4:46:54 PM | 21/4/2011
The road-show programme called “Visiting Tay Do land” recently held in the Vietnamese capital city of Hanoi by the Can Tho City’s Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism introduced countryside and waterfront tourism potentials and cultural identities in the Southwest of Vietnam. Reporter Giang Tu interviewed Mr Vo Thanh Thong, Vice Chairman of Can Tho City People's Committee, about this programme.
Why did Can Tho City organise this road-show in Hanoi?
Till now, Can Tho City and Mekong Delta are known as a copious granary but it is little known that Can Tho is also an ideal tourist destination and the centre of Mekong Delta lying on the Hau River. This waterfront countryside is perfect for building resorts. Endowed with rich tourism potentials, Can Tho annually welcomes nearly 1 million tourists, of which up to 80 percent are domestic travellers. Can Tho wanted to introduce its tourism potentials to people in Hanoi and northern region as a whole to know more about Can Tho, an attractive tourist destination. Besides, the city aimed to present tourism potential of other Mekong Delta provinces like An Giang, Soc Trang and Bac Lieu.
How has Can Tho oriented tourism development investment?
Not only being an industrialised city, Can Tho wants to become a tourist city of the Mekong Delta and the nation. The waterfront strives to build locally typical tourism industry based on natural endowments. It has developed water-based countryside tourism by organising tours to Cai Rang and Phong Dien floating markets, Con Au, Con Khuong, Con Son, Con Tan Loc and Con Cai Khe fruit islets, My Khanh and Co Bang Lang gardens.
Can Tho is divided into many urban zones and Phong Dien District is chosen to become a centre of countryside ecological tourism. At present, the district has also formed many ecological zones and will develop this form of tourism in the future.
Does the city have any specific goals for this year?
In 2010, Can Tho attracted more than 880,000 people, of which 19 percent were foreign visitors, and earned revenues of VND650 billion. This year, the city expects to welcome 970,000 tourists and make revenues of VND750 billion. In the first three months of this year, a large number of travellers visited the city.
Does Can Tho have policies to support tourism development?
Can Tho pays much attention to applying incentive policies to facilitate tourism development where infrastructure is a priority. In the past years, the city has invested much into tourism infrastructure development. Thus, traffic infrastructure has been significantly improved, with Can Tho Bridge completed and put into operation in 2010. The city inaugurated Can Tho International Airport Terminal on December 31, 2010. These efforts have provided favourable conditions for the city to develop tourism. In the coming time, Can Tho will try to call for more investment capital and offer best conditions for investors, including land and tax preferences.
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