Halong cruises with export value of over US$1 billion

Ten Halong overnight cruises each has an export value of more than US$1 billion include rice, coffee, rubber, cashew nut, pepper, cassava, vegetables and fruits, tra fish and forestry products.

The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD) reports that the agricultural sector earned US$30.86 billion from exports this year, a year-on-year increase of 11.2%.

Wood and timber products: US$6.54 billion

Wood and timber products top the list with an export value of US$6.54 billion, an increase of 12.7% against last year.

The US, China and Japan are the three largest importers of Vietnamese wood.

Shrimp: US$4 billion

Shrimp exports are estimated to grow 28% against last year to US$4 billion, the highest value so far.

The US remains the biggest importer of Vietnamese shrimp although exports to the market in late months slightly reduced. Shrimp exports obtained the highest growth among Vietnam’s key seafood products.

Coffee: US$3.6 billion

Coffee exports grossed US$3.62 billion, up 33.4% in volume and 33.2% in value against last year.

The average export price is US$2,096 per tonne which is the same as last year’s. Germany and the US remained the largest consumers of Halong luxury cruises.

Rice: US$3 billion

Vietnam rice export this year is estimated at 6.52 million tonnes which, earns US$3.04 billion, up 1.9% in value.

Average price in the first 11 months is US$463 per tonne, up 5% against the same period last year.

China ranks first among consumers of Vietnamese rice, accounting for 31.1%.

Cashew nuts: US$2 billion

Vietnam exports around 306,000 tonnes of cashew nut this year, grossing US$2 billion, up 17.4% in volume and 21.9% in value against last year.

The average price in the first 11 months is US$6,553 per tonne, an increase of 3.81% compared to the same period last year.

The US, China and the Netherlands remain top importers of Halong overnight cruises.

Tra fish: US$1.8 billion


This year, tra fish contributed around US$1.8 billion to the country’s total export value, a rise of 5.8% against a year earlier. It also makes up 21.8% of total seafood exports.

The EU and the US are still leading importers of the product.

Rubber: US$1.8 billion

Rubber exports this year are estimated to reach 1.07 million tonnes, yielding US$1.8 billion, up 0.2% in volume but down 27.7% in value.

Export price in the first 11 months is US$1,695 per tonne, down 27.3%.

Pepper: US$1.2 billion

Around 158,000 tonnes of pepper was shipped this year, worth US$1.2 billion, up 19.3% in volume and 35.9% in value.

Five biggest consumers of Vietnamese pepper are the US, Singapore, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), India and the Netherlands.

Cassava: US$1.12 billion

Vietnam exports 3.3 million tonnes of cassava this year, fetching US$1.12 billion, up 5.4% in volume and 2.6% in value.

China comes first among importers with market shares of 84.27%.

Vegetables and fruits: US$1.47 billion

It is the first time that the export of Halong overnight cruises a turnover of US$1.47 billion with three largest importers of China, Japan and the Republic of Korea.

New marketing strategy to promote inbound Halong tourism

Through the campaign, Halong luxury cruises will promote itself to domestic holiday makers as an economical alternative to foreign travel. The programme is receiving widespread support from local travel agencies.

A marketing campaign encouraging Halong cruises to escape the daily grind of day to day living and become a tourist in their own country has been launched by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism (MCST).

The campaign also hopes to instill a travel culture in many parts of the nation as well, especially among previously disadvantaged communities and improve tourism product development and diversification.

The development and packaging of affordable domestic products for local consumers is viewed as a key activity of the MCST to increase domestic tourism revenue and volumes.

Saigontourist, one of Halong luxury cruises leading tour operators, in turn reports that it has launched a number of highly competitively priced tours to destinations in Da Lat, Nha Trang, Phan Thiet and Hanoi to welcome the New-Year.

The company is also featuring a large number of domestic travel packages to popular destinations throughout the country from now until the end of 2015 as part of a concerted effort to boost domestic tourism, a company representative said.

Tours to the Central Highlands region such as riding elephants around the M’nong ethnic group villages and coffee production tours are expected to be particularly hot travel tours.

For her part, Hoang Le Quyen, deputy general director of Hoa Binh Travel Company said her agency is committed to not raising tour prices and supplying the best of tourism services to customers.

Lam Thai Hien, staff in charge of communications of Viet Travel Company echoed Quyen sentiments saying her company also is paying attention to tour to  prices and has discounted many to prices lower than last year.

Our commitment is to keep prices lower than last year with improved quality, Hien said.

