The Prime Minister has approved a master plan for developing Da Nang’s Son Tra Peninsula into a national tourism area.  This decision will help to promote the tourism development of the peninsula, as well as diversify the local tourism products and help the city’s tourism improve its position as a local spearhead economic sector.

Many domestic and foreign visitors have unforgettable memories of their trips to the peninsular as they discovered red-shanked douc langurs and the thousand-year-old banyan tree, stayed in high-class holiday resorts, dived to explore the coral reefs, or took part in numerous beach sports and other interesting activities.

Jet-skiing off Son Tra

According to the Management Board of the Son Tra Peninsula and Tourism Beaches, the number of visitors to the peninsula reached 650,000 over the first half of this year.  Of these, over 600,000 visited the Linh Ung Pagoda and the thousand-year-old banyan tree, whilst 7,500 discovered the underwater world of marine creatures.

According to local tourism experts, the peninsula is one of the city’s key tourist attractions boasting many types of tourism which satisfy a variety of visitor demands, especially holidays and eco-tourism tours.

Over recent years the Management Board have, on a trial basis, organised many famtrip tours for delegations wishing to survey the new tourism products on the peninsula.   However, local travel agencies have not yet begun to organise tours around the peninsula in a sustainable manner.

The Song Hoi tourism company in Hoi An has been a pioneer of tours on the peninsula.  The company’s Director, Mr Tran Hung, remarked that the peninsula’s special and diversified potentials of nature, culture, history and spiritual values have yet to be fully tapped.  The company usually offers tours around the peninsula for around 100 cruise ship passengers every day during the peak tourism season.  However, the number of visitors who make a return visit is still low. 

In an effort to fully tap the peninsula’s tourism potential, the Management Board last year made plans to build more floating wooden rafts for anglers and a 1,000m2 transit station at the T-junction of Le Duc Tho and Hoang Sa streets, and to upgrade some of the rest-stops, like the viewing tower, the Ban Co (Chessboard) peak, and the Green Space area.  However, some of these plans remain on the drawing board.