Ba Ria - Vung Tau: Xuyen Moc boasts tourism appeal

Hanoi (VNA) - With its pristine land, stunning beaches, and lush primeval forests, Xuyen Moc district is emerging as a new and promising tourist destination in the southern province of Ba Ria - Vung Tau.

Apart from the province’s popular Vung Tau city, Xuyen Moc is now a fresh and ideal choice for many travellers.

Located over 100km from Ho Chi Minh City, it is the last district in Ba Ria - Vung Tau, bordering Dong Nai and Binh Thuan provinces. Xuyen Moc enjoys easy transportation thanks to the national highway No. 55 and a picturesque coastal road leading to Vung Tau city.

The district, which possesses diverse natural resources and a long coastline, is positioning itself a new tourism hub of the province. Evidence of its tourism allure could be seen clearly in 2022, when the number of visitors to the district more than doubled that of the previous year.

According to the report from the district’s management board of tourist areas, over 1.7 million visitors, including 47,269 foreigners, came to Xuyen Moc last year, an annual increase of 239%, hence a total revenue of more than 3.32 trillion VND, up 159% year-on-year. In the first nine months of 2023, the total number of visitors exceeded 2.1 million and the revenue generated reached 2.749 trillion VND, rising by almost 88% and 8.4% against the same period in 2022, respectively.

The growth of tourism in Xuyen Moc is attributed to its advantages, such as a 32km coastline, pristine beach areas like Ho Tram, Ho Coc, and Binh Chau, primeval forests of the Binh Chau - Phuoc Buu nature reserve, and a natural hot spring system. These factors make the district suitable for the development of resorts and eco-tourism, which are increasingly favoured by tourists. The area has attracted more than 48 tourism projects, including internationally recognised ones with investments worth billions of US dollars from foreign investors such as Madison Group and Banyan Tree. Moreover, a series of projects by domestic investors from major groups like Novaland, Charm, and Hung Thinh, is expected to bring new momentum to the industry in the district and Ba Ria - Vung Tau.

Trinh Hang, Director of the provincial Department of Tourism, said Xuyen Moc is attracting large investors with both domestic and international mega-projects. The most prominent is The Grand Ho Tram Strip, one of the largest FDI tourism projects in the country whose value exceeds 4.3 billion USD. Other interesting tourist areas in Xuyen Moc include the Binh Chau hot spring area, and the Melia Ho Tram, Dhawa, and Camelina resorts, which cater to various types of travellers, especially foreign ones.

Le Thi Trang Dai, Chairwoman of the Xuyen Moc People's Committee, stated that tourism has been identified as the spearhead economic sector of the district. Numerous tourism projects in the area are integrated resorts, boasting a full range of services. To attract more tourism projects and visitors to Xuyen Moc, the local authorities are committed to creating an investor-friendly environment, ensuring safe tourism and well-connected transport. Maximum support is in place to help investors with administrative procedures.

Furthermore, local authorities are actively resolving difficulties and obstacles for investors, assisting them in recruiting and training labour, while planning green landscapes and investing in public beaches to offer people more options in discovering the district.

Currently, Ba Ria - Vung Tau province is investing in upgrading and expanding its major routes. Recently, the province kicked off the upgrade of the DT 994 and 991 roads linking Phu My town to Xuyen Moc district. Meanwhile, Xuyen Moc is working on the construction of inter-commune and inter-hamlet roads in rural areas to facilitate transport. Notably, those from the district’s centre to the coastal areas of Ho Tram and Binh Chau are attracting many investors to implement high-class tourism projects./.