An Giang tourism "finishes" early

Resilience from potential and effort

We returned to U Minh Thuong National Park on an early morning in the north wind season. The sampan gently parted the thin mist covering the path. In that quiet space, on the small canals in the middle of the forest, more than a dozen sampans had already set up their moorings. The anglers continuously swung their lines and slowly pulled them back in their eagerness to catch the “giant” snakehead fish.

Our tour guide was Ms. Truong Be Diem - an employee of U Minh Thuong National Park. Pointing to the endless cajuput forests, she enthusiastically told us about the unique ecosystem of this national park, about the extremely rare Javan giant catfish that many photographers are willing to wake up at dawn to "hunt" for beautiful moments. Her voice was proud when mentioning the experiences that every tourist coming here wants to try: "In addition to admiring the beautiful natural scenery, tourists also love fishing, setting traps, eating fish hotpot, braised eel, grilled yellow catfish with famous U Minh forest vegetables".

Beautiful scenery in Tri Ton commune. Photo: MINH DIEN

The words of Ms. Diem that I remember most, between the sound of the boat engine and the sound of the wind cutting through the water: “An Giang now has sea, mountains, forests… and quiet moments that people who come here will remember and love.” From her story, the tourism picture of the province appears in many colors: U Minh Thuong - carrying the green breath of the land and sky; Phu Quoc - a paradise of sea and islands; Bay Nui area - a legend in the mist; Ha Tien - the beauty of the borderland imbued with poetic soul…

The attraction of An Giang is not only shown through its landscape but also proven through the tourism growth figures that have just been announced. In the first 10 months of 2025, the whole province welcomed more than 21 million visitors, an increase of 21.7% over the same period in 2024, including 1.4 million international visitors, an increase of 65.7%. Total tourism revenue is more than 56,000 billion VND, an increase of 78.2% over the same period in 2024 and exceeding the plan by 42.6%.

Director of the Department of Tourism Bui Quoc Thai said that the impressive results of An Giang tourism come from the process of continuous and synchronous efforts. The province promotes and promotes the image of An Giang to spread more strongly on media platforms and international markets. Along with that, the tourism industry focuses on improving service quality and improving the experience of tourists. The accommodation system continues to be improved in a modern direction. The tourism business community organizes many tours and routes, builds new programs, contributing to creating an impression on tourists.

The 2025 target of An Giang tourism industry was completed 2 months ahead of schedule thanks to the increase in domestic tourists, especially during the holiday season. The international tourist market was not only maintained but also expanded to new potential high-end customer segments from the Middle East, the US, Australia, India, Europe, etc. Chairman of the Provincial Tourism Association Nguyen Vu Khac Huy emphasized: "Enterprises are constantly renewing products, training staff, improving qualifications, especially in foreign languages. The appearance of Sun Phu Quoc Airways has strongly stimulated demand, attracting tourists to the pearl island."

Prepare for big strides

Along with the growth, An Giang tourism industry also frankly acknowledged the challenges. From Long Xuyen to Tinh Bien or from Tri Ton to Ha Tien, traffic is still not smooth at some points. Tourism infrastructure in many areas, especially border areas, rural areas and potential areas such as Bay Nui and U Minh Thuong has not been invested synchronously. Tourism products still lack breakthroughs, there are not many new products with regional symbols. Exploitation of indigenous cultural values and community tourism has not created a special impression.

Mr. Pham Van Huong - a tourist from Can Tho said: "I have been to many places in An Giang, from Hon Dat, Ha Tien to Bay Nui. During the holidays, there are a lot of tourists. But there are many beautiful places but the roads are not smooth. If the roads are well built, tourists will still come." The simple statement but meets the wishes of tourists, local people and businesses: To keep tourists, the roads must be clear, the infrastructure must be strong.

Tourists having fun on Phu Quoc Island. Photo: MINH DIEN

To maintain the growth rate, An Giang tourism industry continues to expand the linkage program between Ho Chi Minh City and the provinces and cities of the Mekong Delta in 2025. This is a way to create a seamless tourism flow, bringing tourists deeper into the culture and ecology of the Southwest region. In the context of the tourism industry accelerating, the province is actively preparing for the special task of serving the APEC 2027 conference well. This will be an opportunity to promote the image of Phu Quoc in particular and An Giang in general to the international community.

According to Mr. Bui Quoc Thai, the Department of Staff of the Provincial People's Committee submitted to the Prime Minister for approval the project "Building Phu Quoc into a center of high-quality eco-tourism, sea and island tourism of national and international stature". At the same time, coordinate the implementation of the process and procedures for developing the project "Developing tourism in An Giang province in the period of 2025 - 2030 and orientation to 2035". This will be the strategic framework to help An Giang tourism enter a stage of professional, sustainable development and be competitive in the region.

An Giang has formed clearer intra-provincial tourism routes after the merger, but still lacks a strong enough “brand” to reach international standards. Mr. Nguyen Vu Khac Huy proposed: “An Giang needs to design key tourism products that are symbolic and associated with local identity. At the same time, there needs to be a coordination mechanism between the government, businesses, and the community to share responsibilities and benefits, towards sustainable development.” Mr. Huy said that the province needs to promote digital transformation, apply AI in tourism promotion and management, develop green tourism, and improve the quality of human resources - factors that determine the ability to integrate internationally.

After talking about plans and the future, we returned to U Minh Thuong National Park to immerse ourselves in the pristine beauty that An Giang is trying to preserve amid its strong transformation. From above, the forest stretches out like a green carpet, layers of cajuput trees intertwined. Below the canal, the yellow-flowered flowers stretch out to show off their colors in the sunlight. A few sampans are anchored, and some fishermen are still patiently waiting for the pull of the line. Accompanying us, a young tourist laughed and repeated Ms. Diem's words: "Whoever comes here will remember and love An Giang."

TU LY - MINH DIEN

Source: https://baoangiang.com.vn/du-lich-an-giang-ve-dich-som-a468291.html