Representatives from several Vietnamese State agencies and tourist agencies from the Mekong sub-region countries attended the seminar.

The participants agreed that countries in the region offer great potential for developing tourism.

In addition, the countries involved have a diverse range of natural resources, with numerous biosphere reserves and eco-tourism parks, as well as many places of historical interest and a thriving arts scene.

In Vietnam ’s part of the Mekong Delta region, there are over 120 cultural and historical sites and several biosphere reserves which have been recognised by UNESCO. These areas alone attract 6.5 percent of the country’s foreign visitors to Vietnam annually.

Management agencies, scientists and businesspeople at the seminar also discussed putting together a long term plan to ensure the sustainable development of the tourist industry in the Mekong Delta region.