The festival aiming to promote Vietnam and its marine tourism industry to French and foreign friends was jointly sponsored by Vietnam Airlines, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, the Vietnamese Embassy in France and the Bank for Investment and Development of Vietnam.

Addressing the opening ceremony, Vietnam Airlines General Director Pham Ngoc Minh highlighted Vietnam’s great potential for tourism, especially with over 3,000km of coastline, beautiful landscapes and wild tropical beaches. Moreover, the country is also well known for its world renowned cultural heritage and traditional customs.

Many visitors at the exhibition were impressed with Vietnam’s beautiful coastline and islands, as well as the country’s marine tourist services.

Cyril Fuentes, a French architecture who has visited Vietnam many times, said that he liked Vietnam’s coastal resorts not only for their scenery, but also because of the Vietnamese people’s hospitality. Meanwhile, Gerard Arcelin and his wife added that besides the sea, beaches and the beautiful countryside, Vietnam’s historical sites, culture and its cuisine make it an extremely attractive destination.

However, many visitors agreed that Vietnam is not very competitive in price or quality of service.

Journalist Jean Claude Cartier said that despite its potentials, Vietnam has not been able to attract as many foreign visitors as regional countries like Thailand and Malaysia do. He noted that tours and air fares in other countries are cheaper and they have more diverse and quality services. If Vietnam can overcome these factors, the country could become the regions leading tourist destination, Cartier said.