Opening the way for the development of river tourism.

Besides carrying fertile silt, each river also preserves layers of cultural sediment associated with the land and people it flows through. These values ​​are invaluable resources for developing river tourism, opening up rich and unique experiences, contributing to product diversification, and enhancing the competitiveness of Vietnamese tourism.

Enjoy a cruise on the Saigon River to admire the city's beauty at night. (Photo: Nhan Dan Newspaper)

Unique riverside landscape

With over 2,300 rivers longer than 10km, Vietnam is a melting pot of unique riverine landscapes from north to south. There, the hydrological beauty of these rivers blends harmoniously with the cultural and historical values ​​of traditional craft villages, historical relics, folk festivals, and the lives of riverside communities, contributing to a rich and vibrant experiential ecosystem. Taking advantage of this abundant potential, many localities have developed attractive river tourism products in recent years.

Hanoi is developing tourism along the Red River, linking it with traditional craft villages and riverside cultural spaces. Hue is developing Perfume River cruises combined with enjoying Hue folk songs and experiencing the slow pace of life in this heritage land. Tuyen Quang attracts tourists with its journey exploring the Nho Que River amidst the majestic Tu San gorge; while the Mekong Delta leaves its mark with its floating market culture and the riverside life of its orchards…

One notable example of river tourism development is Ho Chi Minh City, which currently operates over 60 river tour programs and routes, offering a variety of transportation options, from canoes, yachts, and wooden tourist boats to river buses, restaurant boats, and overnight cruise ships.

In early June 2026, LuxGroup officially launched Amiral Cruises for Presidents, a river tourism product aiming to transform the Saigon River into a "cultural stage" for the city, where visitors can experience the history, art, cuisine, and life of Southern Vietnam. The cruise ships operate various itineraries, from urban exploration tours to routes connecting with the Can Gio mangrove forest, Ghenh Rai Bay, and Vung Tau beach.

Reportedly, this is the first step in a plan to build a fleet of 10 luxury cruise ships with a total investment of approximately $38 million. In the period of 2027-2028, the company plans to operate overnight cruise ships with 50 cabins, offering 1-3 night itineraries connecting the Saigon-Mekong-Cambodia rivers.

Also in June, the Ho Chi Minh City Waterway Tourism Association, under the Ho Chi Minh City Tourism Association, was officially launched, aiming to connect businesses to jointly develop products, improve quality, and expand the tourist market. This is seen as a positive sign, promising many breakthroughs for Vietnam's river tourism in the future.

Transforming rivers into attractive destinations.

Resolution No. 08-NQ/TW of the Politburo on developing tourism into a key economic sector identified the task of "focusing investment on a number of specialized seaports and inland waterway ports in areas with favorable conditions for developing sea and river tourism."

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The tourism system plan for the period 2021-2030, with a vision to 2045, also emphasizes the need to focus on developing ecotourism products based on the advantages of natural resources, including river and lake tourism.

These strategic directions demonstrate that river tourism has always been considered one of the key development areas of Vietnam's tourism industry.

In recent times, the emergence of many new products and the participation of businesses show that river tourism is receiving more attention, investment, and systematic development. However, generally speaking, the results achieved are still low compared to the potential.

The reasons cited include limited technical infrastructure and river tourism services that do not meet the requirements for receiving tourists; a lack of mechanisms and policies to attract investment from social resources; and the destinations and supporting products on both sides of the river are still monotonous, lacking appeal and connectivity, thus failing to create complete tourist routes.

To facilitate the flow of river tourism, a crucial solution is to have a comprehensive development strategy and plan that is appropriate for each river region, each terrain, each period, and synchronized with the tourism industry's overall planning.

Dr. Nguyen Anh Tuan, Director of the Institute of Tourism Economics (Vietnam Tourism Association), believes that the focus should be on building and upgrading specialized wharves and piers to meet technical standards, with waiting areas, boat parking, restrooms, and other amenities to support tourists; diversifying tourist transport options, from traditional boats to high-end cruise ships, ensuring absolute safety and quality of service on all vessels; and emphasizing the development of a transportation system linking waterways and roads, making it easier for tourists to access riverside tourist destinations.

In addition, localities should adopt a public-private partnership model to attract capital from businesses into building and upgrading infrastructure, helping to reduce the burden on the state budget. Mr. Tuan also particularly emphasized the issue of environmental pollution control to ensure the attractiveness of river tourism.

Looking at some countries that have established a reputation for developing river tourism, it's clear that each is striving to find its own unique formula so that the rivers can "sing" their own melodies.

For example, in Bangkok (Thailand), the Chao Phraya River, which started as a waterway, has become a unique tourist attraction, connecting with heritage sites, cultural spaces, and riverside shopping and entertainment complexes.

The journey exploring the Nile River is also particularly impressive, as visitors can choose to visit a range of heritage sites of ancient Egyptian civilization or learn about the wild nature…

These are practical suggestions for Vietnam to develop unique river tourism products based on its distinctive cultural, historical, and natural ecosystem values.

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According to tourism expert, Professor, Doctor, and People's Teacher Nguyen Van Dinh, Vietnam's river tourism can develop into three product groups, including: river sightseeing tourism combined with exploring riverside destinations and participating in river festivals; river-based resort tourism associated with tourist boats, floating restaurants, floating hotels; and adventure tourism.

Experts suggest that, depending on the type of tourism, it is necessary to diversify the experience to create memorable highlights. For example, with ecotourism: combine river tours with exploring mangrove forests, nature reserves, and riverside national parks; with community tourism: combine experiencing the life of people in riverine areas, participating in agricultural production activities, fishing, and learning about local culture and customs; or with cultural tourism: combine visiting historical sites, enjoying local art and cuisine…

This is also the "key" to increasing the value of each river cruise, transforming each river into a truly attractive destination where tourists want to linger longer to listen to the stories that the river carries.

DAC LINH

Source: https://nhandan.vn/mo-loi-phat-trien-du-lich-duong-song-post971609.html