Martial arts eyed as new tourist attraction

Binh Dinh Province and HCM City leaders yesterday discussed plans to promote martial arts and other cultural activities in the province as a tourism attraction.
"Though the province has carry out many activities to call for investment in tourism, the result has not corresponded with the resources," said Nguyen Thanh Son, deputy director of Binh Dinh's Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism.
"The province wants to learn from and closely work with HCM City tourism officials as our province is an important link to south central coastal tourism."
The development of tourism in Hue and Da Nang in the central region had been driving changes in Binh Dinh tourism, said La Quoc Khanh, deputy director of HCM City's Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism.
"Thanks to the coordination with other regions nationwide, the three localities can coordinate more effectively than ever before," he said.
Khanh added that HCM City would take advantage of its role as a major tourism destination to help Binh Dinh's tourism activities.
Huynh Cao Nhat, director of the Binh Dinh Tourism Promotion Centre, said among the province's best features were a long coastal line with beautiful sand beaches, cultural and architectual relics of the Cham, particularly the ruins of the Do Ban Citadel and towers.
Traditional martial arts were a cultural heritage of the province, Nhat said.
Tourists could watch demonstrations by professional teams and visit famous martial art villages like Thuan Truyen (Binh Thuan Commune, Tay Son District), and An Vinh (Nhon Phuc Commune, AnNhon District), he added.
The province is the birthplace of many famous poets and writers such as Dao Duy Tu, Dao Tan, Han Mac Tu, Xuan Dieu and Che Lan Vien, as well as several traditional art forms like tuong (classical drama) and bai choi folk music.
It has many craft villages, including Bau Da rice alcohol, wooden furniture, ceramics, conical hats, rice sheets made with coconut juice and sesame seeds.
Well-known tourist spots include Rang – Tien Sa Rapids, Thi Nai Lagoon, Salangane Island, Nui Mot Lake, Ham Ho Ecological Park and Hoi Van Mineral Water Spring.
The special features of the sand hill in Phuong Mai Peninsula could also be a special tourism attraction, Nguyen Pham Trung Kien, director of the Central Viet Nam Tourism Company, said.
"It is different from other sand hills in the south-central coast," Kien said. "It is a skating sport with a height of more than 20m."
The food in Binh Dinh was "delicious and cheap, another reason for tourists to visit the province," he added.
Three wholly foreign-owned tourism projects are expected to draw tourists. They are the US$125 million five-star Hon Ngoc Viet Nam Resort, which is under construction, and the $139 million Mui Tan artificial island and $250 million five-star Vinh Hoi Resort.
Two other considerable projects are Linh Phong Pagoda spiritual-historical-ecological tourism complex, and the VND3 trillion ($144 million) Hai Giang Golf Course and Resort.