Vietnam Tourism Needs to Push for High Revenues

For sure, there are a number of issues and challenges that the Vietnamese Tourism Authorities are facing, hand in hand with all other authorities in the country. It takes time to address such issues but we have to keep in mind how to protect the good image of Vietnam.

 

Education: there is an urgent need to further educate the  people involved in the tourism industry  in order to make the tourists feel at home and more comfortable when they visit the country. A smile is a good gesture but it is not enough. We need competent and efficient personnel in hotels, airports and tourist destinations.

 

Fight against pollution: There is a growing concern about the rising pollution in the tourist spots (seaside, cities, and mountainous areas).  A national campaign should be launched at this level to awaken the conscience of the people. Of course, investment will be needed in this issue.

 

Fight against petty crime:  Bag snatching, petty theft and cheating, (money exchange, taxi rides etc.) is beginning to be a concern and also more and more tourists are losing confidence in Vietnam as a safe destination. Of course, Vietnam remains very safe in general, but getting money and/or passports stolen leaves a very bad memory with visitors. The police force should be more aware of how to treat claims from foreign tourists. It would perhaps be a good idea to create special offices in the main tourists areas with bilingual officers trained to deal with such complaints, and maybe to implement a hotline.

To preserve the heritage and historical places and buildings: Vietnam had the chance to have a lot of old buildings preserved over the years, but in recent years, due to land speculation, many old houses have been destroyed and replaced by high-rises – Dong Khoi Street is a very good example – and if this continues, in 2 years time, the original Dong Khoi Street will disappear.

For years, Vietnam was slow in tourism promotion, now a huge progress has been made and this is why the number of tourist arrivals is increasing but it is critical now to work on keeping the tourists as long as possible in Vietnam and how to make them come back.

 Traffic improvement is also a top priority as tourists are now really scared to tour on the roads of Vietnam. Implementation of the international standards of driving must be a national priority in order to improve the quality of life of the citizens and the foreign visitors. If nothing is done seriously in the coming months, it will have a strong impact on the general economy of the country. Ten simple logical measures should be taken and strictly implemented and 80 percent of the traffic problems will be solved.

We wanted to create an original product focusing on a part of the history of Indochina and the presence of the famous French Author Marguerite Duras in the Mekong Delta during her youth.

 

 L’AMANT is a charming traditional 1930’s style boat designed to accommodate up to 24 passengers in luxurious comfort. The vessel offers 12 cabins fully equipped and decorated in a delicate style, a cosy restaurant, a bar and a sundeck where passengers can relax and be captivated by the serenity and beauty of nature while cruising through the mystical Mekong River.

 

Thanks - yes, it has always been a company policy to share our success with less privileged people of Vietnam. We usually select 2 or 3 projects per year but we have also long lasting programs, such as Operation Smile, which we are supporting for many years and one orphanage in Hue with 180 children. We are also looking for projects protecting the historical heritage of Vietnam or community improvement projects such as water resources in villages. We do also purchase many of our giveaways from charitable organizations.