Business Coffee: Provincial Mergers and the Position of Businesses in Lam Dong Province

(Lam Dong Online) - On the afternoon of May 9th, in the charming and refreshing setting of Lavender Resort (Tuyen Lam Lake National Tourist Area), the Lam Dong Young Entrepreneurs Association organized the 3rd Entrepreneur Coffee Program with the theme "Provincial Mergers and the Position of Lam Dong Businesses," with the participation of over 60 delegates representing businesses operating in the tourism service sector in Lam Dong province.

Mr. Le Tang Trong Nghia – Vice President of the Young Entrepreneurs Association, Director of Vietravel Da Lat branch, chaired the 3rd Businessmen's Coffee program.

In his opening remarks at the introductory session, Mr. Pham Nguyen Ngoc Duy, Chairman of the Young Entrepreneurs Association, shared: The concerns of the business community in Lam Dong province regarding the provincial merger are both encouraging for members and helping businesses determine their position after the merger. The Association also wants to address the difficulties and obstacles faced by businesses during their operations, so that it can gather information, make recommendations to the province, and propose solutions to the Central Association, aiming to help member businesses improve their position after the merger or develop a strategic plan.

Mr. Pham Nguyen Ngoc Duy - Chairman of the Young Entrepreneurs Association, delivered a speech.

The previous two Entrepreneur Coffee meetings focused on supporting agricultural and manufacturing businesses; this time, the focus is on businesses involved in tourism and agricultural product trading… Specifically, the topics include: assessing the impact of mergers on the tourism industry; identifying opportunities and challenges, as well as solutions or support policies for effective tourism development…

Mr. Le Nhat Linh, Deputy General Director of Lan Anh Tourist Area in Da Lat, shared information about the collaboration with businesses in the Tuyen Lam Lake National Tourist Area.

Mr. Le Tang Trong Nghia – Director of Vietravel's Da Lat branch, who managed the program, raised the question: A preliminary assessment of the results of the recent April 30th - May 1st holiday season shows that the media recorded approximately 240,000 visitors, an increase of about 14.3% compared to the same period in 2024; however, they also noted that there was no overcrowding, traffic in the central area was quite smooth, and there were no localized traffic jams or congestion...; while the occupancy rate of accommodation establishments was only about 60-75% (the entire province has more than 40,600 rooms)... isn't this contradictory?

Ms. Duong Thi Hien, Deputy Head of the Tourism Management Department (Lam Dong Provincial Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism), affirmed that Lam Dong's tourism businesses have many opportunities following the province merger.

Explaining the method of statistically counting tourists, Ms. Duong Thi Hien – Deputy Head of the Tourism Management Department (Lam Dong Provincial Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism): The number of tourists announced by the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism is based on statistics from accommodation declarations by tourism establishments at the Police Department and other statistical methods. The number of visitors to Da Lat – Lam Dong during this holiday includes those who did not stay overnight… Discussing the topic of the Businessmen's Coffee program, Ms. Hien added: After the merger, the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism will organize a survey team and connect all travel agencies of the three localities of the newly merged Lam Dong province. The opportunities for businesses are enormous – Ms. Hien affirmed.

Mr. Doan Hai Dang, General Director of Worldtrans, shared his experience in tourism operations with businesses in Lam Dong province.

The chairman also raised the counter-question: how to increase the length of stay of tourists, and given the very specific fact that many people in Da Lat have not yet visited the tourist attractions in the Tuyen Lam Lake National Tourist Area, how can we communicate to make tourists aware of these attractions? Where is the "bottleneck"? Many business representatives in the Tuyen Lam Lake National Tourist Area believe that there is a lack of connection between them…

Mr. Nguyen Van Trong – General Manager of SAM Tuyen Lam Golf & Resorts shared information about the operation.

However, Mr. Nguyen Phuoc Duy – CEO of Lavender Resorts, stated: Lavender Resorts has an outdoor stage with a capacity of 4,000 seats and has hosted two shows by singers Quoc Thien and Noo Phuoc Thinh. Due to the large number of guests during the show period, the resort collaborated with Lan Anh Resorts to ensure sufficient accommodation for guests… Mr. Nguyen Van Trong – General Manager of SAM Tuyen Lam Golf & Resorts, also informed: Due to the advantage of having a very beautiful golf course, SAM welcomes many tourists from hotels in Da Lat as well as resorts in the Tuyen Lam Lake National Tourist Area…

Mr. Nguyen Quoc Tuyen, Director of the Tuyen Lam Lake National Tourist Area Management Board, affirmed his readiness to cooperate and support businesses in the tourist area.

Representatives of tourism businesses also highlighted the difficulties they are facing, such as: a lack of linkage to create a tourism value chain from accommodation, travel agencies, attractions, transportation, support services, etc.; including the role of the government and state management agencies. Mr. Nguyen Quoc Tuyen – Director of the Tuyen Lam Lake National Tourist Area Management Board, shared: Although it is a National Tourist Area with 37 projects, in reality, the Tuyen Lam Lake National Tourist Area is not yet operating synchronously and lacks high-quality tourist areas. In the context of the upcoming merger, Lam Dong has great tourism potential with its golden forests and silver seas. The provincial leadership will provide guidance, but the business community needs to have innovative thinking to create opportunities for themselves and promote local economic development… The Tuyen Lam Lake National Tourist Area Management Board is also ready to cooperate with businesses in the tourist area…

Mr. Tuong Huu Loc, Vice Chairman of the Lam Dong Provincial Tourism Association, discusses new opportunities for tourism in Lam Dong.

Many other obstacles were pointed out by tourism businesses, such as planning affecting investment opportunities in tourism, the rapid development of products and services leading to a lack of cultural depth, market "traps" from tourist waves, high-quality human resources, access to capital, legal procedures when organizing international shows, the choice between price and quality, etc.

Ms. Hua Phi Quyen (TropiAd Joint Stock Company) shared information about the company's sports tourism linkage activities.

Mrs. Dung Tran, Manager of Ana Mandara Villas Dalat Resort, shared insights into the cultural essence of the Ana Mandara tourist area.

Concluding the third "Businessmen's Coffee" program, themed "Provincial Mergers and the Position of Businesses in Lam Dong," Mr. Pham Nguyen Ngoc Duy, Chairman of the Young Entrepreneurs Association, humorously remarked: "The reality is that many businesses investing in Da Lat – Lam Dong suffer losses. Many corporations have surveyed Da Lat and returned without ever coming back. Only one group survives: the 'brokers.' Businesses that thrive are those that are resold, waiting for the right time… Ngoc Duy currently has his own market; but he previously tried tourism, but failed – because while he produced genuine products, the commission for brokers was lower than that of jam factories and specialty product vendors…"

Leaders of tourism businesses are confident about a new position for Lam Dong tourism.

Value chain linkages are considered a key factor in the sustainable and efficient development of tourism. Building and strengthening the connections between components of the tourism value chain, linking trade with tourism, tourism with tourism, and benefiting all parties, attracting tourists and fostering growth… is the responsibility and right of each tourism business in particular and businesses in general. From there, businesses will assert themselves and enhance their own position!

Source: https://baolamdong.vn/kinh-te/202505/ca-phe-doanh-nhan-sap-nhap-tinh-va-vi-the-cua-doanh-nghiep-lam-dong-1dc6919/