism development associated with Vietnam's culture.

According to Ambassador Thomas Gass, in the process of developing tourism, Switzerland has realized the difficulties in developing sustainable tourism, linking it with economic development while still preserving nature. That is what motivated Switzerland to want to help Vietnam implement this project.

Pleased with the impressive results of Vietnam tourism in recent times, the Swiss Ambassador said that the project will help maximize the potential of Vietnam tourism in both developing and preserving cultural identity, preserving nature as well as secrets and experiences in developing sustainable tourism in Vietnam.

At the ceremony, representatives of the 3 localities selected to implement the project also shared about the current situation of sustainable tourism development in the localities and their wishes when implementing the project, from resource development to training high-quality human resources...

Vice Chairman of Ha Giang Provincial People's Committee Vuong Ngoc Ha spoke.

Speaking at the ceremony, Deputy Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Ho An Phong emphasized that Switzerland has had a good traditional relationship with Vietnam for many decades. Switzerland is a country that has provided a lot of aid and contributed to the socio-economic development process, as well as sustainable tourism development in Vietnam.

The Deputy Minister affirmed that the project "Swiss Tourism for Sustainable Development in Vietnam" is a very meaningful gift for the development of sustainable tourism in Vietnam in the current context.

According to the Deputy Minister, the Party and State of Vietnam are striving to bring the country to a new era - an era of growth, wealth and prosperity. In such a context, international cooperation for socio-economic development plays a very important role.

Last January, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh made a working trip to three European countries, including Switzerland. The Vietnamese Government also issued Resolution No. 11 on visa exemption under the 2025 Tourism Development Stimulus Program for citizens of Poland, the Czech Republic and Switzerland. These are major events, demonstrating Vietnam's importance to cooperation with Switzerland and a great opportunity to promote tourism development in the coming time.

Deputy Minister Ho An Phong spoke at the ceremony.

Based on Resolution No. 11 of the Government, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism will issue a tourism stimulus program to welcome visitors from Europe as well as Switzerland, promoting tourism cooperation between the two sides.

Deputy Minister Ho An Phong said that the project "Swiss Tourism for Sustainable Development in Vietnam" is the first step for strong cooperation in the coming time.

Appreciating the efforts of the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism and other parties in designing the project, the Deputy Minister emphasized that it is important to focus on practical implementation for the project to be effective.

The Deputy Minister also hopes that localities, businesses, and tourism entities will actively participate, cooperate closely, create connections, spread, and put the project into practice to achieve the highest efficiency.

"I hope and believe that the project will be successfully implemented and have a practical impact on socio-economic development and sustainable tourism development in Vietnam," the Deputy Minister expressed.

Within the framework of the event, Swiss Ambassador Thomas Gass and Deputy Director of the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism Ha Van Sieu signed a letter of exchange, affirming their commitment to provide and receive non-refundable official development assistance (ODA) capital, marking the official start of the project.

Through the project, the Swiss Government has committed to provide non-refundable support of CHF 3.6 million (about VND 101 billion) from ODA capital to implement the project. The project's governing body is the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism of Vietnam, with the National Tourism Administration assigned as the project owner. The project is implemented by the sponsor.

The project supports the implementation of action plans and strengthens public-private dialogue at both national and local levels; develops a new Tourism and Hospitality Management Training programme at Vietnamese training institutions that meets the standards and establishes a network of sustainable tourism experts, including Swiss and local experts; and promotes innovative ideas for businesses and destinations to enhance sustainability, including the introduction of sustainability standards.

Source: https://toquocweb.dev.cnnd.vn/thu-truong-ho-an-phong-tap-trung-trien-khai-hieu-qua-du-an-du-lich-thuy-si-vi-su-phat-trien-ben-vung-tai-viet-nam-20250228144158129.htm