Is Dau Giay-Phan Thiet Expressway, Con Dao competing with Phu Quy?

Miniature "Roman Arena" on Phu Quy Island

Rising Star

Phu Quy island district consists of 10 large and small islands with many wild and unique landscapes. The experience of swimming and diving here is not inferior to other famous islands in Kien Giang or Khanh Hoa. Not only that, the beautiful scenery on the island, friendly people and peaceful pace of life are also attractive to tourists.

On Phu Quy island, there are many "hot" locations that young people, especially girls, often explore and take pictures such as: Phuot slope, Small beach, Trieu Duong bay, wind power field, Ong Van whale temple, Ban Tranh princess temple, Mr. Nai's palace... Among them, Ban Tranh princess temple is recognized as a national historical relic. According to statistics from Phu Quy island district, since the Dau Giay - Phan Thiet expressway was put into operation, the number of tourists visiting and relaxing on Phu Quy island has skyrocketed, with an average of 5,000 - 6,000 visitors on weekends, and at peak times during holidays, it can reach up to 10,000 visitors.

Not only does the expressway bring Phan Thiet closer to Ho Chi Minh City, but high-speed boat operators have also appeared to serve tourists, such as Superdong and Phu Quy Express. Mr. The Phan, a homestay investor on Phu Quy Island, commented: "Sea and island tourism is a popular hobby for Vietnamese people. Phu Quy Island is a pristine place that has only been developed in recent years, so its potential is still very large. Since the expressway and many cruise ship operators have been present to exploit it, tourists can travel more conveniently, shortening their time to experience more. In particular, seafood on the island is very cheap. For just a few hundred thousand dong, you can comfortably enjoy delicious and exotic dishes of the sea such as king crab, red grouper, natural red lobster, rock oysters, etc., which are not easy to find on the mainland."

Mr. Nguyen Van Cat, a resident and tour guide on the island, introduced: "Phu Quy sea is emerald green, so clear that you can see the bottom. Tourists can rent a boat or canoe to explore small island clusters such as: Hon Tranh, Hon Den, Hon Do, Hon Trung, Hon Giua...".

Choose Phu Quy or Con Dao?

Tourists visit the museum on Con Dao

Con Dao is a familiar place, but many people have never been there. "This summer, I plan to take my family on a trip to Con Dao, because I have never been there. But when I heard about Phu Quy Island, I was confused about which place to choose," said Ms. Le Kim Nguyen, an accountant at a company in District 7 (HCMC).

Mr. Khanh, a former professional football player currently living in Con Dao, advised: "Con Dao today has a fully developed infrastructure, is clean and has many hotel and motel segments for tourists to choose from. Normally, visitors to Con Dao will choose to fly from Ho Chi Minh City or Hanoi, the ticket price will be more than double compared to traveling by speedboat from Vung Tau. Currently, many people choose the route from Ho Chi Minh City to Tran De port in Soc Trang to Con Dao, however, this journey is very difficult and takes 1 night on the bus."

However, Con Dao tours are always crowded with tourists on weekends. Mr. Cao Minh Hung, who lives in Thu Duc City (HCMC), just returned from a trip to Con Dao, said: "I intended to find a train ticket to go by myself but there were none. All the ticket offices were sold out because the travel agencies had taken all the tickets, so I and many others had to book through travel agencies even though we didn't want to."

High airfares and scarce high-speed ferry tickets are obstacles for many tourists when choosing a tour to Con Dao. Mr. Pham Minh Duc, Head of Marketing at a foreign language training company in Ho Chi Minh City, admitted: "My wife and I are planning to go to the beach this summer. Con Dao is quite expensive while the landscape is similar to many other islands. My family has a car so we are leaning towards Phan Thiet, Mui Ne and maybe explore the legendary Phu Quy Island."

Although Phu Quy Island may compete with Con Dao when choosing a destination, many Con Dao tour guides are still confident in their position. Quynh Trang, a tour guide at Paulatrip travel company, analyzed: "Con Dao has always been famous as a place for spiritual tourism, with an estimated 60-70% of tourists coming for religious purposes. Meanwhile, the number of visitors choosing air transport to Con Dao is quite large, especially visitors from the northern provinces. Therefore, even if the road expressway and sea expressway attract fewer visitors to Phu Quy, it will not affect Con Dao much."

Source link: https://thanhnien.vn/co-cao-toc-dau-giay-phan-thiet-con-dao-bi-canh-tranh-boi-phu-quy-185230520153855289.htm