Tourists visiting Cu Chi tunnels (Photo: Internet)
Cu Chi district has a convenient transport system and many natural and cultural tourism resources with attractive tourist destinations; ecological tourism, resort tourism, agricultural and rural experience; trade villages, ornamental plant villages and Don Ca Tai Tu Nam Bo (southern amateur traditional music).
However, due to slow innovation in investing in the construction of tourism products, it hasn’t properly exploited available strengths so its tourism hasn’t attracted many visitors.
The number of visitors each year visiting Cu Chi Tunnels historical site is not high. In 2016, it welcomed 1.5 million visitors, including 850,000 domestic visitors and 650,000 international visitors.
The site has planned to expand by 125 hectares. It now calls for investment to attract tourists. Cu Chi Tunnels are the only such site in the world that has been recognized as a national special monument, and it should limit investment in refurbishment in some areas.
In Cu Chi district, tourism destinations are being strongly exploited such as: Cu Chi Tunnels; Kenh Dong convalescent village; Trung Hiep Thanh vegetable production area; and Nong Trang Xanh farm, which combines tourism with ecology, farm and hi-tech agricultural area. In addition, waterway tours to Cu Chi Tunnels and ecological spots, fruit gardens along the Saigon River or "farmer for a day" experience tours in Cu Chi district in combination with traditional trade villages, are also quite popular.
However, it is necessary to focus on traffic in Cu Chi district, especially roads connecting destinations to main roads and waterways to facilitate visitors to visit.
Recently, tourists have become very interested in tourism products associated with agriculture in Cu Chi district. However, the locality has not fully developed its potential to develop tourism due to the unfavourable transportation infrastructure, unfinished tourism services, unexploited tourism products and the introduction and promotion of tourism hasn’t been disseminated widely to people and tourists.
According to the planning of Ho Chi Minh City tourism sector, more new tourism products in Cu Chi district will be developed, such as construction of international amusement parks and development of ecological and agricultural tourism along the Saigon River.
In addition, tourism projects in Cu Chi district will be developed, such as 456.5-hectare Saigon Zoo and Botanical Garden, green park in the 1,139-hectare Tay Bac urban area, 128-hectare international amusement park. In addition, in order to develop typical tourist products of Cu Chi district, the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Tourism and Cu Chi district have conducted surveys on destinations, shopping, restaurants, and accommodation facilities in the district to understand and develop them based on visitors’ demands.
Moreover, it is necessary to improve transport from the centre of Ho Chi Minh City to Cu Chi district. Though accounting for one fourth of the area of Ho Chi Minh City, the population there is only equal to a single ward of Binh Tan district.
Accordingly, to develop tourism in Cu Chi district, it must develop transport, social and population infrastructure. Foremost, the city will build a Ho Chi Minh City – Cu Chi – Moc Bai highway route, which will help tourists to shorten travel time and avoid traffic jams when going to Cu Chi district. Then, more and more tourists will find it easier to enjoy tourism services in Cu Chi district./.