Ba Chua Xu Temple on Sam Mountain
Launch pad for Western tourism
The merger of An Giang and Kien Giang is a strategic move, making the most of the unique strengths of each locality to create a stronger and more diverse whole. Before the merger, An Giang was famous for its spiritual beauty, historical and cultural relics rich in identity, such as: Ba Chua Xu Temple on Sam Mountain, Tra Su Melaleuca Forest or traditional festivals. Meanwhile, Kien Giang is known as the "pearl land" with charming islands, especially Phu Quoc - an international-class sea and island tourism destination. This combination brings a "new An Giang province" with the harmony of charming mountains and rivers, unique cultural identity and attractive sea and island beauty.
Recent figures further confirm the potential of this new land. In the first 5 months of 2025, An Giang welcomed 6.2 million visitors (62% of the annual plan), with revenue of VND 7,200 billion (67% of the annual plan). This growth was achieved thanks to active promotional activities, typically the organization of surveys to build tourism products for border areas according to the Plan for cooperation in tourism development between Ho Chi Minh City and 13 provinces and cities in the Mekong Delta. At the same time, Kien Giang welcomed over 5.6 million visitors, an increase of 26.9%, with total revenue of VND 23,981 billion, an increase of 109.8%. In particular, Phu Quoc City is still a bright spot with over 3.5 million visitors, with total revenue of VND 17,926 billion.
Phu Quoc - pearl island of tourism
Raising position on the international tourism map
This merger is not just about adding up numbers, but opening a new era for tourism. Director of the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism of An Giang Nguyen Khanh Hiep shared: “The merger creates ideal conditions for the tourism industry of the two provinces of An Giang and Kien Giang to build unique inter-route tourism products. Tourists can start their journey to explore spiritual culture in Chau Doc, Tinh Bien, Tan Chau, then easily travel to Phu Quoc to enjoy the beautiful beaches and go scuba diving to see coral. This is the advantage of “one destination, many experiences” that few localities have.”
Ms. Nguyen Thi Thanh (living in Chau Doc City) expressed her joy: “Previously, tourists often only came to An Giang to visit Ba Temple, visit the cajuput forest and then return. Now, they can stay longer, combining with going to Phu Quoc and Ha Tien. This will certainly lead to the development of many food and accommodation services, creating more jobs for the people.”
With Phu Quoc - an internationally recognized sea and island tourism brand and famous tourism islands (Hon Son, Nam Du Island...) combined with the unique cultural and spiritual tourism potential and ecological tourism of An Giang, An Giang province has enough strength to attract a large number of international visitors. Phu Quoc will be the "door" to attract international visitors to the new An Giang. From there, travel agencies can build continuous tours, bringing tourists to explore the profound cultural and historical values of the traditional land of An Giang, then continue the journey to the sea and islands of Kien Giang. This will elevate the position of Vietnam in general and the Mekong Delta in particular on the world tourism map.
Optimizing resources and sustainable development
In order to help the tourism industry of An Giang province take off, it is important to focus resources on investing in a synchronous transport infrastructure system connecting key tourist destinations, especially upgrading roads, waterways and seaports and airports. This will help shorten travel time, creating maximum convenience for tourists. In addition, the development of high-class resorts and international standard hotels in both areas will be a top priority, meeting the diverse accommodation needs of tourists.
The merger also creates conditions for the two localities to share experiences and promote each other's strengths. Tourism businesses in An Giang can learn how to effectively manage and exploit sea and island tourism from Kien Giang and vice versa, Kien Giang can develop more cultural and spiritual tourism products based on An Giang's experience. "This is an opportunity for us to work together to improve service quality, train professional human resources and build unique tourism product packages, imbued with the new An Giang identity. In addition, the province needs to build a sustainable tourism development strategy, focusing on preserving and promoting indigenous cultural values associated with protecting the natural environment. In particular, tourism development must go hand in hand with the interests of the local community, ensuring livelihoods for people and preserving the inherent landscape" - Ms. Le Thu Huong (a long-time tour guide in An Giang) expected.
Despite initial challenges in synchronizing the management system, policies and planning, we believe that with the determination of the provincial leaders, the consensus of the people and the available potential, An Giang province is facing a golden opportunity to become a leading tourism center of Vietnam and the region. This is not only a diverse tourism destination, but also a place where visitors can feel the cultural, historical and majestic natural exchange of the Southern land. The new An Giang will be a testament to the fact that the merger of administrative units is a lever for economic breakthrough, especially the "smokeless industry".
Source: https://baoangiang.com.vn/tinh-an-giang-moi-sieu-tinh-voi-tiem-nang-du-lich-da-dang-a422538.html
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