Covering an area of 2.3 square kilometres in the south of the Gulf ofTonkin, Con Co Island is blessed with diverse tropical marineecosystems. Thanks to its large forests, beautiful beaches and pristinecoral reefs, the island has huge potential for tourism development.
It is also renowned as a pivotal battlefield during the war againstthe United States, and much evidence remains there of Vietnam’s ultimatevictory. Authorities believe that this also makes the island a greatplace to develop for tourists with a taste for history.
Current popular tours on the island include scuba-diving, canoeing,fishing and marine sports. However, these activities are mainly offeredby local residents who still struggle to do business professionally dueto a lack of adequate infrastructure, such as power and accommodation,together with a lack of transport to the island, Lanh conceded.
Hundreds of tourist groups visit Con Co annually and the demand isincreasing every year, the chairman stated. He added that in order tomeet this demand the island district has been focusing on buildingnecessary infrastructure, such as power, water and passenger ships.
Should Con Co become a national resort island, as hoped by the QuangTri provincial People’s Committee, this status should attract local andforeign tourism investment to the island.-VNA