Boasting a coastline of 125 kilometres with stunning beaches such as Cua Dai, An Bang, Ha My and Tam Thanh, together with a wide range of small and large islands, the central province of Quang Nam has worked to capitalise on its resources for tourism development.
An Bang beach in Hoi An has made it name on the list of Travelers’ Choice Awards Best of the Best Beaches in Asia as voted by readers of Tripadvisor, one of the world’s largest travel guidance platforms.
As a having-it-all destination with powder-white sand, blue skies and stunning views, and home to a coral reef, making it a perfect spot for swimming and snorkeling, An Bang, together with Cham islet of Tam Hai island commune, has become a top drawcard in Quang Nam province.
Chairman of Quang Nam Tourism Association Phan Xuan Thanh said that An Bang and many other beaches of Quang Nam have been must-visit destinations for tourists, particularly foreigners.
Last year, Quang Nam hosted more than 7.5 million tourist arrivals, with more than 2.5 million choosing sea and island packages, he said, adding this demonstrates that sea and island tourism has been a magnet to tourists.
David Karl, a visitor from Australia, said he was impressed by Quang Nam’s tranquil villages, world heritage sites which have been well preserved, and beautiful beaches like An Bang and Ha My. However, he expects better transportation and more diversified tourism offerings since the locality have advantages to develop underwater sports.
In a meeting between travel firms and the Chairman of the provincial People’s Committee, Thanh said sea and island tourism is a new project with great potential for further development. However, the province has not injected adequate investment to enterprise capital.
He suggested the local authority work to remove roadblocks for the firms, with the focus given to support in tax, preferential loans, land for rent, reduction of power prices, as well as stimulus packages to make sea and island tourism an indispensable product in the chain of green tourism products.
Director of An Bang beach event festival company Le Ngoc Thuan said sea and island tourism holds the lion's share of the number of tourists to Quang Nam every year.
In a bid to fully tap the local sea and island potential, the business community needs financial support from the state to develop and popularise new offerings and train its labour force.
According to Chairman of the provincial People’s Committee Le Tri Thanh said the province has seen protection of the ecological environment as a motive to develop green tourism and economy towards sustainable development.
Admitting that local sea and island tourism products lack connectivity and harmonious investment, Thanh said that the province is working to gradually remove the bottlenecks.
It has splashed out trillions of VND on coastal embankment construction, and is working closely with ministries, sectors and the French Development Agency (AFD) to implement a project on Hoi An beach erosion prevention and sustainable protection worth 982 billion VND (39.77 million USD).
Upon completion in 2026, additional 3.5 kilometres along Hoi An beach will be safeguarded, he said, adding the project helps protect tourism resources while attracting investments that serve as a foundation for strong and sustainable sea and island tourism development./.
