Ben Tre tourism strives to become an economic spearhead

In the first six months of 2025, Ben Tre (now part of Vinh Long province) welcomed nearly 1.6 million visitors (including more than 542,000 international visitors), earning more than VND2,000 billion. The locality is promoting and launching new products, aiming to develop tourism into a spearhead industry by 2030.

Coconut tourism flourishes

Tourism activities in Ben Tre in the first 6 months of the year achieved many positive results, the number of visitors and total revenue from tourism both increased compared to the same period. State management of tourism has been paid regular attention, functional sectors and localities have coordinated, strengthened inspection and control during holidays and Tet, ensuring security, order and safety for tourists. The province and localities have organized many activities and events to serve and attract tourists. In addition, tourism businesses have also proactively researched and organized many new programs, products and services to serve and attract visitors. Communication and promotion activities are carried out regularly, creating trust for travel businesses and domestic and foreign tourists to choose Ben Tre as a destination.

Ms. Nguyen Thi Ngoc Dung, Deputy Director of the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism of Ben Tre province (red shirt) and the tourism industry welcomed the first international tourist group to Ben Tre in 2025.

In order to make management more systematic and meet development requirements in the new situation, the Ben Tre tourism industry continues to advise on the drafting of a Resolution of the Provincial People's Council on policies to support investment in tourism development until 2030. At the same time, advise the Provincial People's Committee to issue Decision No. 975/QD-UBND, dated April 1, 2025 on the Ben Tre Green Tourism Criteria; Plan No. 1643/KH-UBND, dated March 16, 2025 on implementing the Program of cooperation in tourism development between Ho Chi Minh City and 13 provinces and cities in the Mekong Delta (MD) in 2025. The industry also successfully organized the Coconut Culture, Sports , Tourism and Cuisine Festival 2025 from January 14 to 19, 2025 at Cai Coi Park, My Thanh An Commune, City. Ben Tre, with the theme “Flavor of the Coconut Land”; meeting with tourism businesses in the early spring of At Ty; organizing a delegation to survey and learn from the experience of the community tourism model at Tra Que Vegetable Village, Quang Nam Province (April 3-5, 2025). At the same time, the locality is applying for a policy to establish a Vietnamese and World Record for “The locality with the most alcohol”…

In the first 6 months of 2025, Ben Tre tourism industry welcomed nearly 1.6 million visitors, including 542,080 international visitors, reaching 48% of the yearly plan. Total revenue from tourism is estimated at over 2,000 billion VND, equivalent to 53.6% of the plan.

The industry also promotes communication on media inside and outside the province, especially the program "An Nghia Que Dua, Aspiration to Reach Far, Second Time" in Ben Tre. The province coordinates to promote and visually propagate tourism throughout the area; continue to implement the task of digital transformation in the tourism sector in 2025. The application of smart tourism according to Decision No. 665/QD-UBND, dated April 4, 2023 of the Provincial People's Committee continues to be maintained. At the same time, the province is preparing documents and advising on the policy of maintaining the operation of the Tourism Information Portal and Smart Tourism Application - digital tourism map on smart mobile devices in the coming time. Destinations such as islets, provincial-level tourist areas (Ho Chi Minh Road Relics on the Sea - Thanh Phu district; Con Cai Ga, Long Thoi commune, Cho Lach district...) are also actively implementing digital transformation.

The province has carefully organized and respectfully welcomed the first international delegation to Ben Tre on the occasion of New Year 2025; at the same time, successfully coordinated to organize the Coconut Culture, Sports, Tourism and Cuisine Festival - launching the Digital Cuisine Map, responding to the celebration of Ben Tre Province's Traditional Day on January 17, with the theme "Flavor of Coconut Land". In addition, the industry organized a meeting with tourism businesses in early 2025; attended tourism events in the province (2 events) and outside the province (13 events); supported 5 delegations to visit, film and record videos in the province; organized 8 survey trips, connecting cooperative members in Chau Thanh, Cho Lach, and Mo Cay Nam districts.

The province focuses on consolidating and developing tour programs and intra-provincial and intra-regional tourism routes; continuing to connect provinces and cities inside and outside the region to complete and develop the "Non nuoc huu tinh" route (Ho Chi Minh City - Tien Giang - Ben Tre - Tra Vinh - Soc Trang - Can Tho - Bac Lieu - Ca Mau) and some connecting routes between 6 (old) provinces: Long An - Tien Giang - Ben Tre - Vinh Long - Tra Vinh - Dong Thap. The province also successfully organized activities to welcome international delegations at the beginning of the year and the culinary - cultural - tourism festival; surveyed and grasped the situation of tourism business activities before and after the Lunar New Year.

