Quang Ninh (VNA) – With a convenientlocation in Bai Tu Long Bay and adjacent to the world natural heritage site ofHa Long Bay, Van Don island district in the northeastern coastal province ofQuang Ninh has many advantages to develop tourism, especially sea and islandtourism.

The island district boasts diverse topographicconditions, with forest, sea, lime and earth mountains and karst caves. The forestecosystem in the island district is home to 1,028 species of animals while themarine ecosystem has 881 species, including 102 ones named in the Red Book ofVietnam and the world.

Van Don is home to several of the most beautifulbeaches in the Gulf of Tonkin such as Quan Lan, Minh Chau, Ngoc Vung and BaiDai.

Looking out to Bai Tu Long Bay, Quan Lan beachis blessed with smooth white sandbank, transparent blue sea, high waves,peaceful atmosphere, and fresh air. This is an ideal hideaway for people to getrid of the city bustle and daily pressure. The lush wild pineapple ranges evenmake the beach more pristine than elsewhere. 

Meanwhile, Bai Dai (Long Beach) is an untamedtreasure of Van Don. This spot appeals to visitors with the wild and poeticbeauty which might be hard to find in other touristy beaches. The long,white-sand beach offers the crystal clear seawater for the optimum visibilityof the underwater world. From Bai Dai, one can look farther toward thepicturesque Bai Tu Long Bay. Entertainment is plenty such as kayaking, watermotorcycle, tennis or volleyball.

Minh Chau beach is also an ideal spot fortravel enthusiasts. Thousands of holiday makers flock here every year to enjoytheir vacation. Couples particularly favour the spot to capture truly amazingwedding photos. The beach is 230km from Hanoi and 15km from Quan Lan beach. Theunique feature of the site is the pristine white sand that gives a comfortablesensation walking on.

In the first five months of 2019, Van Donisland district welcomed 723,000 visitors, up 26 percent year-on-year, reaching60 percent of the yearly target. The tourism revenue was estimated at 320billion VND (13.7 million USD).

The launch of the Van Don International Airportin December 2018 is expected to bring more visitors to Van Don, thus helping QuangNinh achieve its target of welcoming 15-16 million tourists, including 7million foreigners, by 2020 and 30 million arrivals, including 15 millionforeigners, by 2030.

Therefore, local authorities have been offeringmany incentives to promote the launch of flights to the airport, the first ofits kind invested by a private business in Vietnam.

Passengers on flights to Van Don can visit anumber of local attractions including the complex of Yen Tu monuments andlandscapes, the world natural heritage site of Ha Long Bay, and Bai Tu Long Bayfree of charge within 30 days since their arrival at this airport.

Quang Ninh is endowed with natural advantagesfor sea and island tourism. It has a coastline of more than 250km and more than2,000 islands and islets which account for two-thirds of the total number inVietnam.

It is home to popular destinations such as HaLong Bay, Bai Tu Long, Ha Long Bay National Park and some islands. Inparticular, Ha Long Bay literally “descending dragon bay”, was twice recognisedas a World Natural Heritage site by UNESCO in 1994 and 2000.

Last year, Quang Ninh hosted the NationalTourism Year 2018 under the theme “Ha Long-Heritage, Wonder, FriendlyDestination”. The province welcomed 12.3 million visitors, including 5.2million foreigners, and earned 24 trillion VND (1.03 billion USD) in tourismrevenue./.