June 17, 2008 Straits Time Interactive

Vietnam's crown jewels of tourism losing lustre
By Roger Mitton

HANOI - THE hill station of Sapa in the rugged mountains of north-western Vietnam, near the border with China's Yunnan Province, is rated as one of the country's must-see attractions by guidebooks. So is picturesque Halong Bay and the old port of Hoi An.

Indeed, these three scenic sites are regularly touted as the nation's crown jewels.

No doubt, they once were. Not any more.

Instead, they epitomise how the Vietnamese authorities have not been able to make the most of their cultural treasures despite an increase in tourist dollars.

Sapa, for instance, which has long attracted tourists to its breathtaking landscapes, is now a kitsch town, full of gaudy guest houses, mock Mediterranean eateries, pseudo-pubs and karaoke bars, and expensive trinket shops.

Its streets are lined with ruddy-cheeked women and children from the region's ethnic minorities, all dressed in their traditional garb and all looking for handouts.

They loll about waiting to be photographed and tipped by tour groups, upmarket travellers and Lonely Planeteers who have turned Sapa into a kind of ethnic Disneyland.

Said Dr Dang Hung Vo, former deputy minister of natural resources and environment: 'Sapa, like Halong Bay, is losing its original charm because of over-development.

'We have not cared for our scenic and cultural sites properly.'

Increasingly, Vietnamese and foreign visitors - and even tour operators - agree.

Said Ms Phan Thi Hai, a Hanoi-based travel agent: 'The government has made superficial investments in these places, but it has not looked more deeply to see if they can be developed and preserved in a complementary manner.'

She is right.
In Sapa, Halong Bay and Hoi An, developers out to make a fast buck have thrown up ugly, blocky hotels, neon-lit souvenir shops, and pizza and hamburger joints catering to tourists who arrive one day and leave the next.

The failure to look after these scenic and cultural sites partly explains Vietnam's inability to realise its full tourist potential.

The country, which is bigger than Malaysia or Britain, is blessed with historical treasures, fabulous mountain ranges, a 3,200km beach-strewn coastline, and a cuisine that is world-renowned.

Yet it attracted only 4.2 million tourists last year.

Thailand got three times as many and tiny Singapore hosted more than 10 million.

The statistics show that 85 per cent of Vietnam's visitors never return.

One reason for that is the neglect and gaudy development of treasures like Sapa and Halong Bay.

With its spectacular Guilin-like seascape of jagged limestone pillars and caves, Halong Bay is still one of the world's most gorgeous spots.

But as big cruise liners now join the myriad tourist junks, flashy speedboats, local hawkers and floating villages, the bay area could go the way of Pattaya and Kuta and Tioman.

Said Ms Hai: 'The lack of planning at Halong Bay has badly affected its natural landscape.'

When I raised the topic with an environmentally-conscious European ambassador, he blanched and said: 'Oh, Halong Bay is already gone. It's lost.'

A foreign businesswoman in Hanoi told me that when she and some others went far out in a boat in Halong, there was still rubbish in the water and they got oil on themselves when they went swimming.

Not unexpectedly, the organisers of a scheme to choose the seven natural wonders of the world recently removed Halong Bay from their list of contenders. There is even talk that Unesco may delist it as a World Heritage Site.

Said Dr Vo: 'Because we have not worked out how to open these places to tourism while also conserving them, they have already deteriorated badly.'


And now Hoi An, the lovely historic little port in central Vietnam, which is also a Unesco World Heritage Site, is threatened by rampant charm-smashing commercialism.

Said Ms Hai: 'Hoi An is now full of souvenir shops and tourists, and the character of this beautiful old town is being destroyed.'

Indeed, the ancient town centre has already been converted into a glitzy cavalcade of gift shops, speedy tailors, kitschy art galleries and trendy fusion and carrot cake eateries.

Said Dr Vo: 'Most original Hoi An residents have moved away and given their homes over to shops, cafes and hotels. So instead of seeing ancient houses still used as homes, you see an empty space behind a tourist shop.'

Unless the authorities enforce more rigorous preservation orders and curb over-development at these places, Vietnam will be in danger of turning off some potential visitors.

It could consider measures like those taken at heritage sites and national parks in Australia and the United States where high fees, strict rules and limited entrants curb wanton degradation.

Treasures like Hoi An and Sapa were once beguiling because of their old-world charm and idyllic atmosphere, while natural wonders like Halong Bay were magical because of their pristine and fantastical scenery.

These remain precious and fragile qualities. Once expunged by over-development and the rush to make a quick profit, they can never be resurrected.

rogermitton@hotmail.com

Reflection Questions

1. Explain how toursim development have negative impact on the human and physical environment.

2. Should the number of tourist be restricted in these tourist attractions?

3. What should the government do to protect these attraction?