Conserving and promoting heritage values for sustainable tourism development
04/09/2014 03:08
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Developing tourism brand name based on heritage
Viet Nam boasts rich natural resources and age-old culture imbued with national identity. These important factors generate momentum for tourism development. Viet Nam has more than 100 national parks and nature reserves; approximately 40,000 intangible and tangible cultural heritage properties, of which over 3,000 relics were nationally ranked. Viet Nam now has 20 World Heritage properties recognized by UNESCO including 2 natural heritage sites, 5 cultural heritage sites, 8 intangible cultural heritage forms, 1 mixed cultural and natural property and 4 documentary heritage properties. Additionally, Dong Van Karst Plateau was also recognized as global geological park.
Viet Nam tourism has utilized these potentials to develop destinations and link destinations into key tourist routes. Concretely, in the North, quadrangle of Ha Noi-Ha Long-Hai Phong-Ninh Binh has begun to position. The Central is famous for Da Nang and Hue. The South Central Coast has two focal destinations: Nha Trang (Khanh Hoa Province) and Phan Thiet (Binh Thuan Province). The South has developed attractive tourist routes from Ho Chi Minh City to neighboring provinces. Da Lat (Lam Dong Province) has been the center of the Central Highlands.
Besides, Viet Nam has focused on investment in infrastructure and services to ensure easy approach to heritage for domestic and international tourists.
Linking national heritage with the world
Viet Nam has participated in program of "Three countries – One destination" among Viet Nam – Laos – Cambodia, which connects famous destinations and heritage sites of the three countries. Viet Nam has also joined program of "Five countries – One destination" including Viet Nam-Laos-Cambodia-Myanmar-Thailand. This is a typical pattern of cooperation for tourism development among neighboring countries in the lower Mekong River area. Participating in these programs, these countries will benefit from their outstanding heritage values.
To achieve the goal of both tourism development and heritage protection, Viet Nam has focused on conserving, restoring heritage; investment to develop each heritage site into attractive destination; raising public awareness of tourism development associated with conservation of heritage values.
Hong Nhung
