What is Vung Tau lacking to become a high-class entertainment and resort destination?

Potential of sea tourism

Having been to Vung Tau many times, the familiar journey of Ms. Huong's family and friends is to swim, check-in, visit friends, eat and drink, then say goodbye in the late afternoon to return to Ho Chi Minh City or go to Binh Thuan to have fun the next day. Ms. Huong was one of more than 80,000 tourists who came to Vung Tau on the first day of the April 30 holiday two years ago. At that time, the number of overnight guests was only about 45%.

Vung Tau is famous for many beautiful beaches such as Front Beach and Back Beach.

One year later, the number of tourists to Vung Tau continued to increase and the number of overnight visitors increased slightly. In 2024, the total number of tourists to the province is estimated at about 16.1 million, an increase of 13.1%, of which overnight visitors will reach about 4.9 million, an increase of more than 11%.

On April 30 this year, many people chose to come to Ba Ria – Vung Tau. But out of more than 100,000 visitors, only more than 18,500 stayed overnight.

This shows both the natural attraction of the local sea tourism potential, but also an “indicator” of the gaps that Vung Tau tourism needs to fill to “rise up” to be worthy of an international destination.

Famous for its beautiful beaches such as Back Beach, Front Beach, Ho Tram, Long Hai, Vung Tau, and its convenient location just 2 hours away from Ho Chi Minh City, Vung Tau has become the top choice for vacations to enjoy the sea air.

Tourism activities in Vung Tau mainly revolve around beach resorts, swimming, enjoying seafood , and visiting landmarks such as the Christ the King statue, the lighthouse, or Nghinh Phong cape. Amusement parks such as the White Rabbit Park or the May Lake tourist area, although attractive, are not enough to retain tourists. Nightlife, although vibrant in some areas such as Front Beach, still lacks the consistency and class to meet the needs of high-end guests, especially international guests.

According to tourism researchers, one of Vung Tau's biggest limitations is the lack of large-scale integrated entertainment, recreation, and accommodation complexes.

While destinations such as Da Nang, Phu Quoc or Nha Trang have strongly developed tourism complexes such as Sun World with unique experiences, Vung Tau still mainly relies on marine resources and single accommodation services. High-end resorts in Vung Tau, despite their quality, mainly serve the needs of relaxation, not yet integrating modern entertainment elements such as theme parks, water sports areas, or large-scale cultural events.

From "leverage" 3/2 street to "tourist highway"

Chairman of the People's Committee of Ba Ria - Vung Tau province, Nguyen Van Tho, said that tourism and coastal urban areas are one of the four pillars of the province's strategic development orientation according to the planning approved by the government. Among the key projects, there is a project to turn Vung Tau city into an international-class tourism center.

To integrate tourism potential into the "international highway", many synchronous solutions are needed, from within the tourism industry, to infrastructure planning, traffic development, and trade promotion.

Bien Hoa - Vung Tau Expressway committed to completion by 2025. (Photo: Nam Anh)

At the end of May, the strategy to promote and advertise tourist destinations to international tourist markets and support attracting tourism investment in Ba Ria - Vung Tau province was urgently implemented by the National Tourism Administration and the Provincial People's Committee.

There is still a gap in large-scale entertainment - recreation - accommodation complexes that are being targeted by large investors, especially investors with synchronous, classy projects with long-term vision. It is not about building a few more hotels or single entertainment areas, but about creating complete tourism ecosystems, bringing an "all-in-one" experience.

One of the notable projects is the coastal urban area with a total investment of up to 37,000 billion VND - Blanca City - White City by the ocean. This is the largest project ever in Vung Tau, promising to bring a new look to the city.

As a multi-functional complex, fully integrating elements of high-class accommodation, large-scale entertainment and commercial - utility services, Blanca City was designed by Aedas - a globally famous design consultancy. The architecture has a subtle blend of three cultures: France, Portugal and Vietnam (South). The project offers high-rise towers, luxury villas, hotel complexes, commercial centers or multi-functional water parks, ...

Sun World Water Park is located in Blanca City.

In particular, Sun World Vung Tau water park is considered the entertainment "heart" of the project. With a scale of 20 top water games, with many games appearing for the first time in Southeast Asia, Sun World Vung Tau is designed as a journey of cultural discovery across lands and eras.

The park is divided into 4 themed zones, each with an interesting cultural and historical story. When the multi-modal transport infrastructure is completed, Blanca City will not only be a connecting point but also a symbol of the new era - a modern, dynamic Vung Tau ready for global integration.

Vung Tau lacks international hotel brands and large-scale entertainment complexes.

This could be an important "lever" to help Vung Tau change its appearance and tourism positioning. This project will also create a big boost for the Vung Tau tourism real estate market, attracting other investors, creating a positive domino effect.

In addition, transport infrastructure projects such as the Bien Hoa – Vung Tau Expressway, expected to be completed in the next few years, will shorten the travel time from Ho Chi Minh City to about 1 hour. This will not only help Vung Tau attract more domestic tourists but also create favorable conditions for international tourists from Long Thanh International Airport in the future.

For Vung Tau to "pop up" and fully exploit its potential, it needs a harmonious cooperation between local authorities, investors and the local community. Filling the gap, creating a synchronous and classy tourism ecosystem that demonstrates a vision for the future, especially when Vung Tau will have another "launching pad" when merging with Ho Chi Minh City.

Hai An

Source: https://vtcnews.vn/vung-tau-dang-thieu-gi-de-thanh-diem-den-vui-choi-nghi-duong-cao-cap-ar947171.html