Pham Tu, Deputy Director, Viet Nam National Administration of Tourism
Viet Nam’s vibrant tourism sector has been ranked fifth in the region. The four others are Singapore, Thailand, Indonesia and Malaysia. Foreign tourists from around 60 nations visit Viet Nam regularly.
The tourism sector has given special attention to professionally develop the sector and make its destinations more attractive. From 2003, the tourism sector has started organising a theme-oriented National Tourism Year to promote the tourism potentials of each region in the country.
But the sector still has many shortcomings. Though 70 per cent of the tourists fly to Viet Nam, the country still remains the last destination in their tour itinerary. It is yet to become the doorway to the region. Tourism infrastructure and services, meanwhile, remain average and tourism products are not highly competitive.
However, Viet Nam is being promoted through various media and a "trademark," as a safe and attractive destination in the region, and has started emerging rapidly.
This year, the Government is organising an international tourism conference with the participation of 21 important world economies. Many other important events will also be organised by the Department of Tourism, which will focus on improving quality and increasing media coverage of the sector.
To improve the sector, we need to strengthen co-operation among provincial tourism agencies and local authorities, and between various agencies, sectors and regions. We should also use both domestic and international mass media to advertise Vietnamese tourism.
Nguyen Quoc Ky, Director, Vietravel
The tourism sector needs to synchronously implement four basic media solutions.
First, we must advertise Vietnamese tourism through domestic agencies and foreign public relations firms. Second, we must make use of the Internet and promote Vietnamese tourism through websites and e-mail, introducing the country, people, destinations, customs and cultural events.
Third, we must advertise our tourism through domestic and international events. And last, we must set up a Viet Nam tourism "trademark" for increasing the awareness of international audience.
Vo Thi Thu, Director, Hoi An Tourism and Service Company
In the 90s, people had little awareness of Hoi An. Through international fairs and conferences organised in Australia, United Kingdom, United States and Germany, we have marketed the tourism products and destinations of the province.
And it has shown results. Hoi An recently crossed the 2 million figure for tourists. The tourism sector in Hoi An has now many attractive features and new programmes, including visits to traditional craft villages.
Local people, with their lifestyle and easy going nature, have also played an important part in this success story. And despite increasing tourism, the people of Hoi An have maintained their cultural traditions.
For example, our company offers decor and furnishings based on traditional Vietnamese designs, especially that of Hoi An, made at Hoi An’s craft villages.
Le Hoai Anh, Director, Thuy Loc Company
As reported by the World Travel and Tourism Council, Viet Nam comes sixth in 10 countries which are projected to have the highest growth in tourism in the world.
Vietnamese tourism agencies, enterprises, and news agencies have invested thousands of billions dong to advertise the country, people and products of Viet Nam.
The number of domestic and foreign tourists in the country will grow in the future because of these promotional activities. This will also make enterprises more competitive. For growth and meeting the various demands of the people, marketing is essential. So, we have to focus on improving it.
Nguyen The Vinh, Deputy Director, Saigontourist
I think people and agencies studying the tourism market of the country have to take into account the latest methods and strategies employed around the world.
Programmes to build new tourism products should go hand in hand with developing new markets for these products.
Besides stable international tourism markets like France, Germany and Japan, our company is developing new markets in Russia and Spain, each with its own demands. We must also focus on developing specialised products and services to take full advantage of tourism.
This year, our company has diversified its travel services in domestic and international markets. We are also promoting activities to exploit new international markets.
Nguyen Quang Hien, Business Director, Nam An Group
We need to develop a positive image of the country by setting up shops in important cities around the world like New York, Washington, Sydney, Tokyo and Beijing. This will help in developing a Vietnamese tourism trademark and encourage people who have never visited the country to come here and experience a nation that is full of vitality and has a rich natural and cultural heritage.

Source: VNECONOMY