Depressed domestic tourism: Island tourism waits in desperation Traveling to many islands of Vietnam has yet to be implemented due to lack of infrastructure and services.    Traveling to Truong Sa Archipelago is the desire of the Vietnamese people. In picture: Song Tu Tay Island viewed from the lighthouse.   With nearly 2,780 islands, island tourism should have been the strengths of Vietnam but the reality is opposite. While some islands are increasingly being "exploited," many others are languishing for “sublimation.” Scratch, polluted and monotonous Phu Quoc, Cat Ba and Con Dao are the famous beautiful islands which enjoy the state’s early investment in tourism. However, decades have passed but tourism on these islands is still scratch, polluted and monotonous. "Investment in Phu Quoc tourism began about 15 years ago, but so far everything is still unorganized. Meanwhile, Thai island of Koh Samui has been invested for only five years currently welcomes two million visitors per year, thanks to nice beaches and extravaganza entertainment attractions," said Mr. Nguyen Van My - Chairman Lua Viet Company. With the five mountains rising up to the sea, "the kingdom of garlic" - Ly Son Island in Quang Ngai province - is the home to famous attractions, such as Thoi Loi crater, Hang Pagoda, Tien well, Cau cave and dozens of wooden houses of 200 years old. In recent years, Ly Son has become a popular destination of local and foreign tourists. In January-April of 2013, Ly Son Island received about 10,000 visitors.   Lack of waste disposal system, Ly Son people throws garbage to the sea. A lot of visitors go to the island but they do not know where to spend money, because the island only has natural landscapes and historical monuments, temples, not any entertainment site. In particular, because of rampant sand mining, this beautiful island does not have a single beach. Worse, without a waste treatment plant, Ly Son is filled with garbage. Admitting these limitations, Mr.Pham Hoang Linh - Deputy Chairman of Ly Son island district, said the local government is promoting the construction of a dumping ground and a waste treatment plant. Phu Quy in Binh Thuan province is also a volcanic island like Ly Son but for many years, it is still unfamiliar to many visitors. The biggest barrier to reach the island is transportation. To come to the island, visitors must take six hours sitting on a cargo ship which operates with erratic schedules depending on the weather. "South Korea's Jeju Island is not as good as Ly Son and Phu Quy of Vietnam but it has become a tourist paradise and a movie center. In Vietnam, if islands are not destroyed by man, they are also waiting for tourists," said Mr. Nguyen Vu Hoang, a tourist from HCM City. Cu Lao Xanh (Green Islet) - the "blue pearl" of Binh Dinh province, is in the same situation. Mr. Nguyen Ngoc Anh, Head of the Cu Lao Xanh lighthouse, said: "There are many foreign tourists hiring boats from Quy Nhon to visit the islet but because of service shortage, they stayed on the islet for one night only." Traveling to Truong Sa Islands: Why not? According to Colonel Pham Van Quang, Head of the Propaganda Department of the Navy, the agency received a lot of calls asking about tours to Truong Sa and the answer is "not yet." Mr. Nguyen Van Tuan, General Director of the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism (VNAT), said going to Truong Sa is the aspiration of all Vietnamese people and the goal of the tourism industry. "This is not pure economic or tourism goals, it is associated with spiritual elements, such as border and island sovereignty of the nation," said Tuan. Therefore, according to Tuan, to take people to Truong Sa, it needs a consistent policy with guidance from the top and the close coordination between the tourism industry, the Navy, the Defense Ministry and related provinces. "Tourists to Truong Sa should be selected. They must be those with abundant financial support, not students, although everyone wants to go to Truong Sa," Tuan added. There are many other beautiful islands in Vietnam which are still languishing for visitors. During the journey to the cluster of northeast islands, including Bach Long Vi, Tran, Tra Ban, Colonel Dang Quoc Van, a senior official of the Navy, Region 1, said: "Our conditions are not entitled to organize tours to these islands because most of them are still used for military purposes and they lack necessary infrastructure for tourists." Likewise, the Southern sea has ten archipelagoes with over 100 islands, including the famous ones like Phu Quoc, Nam Du, Tho Chu ... However, Phu Quoc is the only one island where tourism is developed. Five years ago, almost no tourists go to Quan Lan Island in Quang Ninh province but now it has become a top destination in Quang Ninh and the northern region. With only about 3,600 inhabitants, in 2012 the island welcomed 4,000 tourists. Partly thanks to revenue from tourism, Quan Lan is about to have electricity coming from the national grid. Source: NLD