VietNamNet Bridge – Vietnam's coastal destinations have lured more and more tourists and created competitive advantage for sea tourism.

Phu Quoc Island. – File photo

Sea tourism is one of prioritised orientations in the Vietnam’s tourism development strategy to 2020 with a vision to 2030. Accordingly, from now to 2020, Vietnam will form five highly competitive sea-based tourist attractions in the region including Ha Long-Cat Ba, Lang Co-Son Tra-Hoi An, Nha Trang-Cam Ranh, Phan Thiet-Mui Ne and Phu Quoc Tourist Site. Other potential tourist areas, including Van Don-Co To will also be invested and developed.

Doctor Do Cam Tho from Tourism Development Research Institute under the General Department of Tourism said over the past years, tourism activities in coastal provinces have made an important distribution to local economic development, accounting for over 60 percent of the country’s total revenue from tourism.

Sea tourism is really a natural advantage of Vietnam. The number of foreign tourists coming to coastal regions has tended to continually increase and currently accounts for nearly 80 percent of total foreign visitors to Vietnam while the number of domestic tourists flocking to these areas also accounts for over 50 percent of total domestic tourists who travel across the country.

The development of sea tourism has brought many socioeconomic benefits to the coastal localities and the country in general. Thanks to sea tourism, many coastal provinces like Phu Yen, Binh Dinh, Ninh Thuan and Binh Thuan have recorded surprisingly rapid economic growth.

According to Binh Thuan’s Department of Tourism and Sport, the number of tourists coming to Binh Thuan over recent years has seen a steady growth. In 2013 alone, the central coastal province welcomed 3.5 million passengers, a 12.1 percent increase compared with 2012 and earned revenue of more than 5.47 trillion VND.

Binh Thuan is now an attractive destination for both domestic and international tourists, in which Mui Ne has been voted the most attractive beach in Southeast Asia by Lonely Planet Magazine or the travel website Skyscanner.

The growing number of tourists helped Binh Thuan increasingly attract tourism investment projects and services. Until now, as many as 445 investment projects in tourism sector have been implemented in Binh Thuan with total registered capital of more than 63.5 trillion VND, focusing primarily in fields of tourist stay, golf course and sea tourism services. Over 120 high-class resorts with wonderful architectural designs built along provincial coast is really an attractive destination for international tourists coming from various countries like Russia, Germany, the UK, France, the US, Japan and the Republic of Korea.

Apart from Binh Thuan, Ha Long Bay, Lang Co, Da Nang, Hoi An, Nha Trang, Vung Tau and Phu Quoc ... are also very attractive destinations, contributing to promoting the image of Vietnam’s sea tourism in the region and the world.

Do Cam Tho also said the biggest advantage of Vietnam’s sea tourism is its wildness beaches. The beaches in central Vietnam and natural heritages including Ha Long Bay, Phu Quoc and Con Dao islands with beautiful natural sceneries and white sand will make a dominant characteristic for Vietnam’s tourism products.

She stressed “the investment attractiveness of coastal regions has confirmed the great potential of Vietnam sea tourism.”

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