Mr Le Dinh Tuan, general director of Celadon International Tourism Consultating Company has held that with 3,200-kilometre coastline, Vietnam has a great chance to promote tourism and the image of the country.

Q: Why do you think that Vietnam should use the sea to promote its image and attract foreign tourists?

A: Vietnam has the letter “S” shape from the northernmost point to the southernmost point that is adjacent to the sea. The sea is sometimes rough from May to October while the climate is very beautiful in the central region; the sea is very blue with sunlight and wind. In the north, the sea is deep blue in autumn.

Travelling to the Vietnamese sea, tourists can dive, surf or join yacht races. With these characteristics of Vietnam’s sea, sea travel can be exploited all the year round.

Besides, the sea of Vietnam has more than 2,000 kinds of fish, including 130 species of high economic value. On the other hand, it is a safe place for tourists. If Vietnam knows how to promote the sea travel, Vietnam will be able to attract many tourists.

Q: How to organise so that the Vietnamese image will stay in tourists’ mind through the sea travel?

A: We can introduce advantageous points of the sea to attract tourists to the sea in different seasons. For example, it is hard to view Ha Long Bay from November to the following March because of fog.

But if we can enhance the image of foggy Ha Long Bay for romantic tourists to enjoy, it will be effective. This is also a suitable period of time for those who do not like warm and humid weather to treat diseases.

It is also possible to organise the sea-related entertainment activities by making a schedule for the whole year. It is not good enough to hold so many events at the same time while no events are held at a certain time.

It is better to exploit various kinds of sea travel such as island hopping, diving, fishing, marine life discovery, and water sports.

Q: What advantages does the Vietnamese sea have compared to others?

It is easy to travel in Vietnam so that tourists can choose to visit different sea destinations. If travelling by sea, tourists can call at sea ports along the country: Haiphong, Da Nang, Quy Nhon, Cam Ranh, Vung Tau and Ho Chi Minh City.

Tourists can also travel to Vietnam on a small plane because many seaboard localities have airports, including Haiphong, Vinh, Hue, Da Nang, Chu Lai, Phu Yen, Quy Nhon, Cam Ranh, Vung Tau, Rach Gia and Phu Quoc. The north-south railway and road systems have been well improved.

In addition, the system of accommodations is also diverse, from reasonable places to luxury resorts. Well-known hotel and resort groups of the world are present in Vietnam, including Furama, General, Accor, Starwood and Marriot.

Q: How to exploit all the potential of the sea travel?

A: In my opinion, more than 3,200-kilometre coastline of Vietnam can be divided into five sections to develop tourism:

* Tra Co – Ha Long – Do Son – Sam Son: This is the sea area with four distinguished seasons. They are near Hanoi and China so it is possible to draw domestic and Chinese tourists.

* Cua Lo – Quang Binh – Thuan An – Lang Co: These areas are quite wild but able to be developed into a high-level international tourism complex.

* Da Nang – Hoi An – Quang Ngai – Quy Nhon – Dai Lanh – Nha Trang – Cam Ranh – Ninh Thuan: These areas include many resorts and hotels. I think that sea travel will “boom in these areas”.

* Phan Thiet – Mui Ne – Ba Ria – Long Hai – Vung Tau – Can Gio: These areas mainly serve tourists from Ho Chi Minh City.

* Ha Tien – Phu Quoc.

(Source: Tuoi Tre)