Vietnam, with a coastline of more than 3,200 km, beautiful beaches and thousands islands, enjoys great potential for sea tourism development.
Vietnam, with a coastline of more than 3,200 km, beautiful beaches and thousands islands, enjoys great potential for sea tourism development. Tours of Vietnamese sea have, over the past years attracted a great number of international tourists. Vietnam’s tourism sector has developed diverse sea tourist products that have inspired both domestic and foreign tourists.
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| Ha Long Bay |
Ha Long Bay in Quang Ninh province, Cat Ba island in Hai Phong, Cua Lo beach in Nghe An, Nha Trang Bay in Khanh Hoa, Mui Ne in Phan Thiet, Con Dao in Ba Ria Vung Tau and Phu Quoc in Kien Giang province are attractive destinations in Vietnam. Ha Long Bay, a World Natural Heritage Site recognized by UNESCO is always the first destination for any visitors to Vietnam. Tourists can go to Ha Long Bay via land and sea routes. Vu Duy Vu, Deputy Director of Saigontourist company says: “Ha Long Bay is one of the world’s most beautiful bays. Therefore, cruisers have selected Ha Long Bay as one of their destinations. The services in the Bay are very good and hotels, boats, restaurants can meet the demands of big cruises to Ha Long Bay”.
Besides visiting beautiful landscapes in Ha Long Bay and enjoy local seafood specialties, tourists also have a chance to experience fishermen’s life and job by participating in community or humanitarian tours, during which they can help fishermen by themselves but not just donate them cash. Meanwhile, on the Cat Ba island, tourists can explore adventure tours. In recent years, Cat Ba has introduced a wide range of tours for both domestic and foreign tourists offering them mountain climbing, diving, kayaking, wind surfing, trekking and bicycling. Le Manh Kien, Director of Ghe Xanh, one of two travel companies that offer adventure tours in Cat Ba says: “We have developed new types of adventure tours including diving tours and tours of caves and grottoes, which can only be reached by kayak and have underground exits”.
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| Con Dao island |
Con Dao in southern Ba Ria Vung Tau province is also a popular destination for both domestic and foreign tourists. In addition to tours of pagodas and temples, sea tours in Con Dao have impressed visitors greatly. With a 2 km long beach, Con Dao has dozens of beautiful beaches and coral riffs inspiring tourists with new feeling. Hidden under tree shadows and facing the sea, hotels in Con Dao are the ideal places for tourists. Nguyen Van Hung, Head of the Ecotourism and Environmental Education Department of Con Dao National Park said: “Tourists are most interested in eco-tours, visiting islands and breeding grounds of turtles and diving to see coral riffs in small islets. This type of tour is now the most popular one. I think that in the near future, tourists to Con Dao island will increase. To meet tourists’ increasing demands, we will further invest in upgrading our infrastructure and accommodation”.
Sea tours are the key route for travel companies. “The number of tourists participating in sea tours account for 75%. During summer, the high peak season, 95% of our tours are sea tours taking place from April 30 to September 2nd. Before and after this season, there are several sea tours such as those of grottoes and caves in Ha Long Bay. From the central to southern regions, sea tours are very popular because this region has beautiful beaches and good services”, said Lai Anh Quan, who works for a travel company in Hanoi..
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| Nha Trang |
Tourists from Europe to Vietnam are interested in visiting beaches from Nha Trang to Phan Thiet. Among diverse tours in Vietnam, sea tours are always their first choices.
