Serious pollution and poor services in the Mekong Delta region have discouraged many tourists.
Le Minh Duc in HCM City, who recently visited Cai Rang Floating Market in Can Tho City, said "It is common to see people throw rubbish on the river and discharging waste from their on-board toilets. According to local authorities about a tonne of rubbish was discharged to the river every day."
Cai Rang Floating Market
The same situation is also found at Kien Giang Province's Nam Du Islands which is famed for its unspoilt white sand beaches. Le Thuy Trang, a tourist, said that she saw many local people pour baskets of rubbish at Nam Du Wharf. Meanwhile, tourism services on the islands remain poor.
A number of beaches at Phu Quoc Island have also suffering from rubbish.
According to the Vietnam Tourism Research and Development Institute, since 2006, the Mekong Delta region's tourism products remain largely unchanged. "The region's tourism development is mostly based on natural landscapes, but there has been a lack of creativity in developing new products. Many cities and provinces have not paid due attention to tourism promotion activities," said Vo Tong Xuan, Principal of Can Tho University.
Many tourists said that despite Can Tho being the largest city in the Mekong Delta region, the locality barely had enough attractions to keep tourists there longer than a day. Tien Giang, Ben Tre and Vinh Long offer almost identical tourist experiences.
Tran The Dung, deputy director of The He Tre Travel Company said, "the Nam Du Islands are attracting many travellers, however, when they’re here, they have to hire boats to explore themselves. Due to lack of hotel services, they have to stay at local people's houses."
