Kien Giang: Unique and Charming

Kien Giang: Unique and Charming

Kien Giang is well-known at home and abroad for its picturesque locations of Ha Tien and Phu Quoc. Kien Giang is becoming increasingly attractive with the development of tourist centres and resorts.

Seductive beauty

Visitors may spend several days in Kien Giang enjoying the natural beauty of the province - watching the sunset at Rach Gia, visiting the under-construction Kien Giang coastline urban area, going to Kien Luong to explore Moso cave with several gateways to the sea and pretty stalactites and stalagmites, visiting Hon Trem - Hon Chong with beautiful beaches, its pagoda in a cave and Phu Tu (Father and Son) rocks on the sea. All the scenic beauty of Kien Giang falls within the plan for tourism development.

Ninety km north of Rach Gia, visitors will discover the “ Ten Ha Tien landscapes”, including Thach Cave, Nai Cape and the Tomb of Mac Cuu - the founder of the land. On Phu Quoc Island, visitors will enjoy the sun and beautiful beaches with blue water and gentle waves embracing a white sandy coastline, sit by romantic waterfalls and streams, or go downstream to see how the famous fish sauce is made at Duong Dong town. Tourists may also visit the national park on the island, the Dinh Cau Temple with its unique architecture, the Pirate Archipelago with beautiful beaches and Hon Heo Island with its fields of coral, shell and mother of pearl inlay.

Warm welcome

To attract more visitors to come and witness the natural beauty of Kien Giang, the province continues to develop the road network providing linkage to tourist areas. Hotels, resorts, recreation parks and other services have been upgraded. One successful project is the Saigon Phu Quoc Resort, a joint venture between Saigontourist and Kien Giang tourist companies. The resort has a network of hotels, restaurants, beaches and other services. It has turned a remote area into an ideal destination for tourists, especially foreign tourists. They can arrive by either air or sea. Several tourist cruisers have visited Phu Quoc, such as Leo Star, Star Cruiser, etc., and has become a tourist port for South East Asia tours. At Phu Quoc, tourists may visit the Tranh and Da Bang streams, Dinh Cau Temple, Phuong Dong town, etc. The province continues to develop tourist facilities in other areas.

Kien Giang has developed several tourist tours from other provinces, especially Ho Chi Minh City. Rach Gia and Phu Quoc Airports have been upgraded to encourage tourism. More tours and services have been developed by all economic sectors. The province has over 60 hotels and guest houses, 20 restaurants, three taxi companies (Vicarrent, Gia Thao and Hoan My), bus lines and passengers ships for tourists.

Attracting investment

In Ha Tien town, Mui Nai (Deer Cape) is planned for a tourist centre covering 17 hectares and with investment capital of VND300 billion. The province will build infrastructure and call for investment from all economic sectors in all types of services.

The Chua Hang (Cave Pagoda) tourist centre will be built near the pagoda over 17 hectares with an extended area allowing pilgrims to stay overnight on their pilgrimage and tourists to enjoy all the facilities including towers to watch Phu Tu (Father and Son) rocks, cruising or mountain climbing.

Kien Giang will offer preferential treatment for investors in the two areas to make them a driving force for tourist development in the region. The province will also encourage investment in Duong Dong town to develop all kinds of services for the tourist industry.

In Mui Nai, eight more investors have registered to rent land with a total investment of VND34 billion. In Chua Hang, four watch towers are under construction. Other tourist centres have been planned for development such as Thach Dong, Rach Gia Harbour (nearly VND14 billion), U Minh Thuong Eco-tourism Site, Hon Dat Cultural Park (with war relics), Phu Quoc National Park, and Hai Tac (Pirate) Archipelago, etc.

• Song Phuong