The transformation of Southwest tourism

Summer 2025 is also the time for localities and businesses to come up with new plans, anticipating development trends in new spaces of localities and regions in the coming time.

Chú thích ảnh — The procession carrying the statue of Lady Chua Xu of Sam Mountain from Sam Mountain communal house to Lady Chua Temple attracts thousands of visitors from all over the country. Photo: Cong Mao/VNA

Eco- tourism , island tourism, spiritual tourism

In the gentle afternoon sunshine of late May, amidst the blend of blue sky, white clouds with a beautiful poetic beach, undulating mountain peaks, Ms. Do Thanh Xuan (residing in Thu Duc city, Ho Chi Minh City) and her group of friends took the opportunity to check-in Mui Nai - Ha Tien. Mui Nai is located in Phao Dai ward, Ha Tien city, Kien Giang province, possessing a unique natural beauty, attracting a large number of tourists to visit and have fun. Thanks to thorough investment, Mui Nai has become the most attractive destination in Ha Tien. Tourists come here not only to swim in the sea but also to experience many activities such as sea sports , sledding through the forest - the only place in the Mekong Delta that offers this service.

"The scenery here is beautiful, mountains on one side, the sea on the other, the sunset is even more beautiful so we took the opportunity to take lots of pictures" - a female tourist from Ho Chi Minh City excitedly shared.

Sea and island tourism has long been the spearhead of Kien Giang tourism industry. The province's tourism development stimulus program in 2025 with the message "Kien Giang - Sea and island convergence, culture spreading", was launched on May 24, focusing on unique tourism products such as sea and island tourism, eco-tourism, cultural and culinary tourism...

According to the Kien Giang Province Investment, Trade and Tourism Promotion Center, in the first 5 months of 2025, Kien Giang welcomed over 5.6 million visitors, an increase of 26.9% over the same period; total revenue from tourism was over VND 23,000 billion. In particular, Phu Quoc continued to affirm its leading position in local and regional tourism.

But Kien Giang is not only Phu Quoc. "The sea calls, the island waits" - a highlight that many localities in the province such as Rach Gia, Ha Tien, Kien Hai are focusing on exploiting. Ha Tien tourism is thriving with Mui Nai, Bai Bang beaches, Hai Tac archipelago, and famous tourist attractions such as Mac Cuu tomb, Dong Ho lagoon, Thach Dong... Ha Tien Trade and Tourism Promotion Center said that in the first quarter of 2025, the city welcomed nearly 815,000 visitors, of which Mui Nai is the most popular destination.

Summer tours to the Southwest are quite diverse and rich when combining river and garden ecotourism - the most typical dish of the Mekong Delta, with island tourism and cultural - spiritual tourism. May is the time when tourists from all over flock to An Giang to make pilgrimages and attend the Via Ba Chua Xu Nui Sam festival (Chau Doc city, An Giang province) imbued with the identity of Southern folk beliefs. As the largest spiritual event in the Mekong Delta, a representative intangible cultural heritage of humanity, the Via Ba Chua Xu Nui Sam festival is also the most unique and attractive cultural and spiritual tourism product of the region.

This year’s Via Ba Chua Xu Festival takes place from May 19 to 24 (April 22-27 of the lunar calendar) and is organized on a larger scale. Pilgrims and tourists come to Ba Chau Doc Pagoda (another name for Ba Chua Xu Temple on Sam Mountain) all year round and often combine it with other destinations such as Chau Doc – Ha Tien, Chau Doc – Cam Mountain (Tinh Bien)…

Ms. Ngo Xuan Tuyen (District 3, Ho Chi Minh City) said that every year her family goes to worship Ba Chua Xu in the 4th and 5th lunar months, combining it with a vacation. This year, her family spent 3 days going to Ba Pagoda and Cam Mountain - An Giang's "miniature Da Lat", then stopped by Rach Gia, both to visit old friends and to let her high school-age children learn more about the culture and customs of these lands.