Ms. Nguyen Thi Ngoc Dung, Deputy Director of the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism of Ben Tre province, said: To achieve the set goals, the province continues to implement the Community Tourism Development Plan to 2030; Rural Tourism Development Plan in New Rural Construction for the 2023-2025 period; Plan to implement Resolution No. 82/NQ-CP of the Government on accelerating recovery and accelerating effective and sustainable tourism development. At the same time, the province continues to complete the process of drafting a Resolution of the Provincial People's Council regulating policies to support investment in tourism development until 2030. At the same time, continue to implement the contents of the Cooperation Program between Ho Chi Minh City and the Mekong Delta, contributing to making tourism an important economic sector by 2025 and a spearhead economic sector by 2030 according to the set goals.

Continue to grow together in the new era

It can be seen that, through many years of persistently building unique tourism products based on local resources, the image of tourism in the land of Coconut - Ben Tre is increasingly clear and developing strongly. Especially with the policy of Resolution No. 08-NQ/TW on developing tourism into a spearhead economic sector, the provincial tourism industry has received more systematic investment and development, the scale, quantity and quality are increasingly improved, tourism activities in the province have developed rapidly, evenly in both quantity and quality.

Ben Tre tourism has made a remarkable improvement. Tourist accommodation facilities have been invested in and exploited effectively, becoming increasingly professional, modern and highly appreciated by tourists. Some prominent facilities include: Diamond Star Hotel (5 stars), Ben Tre Riverside Resort (4 stars), Forever Green Resort, Ham Luong Hotel (3 stars), and homestays associated with tourist attractions such as: Maison du Pays de Ben Tre, Con Ba Tu, Ut Trinh... In particular, Diamond Star Ben Tre Hotel has been recognized by the General Department of Tourism as meeting 5-star standards and is 1 of 5 units representing Vietnam to receive the ASEAN Green Hotel Award in 2024 at the Southeast Asia Tourism Forum - ATF 2024.

Up to now, the province has 32 licensed travel agencies, including 11 international travel agencies and 21 domestic travel agencies. The accommodation system has about 90 establishments with more than 1,700 rooms, capable of serving about 3,200 overnight guests. In addition, the province also has over 130 dining establishments with about 35,000 seats, of which 7 establishments meet tourist service standards. The tourism product system is increasingly diverse, with more than 60 tourist areas, sightseeing, shopping, entertainment; 9 typical tourist destinations of the Mekong Delta; and about 10 rest stops to meet the needs of visitors.

The timely and appropriate birth of Resolution No. 08-NQ/TW has helped raise awareness and thinking about tourism development, creating consensus in the viewpoints, goals and actions of the entire political system, government, associations and unions from the province to the grassroots, business units and communities. Thanks to that, the awareness of preserving and building culture, protecting natural resources, developing typical products, building a professional and friendly service style has been enhanced, contributing to the strong development of tourism associated with on-site export of agricultural products in the context of increasingly deep international economic integration.

According to the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism of Ben Tre province, the tourism industry of the province is currently being restructured towards professionalism, modernity, sustainable and effective development according to the market mechanism, in line with the international integration process. Programs, projects and plans for tourism development are being implemented synchronously and effectively, contributing to the completion of infrastructure and technical facilities serving tourism.

At the same time, the province always pays attention to the issue of training tourism human resources. About 80% of the workers in the industry have been trained and improved in their expertise and skills. Businesses and communities participate together to create a healthy, friendly and unique tourism environment.

The work of promoting, advertising and linking tourism development continues to be expanded. The province focuses on promoting tourism links with Ho Chi Minh City and the provinces and cities in the Mekong Delta. Communication activities, fairs, seminars, surveys, and tour-route connections are continuously organized to attract investment and promote the image of Ben Tre tourism to domestic and foreign tourists.

Ms. Nguyen Thi Be Muoi, Vice Chairwoman of Ben Tre Provincial People's Committee, said: The province is focusing on promoting tourism; proactively implementing the tourism stimulus program in 2025 and the following years in accordance with the orientation of Resolution No. 08-NQ/TW. The provincial tourism industry will continue to diversify, improve the quality of products and services, and flexibly adapt to the new situation.

In particular, the province focuses on attracting social resources to invest in tourism infrastructure, encouraging strategic investors to develop high-end tourism and services in key areas. The province also promotes the building of a green and sustainable tourism brand, associated with the preservation of heritage and identity of the Coconut Land.

Source: https://bvhttdl.gov.vn/du-lich-ben-tre-phan-dau-tro-thanh-mui-nhon-kinh-te-20250620142021105.htm