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At a press briefing on Ho Chi Minh City’s socio-economic situation on April 16, Nguyen Thi Thanh Thao, head of the Planning and Development of Tourism Resources division at the City Department of Tourism, said that local businesses have recently begun operating river cruises, boats, and riverfront restaurants, drawing a large number of tourists.
Ms. Thao said the city is also working to expand river bus routes and upgrade inland river terminals to meet growing visitor demand.
Looking ahead, developing river tourism has been identified as a strategic product for Ho Chi Minh City. The city plans to design riverfront corridors and canal systems, supplement land use to better exploit bridges and wharves, and diversify river tourism products along both banks.
In addition, the city will establish standard ports and coordinate with the Western and Southeast regions to build inter-regional tourism products.
“If we do a good job with planning and connectivity, we could launch river tourism products from Ho Chi Minh City to the Western and Southeast regions with an itinerary of about 3-4 days,” Ms. Thao said.
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