Vietnam’s waters are rich in natural conditions and resources together with biodiversity favourable for developing marine, coastal, and island tourism in various scales and forms. It should be note that Vietnam’s coastal areas across the country possess a lot of landscapes which are wonderful and attractive to visitors, such as Ngang Pass, Hai Van Pass, and Ca Pass. Between mountain ridges and coastal bays are 126 beautiful sand beaches (20 of them have reached the international standards), together with hundreds of small, gorgeous beaches around placid bays and unspoiled islands which are suitable for excursions and picnics. In the coastal seas, Vietnam has more than 2,500 big and small islands and many of them are enormously valuable to tourism, such as Cat Ba, Bach Long Vi, Cu Lao Cham, Phu Quy, Con Dao, and Phu Quoc. We have been exploiting these potentialities to develop marine tourism.

Fully aware of the country’s potential and geographical advantages, in its Resolution 09-NQ/TW, dated February 9^th, 2007 on the Vietnam Maritime Strategy towards 2020, our Party affirms that sea and island tourism is among 5 marine economic sectors that hold a role of special importance to the country’s marine economy in particular, its economy in general. Under the Party’s guidelines and policies, over the years, our country’s marine tourism has been constantly developed and obtained many significant achievements, thereby making contributions to stimulating the development of other economic sectors, creating more employments for coastal inhabitants, protecting natural resources and environment, and ensuring defence and security in the coastal, sea, and island areas. Currently, many of the key tourism zones within the coastal areas have yet to be exploited on a par with their potentialities and advantages. However, the percentage of tourists to the coastal, sea and island areas is about 70% - 80% and marine tourism still makes a major contribution to the country’s tourist industry on a yearly basis. Those figures prove marine tourism’s role and importance to Vietnam’s economic development.

In the foreseeable future, in order to more effectively exploit our potential and advantages for the development of marine tourism, we should concentrate on grasping and realising the guidelines and breakthroughs set in the Strategy for the Sustainable Development of Vietnam’s Marine Economy towards 2030, with a Vision Towards 2045. Concerning marine tourism and services, the Strategy attaches importance to investment in tourist infrastructure, adding that all economic sectors will be encouraged and provided with a favorable condition to contribute to the development of ecological tourism, scientific exploration, community-based tourism, and high-quality resorts in the coastal areas. Moreover, emphasis will be placed on diversifying world-class marine tourism products and brands on the basis of promoting regions’ particular natural, cultural, and historical values and establishing a link with international tourist lines so that Vietnam will become an attractive tourist destination of the world. Consideration will be given to developing tourism on the islands far from the coast and enhancing search and rescue capacity, scientific exploration, and marine education and health. Coastal inhabitants will be assisted in changing their trades which are likely to harm and negatively affect the sea to trades that help protect and preserve the sea.

To that end, sectors, forces, and organisations, particularly the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism as well as coastal localities’ party committees and authorities should synchronously adopt measures to develop marine tourism and contribute to attaining the goal of sustainable development of marine economy set by our Party’s Resolution 36-NQ/TW, dated October 22^nd, 2018.

Nguyen Duc Phu