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Ancient Allure
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HUE, VIET NAM. The plain classrooms of Hue Tourism School come alive with color when the female students take their seats. They are dressed in shimmering red or blue ao dai, the ensemble of a flowing tunic and wide-bottomed trousers that is Viet Nam’s national costume.
The school began only 5 years ago with capacity for 300 students. Yet so great has been the demand that 800 full-time and 500 part-time students cram into 8 classrooms that are used in 3 shifts.
"Some 30% of our students are from poor households, including ethnic minorities... they know tourism is an important means to escape poverty"
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Le Duc Trung, Vice-Director,
Hue Tourism School
Many of the young men and women are from the Central Region—one of Viet Nam’s poorest areas—and are taking advantage of the current tourism boom to improve their living.
“Some 30% of our students are from poor households, including ethnic minorities. They come because of the strong development of tourism in central Viet Nam,” says Le Duc Trung, the school’s affable vice-director. “They know tourism is an important means to escape poverty.”
The tourist boom is being spurred in part by the improved East-West Economic Corridor, also known as Highway 9, that provides easier access to Viet Nam’s Central Region from the Lao People’s Democratic Republic (Lao PDR) and Thailand, as well as other parts of the country. Rehabilitation of the highway in the Lao PDR and Viet Nam—parts of which the Asian Development Bank (ADB) is financing with loans totaling $57 million—is at an advanced stage.
“Our regional cooperation strategy aims at increasing connectivity between the GMS countries and includes promoting them as a subregional tourist destination to boost local economies and provide more jobs for the poor,” says Urooj Malik, Director of the Infrastructure Division of ADB’s Mekong Department.
At the ochre-colored An Dinh palace by the Perfumed River that runs through Hue, Ngo Hoa, Vice-Chairman of People’s Committee of Thua Thien Hue Province, says improved road and rail links are contributing to a boom that has seen a rise in the number of visitors to the province by about 17% annually in recent years, which is well above the national average.
“Our tourism drive includes stepping up advertising as well as using the Internet more,” says Mr. Hoa. “The Central Region has a strong attraction for ecotourists as well as those interested in history and culture.”
This year, the number of tourist arrivals has soared. For the first 5 months of 2004, there were 1.15 million foreign visitors to Viet Nam, nearly 20% more than the same period last year. The target for this year is 3 million, and next year’s target is a whopping 5 million, says Mr. Hoa. Major tourist attractions of the Central Region—which include the Ho Chi Minh Trail, the Imperial City of Hue, and the 17th century trading port of Hoi An—are expected to play a key role in that increase.
Hue’s hotels are also gearing up to handle increased business. At the historic Saigon Morin Hotel, general manager Tao Van Nghe sends his staff for training to cope with the demands of rising occupancy rates, with 60% of the guests coming from Europe.
ATTRACTING TOURISTS Tomb of Emperor Tu Duc at Hue (above) and a poster
reflecting Viet Nam’s tourism campaign (below)
Meanwhile, Hue Tourism School is planning to expand its facilities to cater for the ever-rising number of students. Despite strained resources, Mr. Trung says the school waives tuition fees for the poorest students.
Some students come from neighboring countries, says Mr. Trung. This year, there are 10 students from the Lao PDR. Most are male, but the contingent includes Manohay Sinhdonthan, a shy girl who says she will work as a travel agent when she returns home to Champassak.
The Hue school, which receives financing from the European Union, has a model kitchen and dining room, where students are taught cooking and service skills. Vincent Gibbon, an Irish senior technical advisor with the Luxembourg Development Agency, helps ensure training is up to international standards.
“We’ve supported the training program and have developed the examination and certification system under the Viet Nam Tourism Certification Board,” he says. English language skills are a top priority.
Viet Nam’s tourism drive is providing thousands of young people from underprivileged families a chance to improve their lives.
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