Long An wants to be friendly, attractive tourist destination 

The Tân Lập Floating Village tourism site, one of popular tourist attractions in Long An Province. — Photo Tân Lập Floating Village

LONG AN — The Cửu Long (Mekong) Delta province of Long An is seeking to bolster its tourism image of safety, friendliness and attractiveness by preserving its cultural heritage and developing specific tourism products.

Long An is the gateway from HCM City to the delta and also shares a 134km border with Cambodia.

It possesses many cultural and natural features that offer huge potential for ecological, riverside agricultural and cultural tourism.

The Vàm Cỏ River and Đồng Tháp Mười wetland ecosystem are valuable tourism resources, Nguyễn Thành Thanh, director of the province Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism, said.

Ramsar site Láng Sen Wetland Reserve, the Đồng Tháp Mười Herbal Medicine Research and Development Centre and Tân Lập Floating Village tourism site are unique tourism products the province boasts, he said.

Long An has a rich history and traditions, with 21 national-level historical and cultural heritage sites and 105 provincial-level ones, he said.

Many relics have been renovated and embellished, including the Đức Hòa Crossroads historical relic site, Vĩnh Phong communal house, the Tôn Thạnh and Phước Lâm pagodas, Nguyễn Huỳnh Đức’s tomb, the Hundred Pillar House, and Bình Tả archaeological relic, which are popular tourist attractions.

It has adopted digital technologies for tourism promotion with the development of the smart tourism portal and digital map of tourist destinations.

At the Long An Victory Monument in Tân An City’s Ward 5, for example, a signboard with QR codes has been recently set up to provide details about historical events and artefacts besides 360 degree images, photos and video clips.

Tourism brand identity

The province is coordinating with universities and travel agencies to research and develop specific tourism products based on its resources.

It is working with the HCM City-based Hoa Sen University to build a brand identity kit to help promote the unique characteristics of its tourism products and boost tourism development.

When it is put into use, visitors can easily learn about the province’s historical relics and cultural heritage.

Traditional craft villages that have existed for hundreds of years such as Bình An drum-making village, An Nhựt Tân mat-making village and Thuận Thành goldsmithy village will be widely introduced through the identity kit.

Thanh said tourism promotion is carried out regularly, especially targeting foreign markets.

The province has also promoted linkages with other localities to create tourism products specific to each locality, he said.

It has boosted links with Cambodia to develop tours that take in Long An and some tourist destinations in that country, he said.

It hopes to make tourism a key economic sector that creates many jobs and boosts socio-economic development, he said.

To attract investment in the tourism sector from businesses, it has been making efforts to create a favorable business environment and encourage innovation and startups, he added.

Nguyễn Văn Hiển, chairman of the province Tourism Association, said a combination of various types of tourism is vital to create attractive products and draw more visitors.

Some travel operators such as Rồng Việt Travel, Mice Travel, LA Tourist, and Golden Smile Travel have partnered with historical relics and tourist attractions in the province to develop tours designed for students.

Tourists visit West Lakes Golf & Villas in Long An Province. — VNA/VNS Photo

Meanwhile, the second Long An Province Culture, Sports and Tourism Week will take place from November 28 to December 4, according to its People’s Committee.

The event is aimed at bolstering the image of the province as well as promote its cultural heritage.

It will feature a range of cultural, cuisine, tourism, and music programmes.

Attractive tourism products that embrace the local culture and natural beauty will be widely introduced to visitors during the week-long event.

In the first nine months of this year Long An received more than 1.1 million visitors, up 60 per cent year-on-year.

By 2025 it hopes to attract 2.5 million domestic visitors and 30,000 international tourists a year and achieve annual growth of 30 per cent and tourism revenues of more than VNĐ2 trillion (US$79.3 million). —VNS