Promoting river tourism in the Mekong Delta

This is the opinion shared by many experts, managers and businesses at the seminar "Stories of rivers and regional connections" organized by VietNamNet Newspaper. The seminar is one of the activities of the journey to explore the Mekong River through Tien Giang and Ben Tre on the La Marguerite ship, from April 19 to 21.

So much potential

Mr. Dang Bao Hieu, Chairman of Focus Travel Company, the investor of La Marguerite cruise ship, said that the Mekong River is one of the five most favorite river destinations in the world. For many years, the company's cruise ships have taken domestic and international tourists to explore the Mekong River with a tour of about 8 days and 7 nights from My Tho (Tien Giang) to Siem Reap (Cambodia). However, in this journey, the ship stays in the Cambodian area more than in Vietnam.

"I feel very sorry that the train runs for nearly 5 days in Cambodia, while it only runs for about 3 days in Vietnam. The reason is that many destinations in the Mekong Delta have not been exploited even though these places have full stories and valuable documents for tourism. Cai Rang floating market (Can Tho), Cai Be floating market (Tien Giang) or brick kilns in Vinh Long, if they can stop production and switch to tourism products, will be extremely attractive" - ​​Mr. Hieu said.

Another sad reality, according to Mr. Nguyen Kim Toan, Director of Saigon WaterBus, is that beautiful cruise ships like La Marguerite or river experiences in many places are mainly international visitors, while Vietnamese visitors are very few. Meanwhile, developing river tourism will promote other economic sectors.

According to new data released at the 2024 Forum on Linking Tourism Development in Ho Chi Minh City and 13 Provinces and Cities in the Mekong Delta, the number of international visitors to this region in 2023 will not be high.

The whole region only welcomed more than 2.1 million international visitors in the context of a more open visa policy, with e-visas also being applied... This shows that tourism in the Mekong Delta, including river tourism, has not developed as expected.

Mr. Doan Huu Duc, Chairman of the Digital Economy and Technology Committee, American Chamber of Commerce and Industry in Vietnam (Amcham), said that when mentioning the Mekong Delta region, people are referring to seafood and fruits from river gardens.

However, the regional connectivity of this area is still weak as craft villages are increasingly fading away, even "dying", and the local economy is also affected. Therefore, to promote tourism, it is necessary to invest in cultural heritages and craft villages, both promoting the economy and maintaining local heritage.

Mekong Discovery Cruise on La Marguerite

Connect for worthy investment

Experts and businesses agree that the potential for tourism in the Mekong Delta, especially river tourism, is huge, but there is a lack of connectivity not only in terms of time but also in space. Visitors to any province in this region find it similar, and all the wharfs are similar.

Mr. Nguyen Tran Huu Thang, General Secretary of Thu Duc Yacht Club, said that this is a very favorable time to develop river tourism, awakening the potential of river tourism in the real estate market.

According to experts, what needs to be done now is to develop tourism closely linked to the preservation and promotion of heritage values ​​and unique local cultural identities. In addition, the state and localities need to have mechanisms and policies to attract investment, encourage tourism startups, and create favorable conditions for tourism businesses to accelerate the growth rate of tourists to the region. In addition, it is necessary to invest in tourism products associated with the cultural depth and stories of this land.

To make river tourism in the Mekong Delta more attractive, Mr. Tran Quang Duy, Director of Penguin Tourism Company, suggested adding more river experiences related to the lives of local people. At each traditional craft village, visitors can experience making cakes, brooms, mats, etc.

"Instead of just doing it for fun, visitors can experience it more deeply, such as wrapping the cake themselves, cooking the cake, and enjoying the cake itself. The Mekong Delta is famous for its communal houses and ancient houses with unique architecture, which can also be exploited more deeply to increase products and new experiences for visitors," said Mr. Duy.

Ms. Nguyen Thi Ngoc Dung, Deputy Director of the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism of Ben Tre province, agreed with the opinions that developing riverside tourism will contribute to promoting local economic development. According to Ms. Dung, not only Ben Tre but also the provinces and cities in the Mekong Delta also want to attract more investors to join hands. Because, currently, there are many handicraft villages, coconut cake villages... ready to welcome visitors.

"If there are investors and adequate investment in developing port and wharf infrastructure, these places will attract more tourists. At that time, not only will the craft villages revive, but tourism products will also be more attractive, touching the emotions of tourists. From there, local people will also benefit" - Ms. Ngoc Dung said.

Respect for harmony

According to tourism expert Truong Hoang Phuong, in the story of investment to build tourism products for the Mekong Delta, it is necessary to pay attention to the harmonious factors of natural environment and people, not to develop tourism but to ignore the factors of indigenous culture and nature.

"Absolutely do not bring in foreign values, because that will cause the culture to fade or disappear. For example, Phong Dien floating market was very famous in the past, but after Phong Dien town was planned, this market no longer exists," said Mr. Phuong.

Source: https://nld.com.vn/thuc-day-du-lich-tren-song-vung-dbscl-196240419214006265.htm