Tourism Development in the Mekong Delta

The Cuu Long (Mekong) Delta is a unique network of waterways that have extreme importance in terms of both a local and global context. The 28,000 km river system, along with vast paddy fields and luxuriant orchards create a unique natural setting possessing both beauty and production.
Abundant potential
The river system provides a diversity of products that have developed into a fine indigenous cuisine. Floating markets are the most typical characteristic reflecting the traditional culture of the delta. A long time ago, the plentiful water resources attracted the Kinh, Chinese Vietnamese, Khmer and Cham people who came to live and turned the delta into a fertile and prosperous region. The region has diverse ecosystems, such as orchards in Cu Lao Thoi Son in Tien Giang province, coconut gardens in Ben Tre province, An Binh village in Ving Long province, Phong Dien district in Can Tho province, the ecosystem in flooded indigo forests in the Lang Sen Nature Reserve in Long An province, the Dong Thap Muoi area in Dong Thap province, Tra Su indigo forest in An Giang province, coastal mangrove forests (bird sanctuaries, nature reserves, national parks, biosphere reserves) in Can Tho, Dong Thap, Bac Lieu and Kien Giang provinces.
In addition, the Mekong has incredible marine and island ecosystems. The 700 km long coastline of the delta is divided into two parts. The eastern coastline stretches from Tien Giang province to Ca Mau province. In this part, there are a number of estuaries which create picturesque beaches such as Tan Thanh (Tien Giang province), Thanh Phong (Ben Tre province), Ba Dong (Tra Vinh province), Hiep Thanh (Bac Lieu province) and Khai Long (Ca Mau province). A big lighthouse is on the Hon Khoai Island in Ca Mau province, the only place where one can admire the sunrise in the east and sunset in the west. The western coastline connects Ca Mau province to Kien Giang province. This part has rich potential to develop tourism. This is a peaceful region with plentiful sea resources, beautiful beaches and vast caves. With hundreds of multiform islands, the region is named "the Halong Bay of the south". Phu Quoc Island is trying to become an international destination for marine eco-tourism.
Necessity of cooperation
However, according to tourism experts, the growth rate of the delta's tourism is still limited when compared to potential. The reasons are poor infrastructure, low quality tourism products, inadequate attention to advertising and tourism promotion activities and unqualified human resources, with the main reason being the lack of provincial, regional and national cooperation.
In fact, among the 13 provinces in the Mekong Delta, 10 have signed agreements with HCM City. In particular, Can Tho has cooperated with HCM City, Hanoi and 10 other provinces in the region. It is obvious that Hanoi and HCM City play a pivotal role in tourism development by supplying numerous tourists.
In general, cooperation among provinces in the region and with other regions has gained some achievements in the field of information and management experience exchange, human resource improvement and tourism promotion. These achievements have been reflected through Mekong Festival 2003 in Can Tho City, Mekong Festival 2006 in An Giang province, National Tourism Year 2008 themed "the Mekong River Countryside" and Mekong-Japan Culture and Tourism Festival in Can Tho in 2009.
In July 2009, with the attendance of the Southwest Steering Committee and the Mekong Delta Tourism Association as the matchmaker, representatives from the culture, sports and tourism departments of An Giang, Ca Mau, Kien Giang and Can Tho provinces agreed a program on tourism development cooperation. Meanwhile, the program's regulatory committee was established (according to Decision 492/QD/TTg by the Prime Minister on the Mekong Delta Key Economic Region Project).
At the end of 2009, the Mekong Delta Tourism Association worked with the tourism sectors of An Giang, Kien Giang and HCM City to conduct a survey and design a tourism promotion program in Kep, Siem Reap, Sihanoukville and Phnom Penh (Cambodia). In each place, the delegation studied its tourism activities and projects and introduced typical tourism sites in the Cuu Long (Mekong) Delta and HCM City. The delegation and local authorities signed tourism cooperation agreements which lay the foundation for the long-term tourism cooperation program among the localities of Vietnam and Cambodia.

By Pham Phuoc Nhu
Chairman of the Mekong Delta Tourism Association