Western tourism changes 'new clothes'

Tours and tourist routes to the Southwest region are increasingly popular because of the unique features of the land and people of the Mekong Delta, but above all, thanks to the significantly improved quality of service. If in the past, the biggest drawback of tourism in the Southwest was the difficult traffic, crossing rivers by ferries, and limited traffic infrastructure, now, according to the majority of tourists, experts, and businesses, the traffic "bottlenecks" have been significantly removed, helping tourism in the Delta take off. A series of key traffic projects have been put into operation recently such as My Thuan 2 Bridge, Cao Lanh Bridge, Vam Cong Bridge, Trung Luong - My Thuan - Can Tho Expressway, Lo Te - Rach Soi Expressway, Ben Luc - Long Thanh Expressway... and many projects are about to be completed such as Rach Mieu 2 Bridge, Ho Chi Minh City Ring Road 3, Can Tho - Ca Mau Expressway, Chau Doc - Can Tho - Soc Trang Expressway... helping to facilitate travel, shorten the journey, and connect destinations.

According to the Ca Mau Province Tourism Association, in recent years, the province's transportation system has been constantly improved and developed synchronously, including roads, waterways and airways, so connecting to tourist attractions such as: Mui Ca Mau Tourist Area, Mui Ca Mau National Park, U Minh Ha National Park, Hon Da Bac, Song Trem Eco-tourism Area... has become more convenient than ever.

Mr. Tran Van Hao Si, from Can Tho city, could not hide his emotions when this summer he set foot on Ca Mau Cape for the first time, a place with a special sacred meaning - the southernmost tip of the country: "My family has wanted to go to Ca Mau Cape for a long time, but before, the road was bad and difficult to travel, and traveling by water by canoe was quite inconvenient, especially for the elderly. Now, the car runs straight from Can Tho down here, then from Ca Mau to Ca Mau Cape, the roads are very good, very convenient, and the scenery on both sides of the road is beautiful."

Improved transportation and upgraded services have helped create a new look for tourism in the Mekong Delta. Ms. Quang Xuan Lua, Director of the Investment, Trade and Tourism Promotion Center of Kien Giang province, said that the province has fully prepared the necessary conditions to welcome and serve tourists in the 2025 summer tourist season. Local tourism businesses have also proactively improved the quality of products and services, improved tourism infrastructure, and trained high-quality human resources, ensuring the best experiences for tourists.

In Ca Mau, the provincial Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism said that in 2025, the province will continue to build and develop unique tourism products, imbued with the cultural and natural identity of Ca Mau, to create a difference and attract tourists. At the same time, the province will increase investment in tourism infrastructure, especially transportation connecting localities and destinations.

According to experts, tourism in the West is wearing a “new coat” and the “coat” will become newer and wider to suit the new development space. That is in the near future, when localities merge to form new provinces and cities.

“The delta and the sea are dual advantages that new localities in the Mekong Delta need to take advantage of and promote, and fully exploit in socio-economic development, including tourism,” said Dr. Nguyen Thi Thuy Phuong, Director of the Mekong Institute for Applied Science, Technology and Training (Ho Chi Minh City). Accordingly, Ben Tre - Vinh Long - Tra Vinh, when merged into one province, will have the conditions to promote eco-tourism, agricultural tourism typical of islands, river mouths, and sea mouths to develop strongly; Bac Lieu and Ca Mau will share a space for developing cultural tourism, eco-tourism; An Giang combined with Kien Giang will have the conditions to connect cultural tourism, spiritual tourism and sea and island tourism into unique, one-of-a-kind products.

Mr. Le Van Dieu, manager of Mui Nai Tourist Area (Ha Tien, Kien Giang), believes that in the future, with the space of the new An Giang province, Ha Tien tourism will have more conditions to develop, especially the construction of tours connecting many destinations within the province such as Chau Doc - Rach Gia - Ha Tien, or more broadly Can Tho - Chau Doc - Rach Gia - Ha Tien, or expanding tours from Hanoi - Phu Quoc to Ha Tien, Hanoi - Phu Quoc - Ha Tien to Can Tho (combining air and road routes), so that tourists can have more experiences, explore not only the characteristics of rivers but also the highlights of spiritual tourism, sea and island tourism, even mountain resort tourism in the middle of the plain.

According to VNA

Source: https://baoangiang.com.vn/buoc-chuyen-minh-cua-du-lich-tay-nam-bo-a421724.html