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Asia Pacific> Eye on Asia> Content
Monday, December 31, 2018, 14:37
Vietnam's tourism resources under threat
By Viet Nam News/ANN
Monday, December 31, 2018, 14:37 By Viet Nam News/ANN

In this undated photo, volunteers pick up trash on Son Tra Peninsula in Vietnam, in an effort to clean up local environment. (PHOTO / VIET NAM NEWS)

HANOI — The emerging mass tourism in coastal provinces in recent years has destroyed natural beauty spots at a furious pace.

And in the next five years, Vietnam may lose all tourism resources.

The stark warning came from Vu The Binh, deputy head of Vietnam Tourism Association speaking at a recent conference.

Cua Dai beach in Hoi An town, the central province of Quang Nam, for example, has gradually lost its attraction to Western tourists due to salt intrusion.

Most of tourism agencies have not paid much attention in preserving and protecting the nature’s gifts. The doomed future for our tourism is foreseen if this situation is continued

Vu The Binh, Deputy head of Vietnam Tourism Association

Many now choose An Bang beach or Ha My beach instead, but that beach is also showing signs of subsidence.

The erosion at Cua Dai beach is caused by the lack of mud and soil running from the upstream.

Professor Nguyen Kim Dan told Tien Phong (Vanguard) newspaper that the construction of hydropower plant dams and illegal sand mining on Thu Bon river, the mother river of Quang Nam province, also contributed to the shortage of mud.

Too many resorts built on the shore block the supply of sand to the beach, making Cua Dai gradually disappear.

ALSO READ: Tourists enjoy final day at beach before Boracay closure

The Mui Ne beach in the southern central province of Ninh Thuan, once featured in top ten beautiful beaches in Asia-Pacific, is now facing similar problems.

From fully booked years ago, “the resort land” of Mui Ne has seen a decline in the number of visitors.

On popular booking sites like Agoda or Tripadvisor, many travelers have left negative feedbacks for the beach saying it has lost its original charm.

At present, according to Vu, only two southern central provinces of Ninh Thuan and Phu Yen still have tourism resources.

“These provinces should take time and not rush to invest into beach tourism. As a follower, Ninh Thuan province needs to be aware of other localities’ failures and be careful in planning and choosing investors,” he said.

This photo taken on June 26, 2015 shows beach chairs at An Bang beach in Hoi An, Vietnam's central Quang Nam province. (DALE DE LA REY / AFP)

Red alerts

Right after Bai Kem in Phu Quoc island was named in the top 100 most beautiful beaches in the world by the Canada-based Flight Network, local beaches have started being divided into areas to build tourism spots.

However, many of these constructions are illegal. Earlier this year, Phu Quoc island's Urban Security Surveillance Team found 650 cases of violating regulations of construction.

According to Vietnam Association of Realtors, in the first three months of 2018, the price for one sq m of land on Phu Quoc island’s central street of Tran Hung Dao rose almost threefold, set at VND100 million (US$4,300).

Nguyen Tan Phong, deputy director of Phu Quoc District Land Registration Office, said they received 1,000 dossiers asking for acquiring land use right certificates each month.

Binh Chau commune in Xuyen Moc district, Ba Ria-Vung Tau province, which has long been considered as the “green lung” of the southeast region, is now being targeted by investors.

The land price has been rising dramatically from VND400-500 million (US$17,200-US$21,500) for 100sq m to VND600-700 million ($25,800-US$30,100) in the past few months.

READ MORE: Tourism to be a growth catalyst

Tran Van Nguyen, a Canadian-Vietnamese investor, said it was easy to earn huge profits after a short period of time by investing into real estate projects in Vietnam’s new tourism spots.

He quoted by Tien Phong (Vanguard) newspaper as saying: “Local authorities roll out the red carpets for investors and we almost reserve all rights on the areas we buy. In other countries, not to mention projects affecting environment, even a normal construction needs authorities’ approvals of structure, functions and environmental impacts.”

Beautiful landscapes, convenient services and flocks of visitors have become a common formula of Vietnam tourism for years.

Only until many natural landscapes started being destroyed, did people realize their impact on environment and discuss sustainable tourism.

Dao Dang Cong Trung, 40, in the coastal city of Da Nang, who has picked up trash on Son Tra Peninsula, said mass tourism is affecting the local ecosystem.

Some monkeys living in the peninsula have formed a habit of finding food in the trash tourists throw away and not in the forest anymore.

He warned that without tighter management, Son Tra may become the second Cua Dai beach in the near future, suffering the severe damage and never restoring its original beauty.

“It is impossible to say the national tourism is developing when only referring to the number of tourists. Most of tourism agencies have not paid much attention in preserving and protecting the nature’s gifts. The doomed future for our tourism is foreseen if this situation is continued,” said Vu.

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