They also refresh offerings, diversify tourism products, and enhance service quality.
Diversifying offerings, enhancing service quality
In recent days, numerous tourist sites across the Mekong Delta have been bustling with preparations, revamping facilities, and refreshing offerings to welcome visitors during the year-end holiday season.
At Con Son Ecotourism Site in Can Tho City, members of the local tourism cooperative have been pruning fruit orchards, repairing and redecorating the Don Ca Tai Tu Nam Bo (southern amateur music) performance stage, cleaning the ponds featuring flying snakehead fish and water-spraying fish, and expanding areas dedicated to traditional cake-making experiences.
According to Ms. Le Thi Be Bay, a representative of the Con Son Agricultural Tourism Cooperative in Can Tho City, alongside existing services, the cooperative is preparing to introduce several new tourism offerings, including the “duck massage” experience and distinctive dishes made from puffed rice.
Meanwhile, the Mui Ca Mau National Tourist Area in Ca Mau Province is also racing to upgrade its facilities, repainting key landmarks such as the national coordinate marker at Ca Mau Cape GPS number 0001, the Hanoi Flagpole at Mui Ca Mau (Ca Mau Cape), and the iconic ship symbol.
New Year celebrations are also gaining momentum across the Central Highlands and central coastal regions.
In Lam Dong Province, the cultural sector is busy preparing the “Countdown—Welcoming the New Year 2026” program, scheduled for the evening of December 31 at three venues, including Lam Vien Square in Da Lat, the Provincial Theater and Exhibition Center for Culture and Arts, and western Lam Dong. The event will feature high-tech light performances, 3D LED displays, DJ shows, artistic fireworks, and a countdown to the New Year.
Meanwhile, in Mang Den, Quang Ngai Province, local authorities have spent months planning Mang Den Cultural and Tourism Week, which is set to take place in Mang Den Commune, Quang Ngai Province, from January 1 to 4, 2026. Preparations are now complete, with decorations and landscape enhancements finalized along the cherry blossom street, the central square, Our Lady of Mang Den (known as the Statue of Our Lady of Mang Den or the Arm-Amputated Mother), and the bell tower.
In an effort to attract visitors during the New Year holiday, Deputy Director of the Department of Culture, Sports, and Tourism of Da Nang, Tan Van Duong, said the city has drawn up plans for the New Year 2026 celebrations, spanning multiple public spaces to ensure easy access and participation for both residents and tourists.
Meanwhile, at Buu Long Tourist Area in Tran Bien Ward, Dong Nai Province, the site’s operator has invested in more than 18,000 pots of flowers to enhance the landscape and visual appeal. During the New Year holiday, Buu Long Tourist Area will also host traditional food stalls inspired by rural markets, offering affordable prices to visitors.
On December 30, a delegation from the Ho Chi Minh City Youth Volunteer Force conducted field inspections at key tourist sites requiring youth personnel support in Vung Tau Ward, Ho Chi Minh City.
In the coming period, the Ho Chi Minh City Youth Volunteer Force will coordinate with relevant departments, agencies, and local authorities to deploy 48 youth personnel as public order officers at designated locations. Their duties will include assisting local authorities in guiding residents and visitors, reminding them of regulations, and ensuring public order and tourism safety.
Ensuring visitor safety and preventing overcharging
Ensuring visitor safety has also become a key focus for local authorities and the tourism sector. Mr. Le Van Dung, Director of Mui Ca Mau National Park, the agency managing the Mui Ca Mau National Tourist Area, said the park is coordinating with relevant authorities to conduct inspections, provide guidance, and raise awareness among ecotourism and community-based tourism operators, as well as organizations, individuals, and tourism service providers operating within the park’s forest area.
These efforts aim to ensure strict compliance with regulations throughout their operations, safeguarding visitors in areas such as food safety and hygiene, product origin and traceability, and adherence to disease prevention and control measures. Authorities are also stepping up oversight to combat commercial fraud and counterfeit goods, maintain service quality, enforce price regulations, including transparent price listing and selling at listed prices, and address practices such as solicitation and coercion of tourists.
Leaders of Phu Quoc Special Zone in An Giang Province said that local authorities have issued an official notice to tourism businesses and service providers across the island, urging them to uphold their reputation and improve service quality during the peak tourist season. Authorities stressed that overcharging practices would not be tolerated, including charging entrance or service fees without clearly posted prices or adopting service arrangements deemed inappropriate and detrimental to visitors’ experiences and to Phu Quoc’s tourism image.
Meanwhile, the tourism sector in Hue City has called on relevant agencies to step up inspections to ensure a safe tourism environment while urging accommodation and dining establishments to prepare comprehensive service plans. The Department of Tourism of Hue City has also coordinated with 35 travel companies from across the country to organize a famtrip program, assessing the potential of local attractions and rural tourism products in Hue.
Mr. Bui Viet Ha, Chairman of the Mang Den Tourism Association, stated that the Mang Den tourism area has approximately 170 accommodation establishments with nearly 1,600 rooms. As of now, all hotels, guesthouses, and homestays in the central area are fully booked from January 1 to 3. Compared to the same period last year, the number of available rooms in Mang Den has increased by about 30 percent, yet occupancy remains at full capacity.
A survey on the Booking.com platform shows that 99 percent of hotels in Phu Quoc are also fully booked from January 1 to 4. Beyond accommodations, many experiential tourism services in Phu Quoc, such as island boat tours and coral snorkeling trips, have also reached full capacity.
