In the first half of this year, the southern city of Can Tho reported tourism earnings of over VND1.12 trillion (over US$49 million), an increase of 16% year-on-year.
There were over 1 million visitors to the city, including over 140,000 foreign tourists, up 9% compared to the same period last year.
According to Director of the municipal Culture, Sports and Tourism Department Tran Viet Phuong, the city plans to promote tourism activities as well as diversify ecological, cultural and river tours to meet the demands of visitors.
The city will cooperate with the Mekong delta provinces of An Giang and Kien Giang to establish a “tourist triangle”, developing river, island and mountain tourism services.
Can Tho will also upgrade infrastructure in more than 20 eco-tourism parks covering an area of approximately 300 hectares, and develop models of environmentally-friendly tourism on Cai Rang and Phong Dien floating markets and at other tourist sites.
Can Tho city is located in a traffic junction linking the provinces in the region to Ho Chi Minh City and Cambodia. It is well known for its bird gardens, picturesque canals, Ninh Kieu wharf in Ninh Kieu district and Cai Rang floating market, the biggest fruit and agricultural wholesale market in the Mekong River delta.
The city is also famous for My Khanh tourist village where visitors can sample local fruits and admire various types of bonsai trees and animals such as birds, turtles, snakes, crabs and shrimp. It is home to historical and cultural relics including the Ong pagoda, Nam Nha pagoda and Binh Thuy temple.