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Dear readers,
Dien Bien Phu has been facing an accommodation crunch in re-
cent weeks. As the northwest province of Dien Bien celebrates the
60th anniversary of the victory over the French in 1954 after nearly
two months of intense fighting, tourists have been flocking to the
old battlefield to explore war remnants as well as the local culture.
Along with cultural events to celebrate the victory, provincial author-
ities have sat down together to discuss ways to boost local tourism.
While the battle put Dien Bien Phu under the international spot-
light it’s been anything but easy putting the old battlefield on the
international tourist map. Tourism facilities, logistics and tourism
products have been rather poor, which shortens the number of days
stayed and impacts on overall spending by tourists.
Meanwhile, many of the remnants of the battle, except for the
major ones, have deteriorated because of limited budget funds for
restoration and maintenance. Dien Bien seems to have a long way
to go to reach its target of making tourism a key industry in the prov-
ince, but there are encouraging signs that local authorities are deter-
mined to resolve the problems facing its tourism sector.
Besides a special report on tourism development in Dien Bien Phu,
in this month’s issue is a long feature dedicated to tourism along Vi-
etnam’s central coast, where you can explore a number of UNESCO
World Heritage Sites, bask on stunning beaches, stay in luxury ho-
tels, and play a round on world-class golf courses. Despite its many
attractions, marketing the area to international tourist markets has
proven a major challenge. A decade ago an initiative to promote the
area as the World Heritage Road was launched but failed to take the
central coast forward due to a lack of resources. Today, with many
more hotels having opened, along with golf courses and new air-
ports, is the central coast ready to fully promote itself as a “brand”?
Yours sincerely
NGUYEN ANH TUAN
Editor-in-Chief
PRICE: VND52,000 if sold separately
Editor-in-Chief
Dr. Nguyen Anh Tuan
Deputy Editors-in-Chief
Le Trong Minh
Bui Duc Hai
Do Xuan Khanh
Deputy Managing Editor
Tran Ngoc Son
Designer
Lai Hoang Yen
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