Vietnam needs to upgrade infrastructure to develop tourism

Nguyen Tien Dat, deputy director of TransViet, said Vietnamese tend to take tours in summer, and the airways usually are overloaded in the season. Tan Son Nhat, Da Nang and Nha Trang airports all have to operate beyond capacity. 

The Van Don International Airport opened recently. However, analysts say the existing airports were nothing compared with the number of passengers that need to be served.

“If the transport system cannot improve, this will hinder tourism growth,” Dat warned.

Le Tan Thanh Tung from Vitours noted that local authorities have been paying attention to develop transport infrastructure, especially in the central region. However, many problems still exist.

Foreign travelers come to Vietnam mostly by air and sea. Some cities and provinces have airports, but there are not air routes to tourist sites. 

Dat said the poor transport conditions are a weak point of Vietnam’s tourism. 

The roads from Hanoi to destinations in northeast and northwest are very small and in poor condition. To reach Ba Be Lake, Ban Gioc Waterfall or Ha Giang province, the roads are just wide enough for two cars.

Regarding sea transport, Vietnam only has one specialized seaport to receive cruises which began operation on December 30, 2018. Before that, tourism cruises had to dock at cargo ports. Private investors are not interested in developing ports for tourism cruises because they find that profits are unattractive.

As the state’s resources are limited, experts believe that it would be better to create favorable conditions for private businesses to invest money in infrastructure and hotels.

Hanoi has had a high number of inbound travelers, but it lacks the accommodations meeting 5-star or higher standards.

“Let’s count how many 5-star hotels have been built in Hanoi in the last five years?” Dat said. “Meanwhile, the hotel room rate in Vietnam is nearly double that of Thailand, which makes it difficult to organize MICE (Meetings, Incentives, Conventions and Exhibitions) tours.”

Dat went on to say that the country lacks hotels and restaurants specifically serving groups of tourists. Muslim travelers from Malaysia, Indonesia and India, for example, are reluctant to come to Vietnam because of the lack of restaurants serving their food.

Tang cited several problems that need improvement, including airport & road upgrading. Entertainment complex development also needs to be stopped.

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