HCM CITY — Recently, river tours from HCM City to provinces and cities in the Mekong Delta have gradually become a tourism product that represents the Southern identity.

According to the HCM City Department of Tourism, the city’s waterway transportation has 101 routes, with a total length of 913 km, and 73 ports and wharves serving passengers and tourists.

The city's advantage is that four main rivers - Sài Gòn, Đồng Nai, Lòng Tàu and Soài Rạp - flow through it, creating an inter-line waterway network connecting with Bình Dương, Tây Ninh, Đồng Nai, Long An, Tiền Giang, Bà Rịa - Vũng Tàu and the Mekong Delta.

Meanwhile, the Mekong Delta region stands out with its dense canal system, which is an ideal place to develop eco-tourism and explore river culture and floating markets such as Cái Bè (Tiền Giang), Cái Răng (TP Cần Thơ) and Ngã Bảy (Hậu Giang).

Many river areas in the Mekong Delta have diverse ecosystems, home to many rare species of animals and plants, so they are not only famous for ecotourism destinations but also contribute to the conservation of biodiversity and the natural environment.

With such potential, in recent years, many localities have focused on developing river tourism and achieved certain successes, including tourism on the Vàm Cỏ river (Long An), Tiền river (Tiền Giang), Cổ Chiên river (Vĩnh Long), Hàm Luông river (Bến Tre), Hậu river (An Giang - Cần Thơ), and Saigon river - Soài Rạp river - Nhà Bè river (HCM City).

In HCM City, there are currently nearly 60 waterway tourist routes.

Nguyễn Văn Dũng, Vice Chairman of HCM City People's Committee, highlighted the southern river region's strengths, including its extensive 28,000-km river system and rich cultural diversity, particularly in relation to daily life and agriculture.

Nguyễn Thực Hiện, Vice Chairman of Cần Thơ City People's Committee, commented: "The development of river tourism will contribute to promote investment in infrastructure, such as tourist ports, wharves and surrounding areas, and promote local socio-economic development".

Need connection

Nguyễn Minh Tuấn, Director of the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism of Cần Thơ City, acknowledged: "River tourism still lacks connection between localities. River tourism routes, such as along the Mekong River and the Hậu river, the Saigon river and the canal system in the Mekong Delta, can all become attractive destinations for domestic and foreign tourists.”

However, because each locality has its own development strategy, the lack of coordination and sharing of information between provinces and cities has led to many limitations in building attractive inter-regional tourism products, Tuấn added.

According to experts, provinces and cities within the delta should establish strong connections in infrastructure investment and the development of riverside service areas.

This collaboration will facilitate the attraction of businesses to create inter-regional tourism initiatives, allowing for visits to multiple sites along the same river route, thus enhancing the overall experience for tourists.

River tourism must be a harmonious blend of culture, conservation, and commerce.

Preserving traditional values, protecting the environment, and ensuring economic sustainability are all crucial components of successful development, they said. VNS