Photo: Representatives of hospitals and clinics from HCM City promote medical tourism services for Cambodian visitors in a promotional event to enhance tourism between the two countries. – VNA Photo

PHNOM PENH – A Việt Nam-HCM City tourism promotion programme has been launched in Phnom Penh, highlighting HCM City’s tourism strengths.

The programme is co-organised by the Vietnamese Embassy in Cambodia and HCM City Department of Tourism, featuring HCM City’s newest tourism products and services and promoting tourism linkages between the two.

Ngô Văn Tuất, minister counsellor of the embassy, said on Monday that tourism is the strength of both countries, with rich cultures, heritages, and UNESCO-recognised wonders like Angkor Wat and Hạ Long Bay.

“Tourism has always been a highly-prioritised sector, and together with the underlying potential of the two nations, it has seen incredible developments, which contribute to general economic growth and provide job opportunities for its people,” Tuất said.

Việt Nam’s tourism before the pandemic contributed 9 per cent to its GDP, and it has been witnessing great improvements post-pandemic, with a total income of $20.9 billion last year.

In Cambodia, tourism is one of four main sectors and has been leading its economy, with over 2.37 million international visitors last year.

The Cambodian government has set its goal to welcome over four million international visitors this year.

He also noted with pleasure their success in tourism cooperation, with an increasing number of people travelling between both countries.

“Cambodian travellers are among the four main types of those coming to Việt Nam last year. Within the first five months of this year, Cambodian tourists accounted for 3.63 per cent of total tourists,” he said.

On the flip side, 21.7 per cent of visitors to Cambodia last year were from Việt Nam, and until March this year it has welcomed over 200,000 Vietnamese visitors.

Big cities like Phnom Penh, Angkor Wat, HCM City, and Phú Quốc are among the top destinations, and most Cambodians visit HCM City for medical purposes as it has modern facilities.

“Despite many strengths in tourism, both countries have not reached their desired goals,” he said.

Tuất said that there has not been enough collaboration among enterprises from both nations, and tourism promotion is still small-scale.

Thus, the programme is a great opportunity for strengthening tourism linkages between the two countries, especially HCM City and Phnom Penh, which will introduce several tourism products and services to enterprises and Cambodians to build connections between tourism enterprises.

He said that the embassy would also be a bridge connecting tourism partnerships, enhancing the solidarity between the two countries.

Prak Chandara, Under Secretary of State of the Cambodian Ministry of Tourism, believed that the success of the programme would be leverage for both nations to rebound post-pandemic.

“Together with the city’s Department of Health, we have been supporting enterprises in setting diverse medical tourism packages, as the city’s health sector has seen great improvements,” said Bùi Thị Ngọc Hiếu, deputy director of the city Department of Tourism.

With 131 hospitals, modern facilities, and highly-qualified doctors, medical tourism in the city would be a chance for boosting tourism and collaborations in the near future.

Besides introducing Vietnamese culture, tourism, and cuisine through short videos, the event also had representatives from hospitals and clinics to promote medical tourism products available in HCM City and a business-to-business connection activity linking enterprises from both countries. – VNS