Vietnam has many advantages for marine tourism development, however, the country still fails to develop its marine tourism services.

An Italian cruise ship, Costa Atlantica, brought 2.200 foreign visitors to Vung Tau City for the first time in June. Photo by Tintuc

The number of marine tourists to Vietnam remains low compared to what it could be, accounting for only 4%-5% of the country’s total visitors. This is partially attributed to poor port infrastructure. Currently, most Vietnamese ports are used for cargo transport, not for cruises, therefore, many of them are substandard and unsafe for travelers.

At many big ports, one often sees trucks and cranes moving along the dock next to passengers. Many ports do not have quays to receive passengers, therefore, cruise ships have to dock quite far from the shore and small boats are often used to carry passengers to land--as in the case of Hon Gai Port. As a result, a number of cruise ships have to reduce the frequency of their visits to Vietnam. Not to mention that once the tourists have landed they are harassed by unlicensed taxi drivers who rush at them like hungry wild animals.

Speaking with DTiNews reporters, Associate Prof. Dr. Pham Trung Luong, Deputy Head of the Institute of Tourism Development Research, said, “Vietnam has a 3,600-km coastline, but there is not one specialised port for cruise ships. Vietnam has seen an constant rise in the number of cruise visitors, and If we have specialised ports for these passengers, the benefits for Vietnam's tourism industry will be tremendous”.

More bad news comes in the form of the cheating done by  unlicensed tourist businesses--e.g. online ads for non-existent cheap tours-- which obviously affects negatively the operation of legal ones, including those operating in the marine tourism area. Meanwhile, licensed tour operators have to make an effort in marketing and must pay port fees for their ship operations.

A number of companies assign tourism business activities to individuals who then sell the tours to other tour guides. This has affected the service quality, for instance, despite paying high fees, customers are only offered poor meals and accommodation.