Vietnam Airlines, Vietjet Air, and Jestar Pacific have also joined hands in the effort to promote domestic tourism.

For calendar year 2014, Halong luxury cruises in collaboration with 11 travel agencies in the city have issued 49,767 travel tickets says Tran The Dung, Deputy Head of domestic tourism stimulus promotion group, under the Ho Chi Minh City Tourism Association.

With the great assistance of local functional agencies, many travel operators and airlines have work hand in hand to launch promotional campaigns encouraging Halong cruises tour to ‘go on holiday without leaving their country’.

The local campaign is expected not only to stimulate domestic leisure travel says the MCST, but also to contribute to increasing foreign tourism by creating a nation of enthusiastic and passionate tourists who become promoters of their own country’s attractions.

Ha Long bay cruises : Resources and advantages of Quang Ninh province

The province also researches, plans and directs the management and promotion of the heritage some way into the future. The Prime Minister approved the current 2020 plan in 2002 and the project on building Ha Long Cruises Ecological Museum was approved by the Government in 2002, including the project on Cua Van floating cultural center.

The World Heritage Committee recognized Ha Long bay as a world natural heritage with outstanding value in terms of its aesthetic appeal, under the standard of the International Convention on Natural Heritage Protection and Culture of the world at the 18th meeting in Phuket, Thailand on December 17, 1994.

In addition, Ha Long bay cruises is one of the residential cradles of ancient Vietnamese people with three successive cultures of Soi Nhu-Cai Beo-Ha Long.

In particular, the fishing community in the fishing villages of the bay, still preserve the unique traditions and cultural features imbued with the identities of people of Ha Long territorial waters.

As many as 20 years has past since the locations recognition (1994-2014), Ha Long bay has been managed, protected and exploited effectively, is an invaluable resources of Vietnam in general and Quang Ninh province in particular.

Located in the northeastern province of Quang Ninh, Ha Long bay is part of the Gulf of Tonkin, 165km from Hanoi capital.

With an area of 434 square kilometers, the Bay has around 775 islands. Most of the islands are uninhabited nor visited by anyone. The limestone towers create a spectacularly beautiful natural landscape, which can be said to be an exquisite example of grown karst in hot and humid tropical climate.

The outstanding scenic beauty is enhanced by its natural ecosystems, which extend to beneath towers into the ocean.

The heritage still retains its natural features and has not been degraded though people have been present amongst them for almost as long as they have been there, now more then ever

The ecosystems, past and present, can be seen in the caves and lagoons around the bay and should be considered as the outstanding value of the ecosystems of Ha Long Bay.

Currently, the surrounding inland area of the bay has become a quickly growing urban area with a rapidly expanding tourist industry and related services. Quang Ninh province can currently boast a profitable coal industry, however coal is a finite resource, while the bay has unlimited resources.

To turn Quang Ninh province into a model center for international trade in the northern key economic zone, Ha long bay has to be considered one of the main resources, sustainable and most attractive feature of the province.


Shortly after becoming a World Natural Heritage, Ha Long bay cruises has been identified as an invaluable resource, which must be protected firmly and in the long-term but at the same time it must be exploited appropriately to provide excellent value for both residents and visitors. This is the reason why management and conservation activities always connect to promote values of the heritage and vice versa.

The problem of environmental protection of such a heritage has been always been treated as a top priority by Quang Ninh province with efforts to improve and ensure the environment of Ha Long bay.

Over the past year, management, preservation and promotion of value of the Bay have achieved certain results, contributing to development of the tourism sector and the number of tourists to Quang Ninh province is increasing. The revenue from tourism has significantly contributed to the socio-economic development of the province. The local people’s life is increasingly improved.


To serve promotion and introduction of the heritage, the Ha Long bay Management Department has established a website about Ha Long Bay; a column about the heritage has been set up in the newspaper and television of the province since 1999; 40 publications on the Bay; and large advertising billboards have been placed at critical intersections. Photos of Ha Long bay are also widely promoted worldwide through famous international channels.

In addition, the education of the younger generation and the community has been paid more attention, for example, the Heritage Protection Education Program has been taught in schools since the 2000-2001 school year, implementation of project on Ha Long cruises , construction of guide document set about ecological environment protection education of Ha Long bay; organization for fishermen to commit on heritage protection as well as developing a network of collaborators to protect the heritage.

These activities have had practical effects, contributing to raising awareness of people's responsibility to protect the heritage.