June 11, 2012 (LBO) – Sri Lanka and Vietnam are planning to boost tourism between the two countries after a visit by Vietnamese travel firms to Colombo which will be followed by a familiarization tour by Sri Lankan travel agents, officials said. Udaya Silva, Sri Lanka’s IATA travel agents association said he expected mutually beneficial partnerships to develop that will allow peoples of both countries increase visits.
A familiarization tour for Sri Lankan travel agents and writers was planned for August.
Ambassador Thanh said Vietnam had 10 UNESCO recognized world heritages, a 4,000 year old history that has left the country with 3,000 national heritage sites including war memorials, ancient temples and 125 beaches.
It also had a rich and varied culture ranging from the people of Sapa in North Vietnam highlands which became snowbound in winter to the hot Mekong Delta in South Vietnam where the weather was like Sri Lanka and people lived in floating villages.
The country also had a wide variety of food and drink. People could travel by aircraft, train, and car or even rent a motorcycle.
Since Vietnam started to open up in 1986 under its free market ‘Doi Moi’ or ‘renewal’ program the tourism industry has boomed. The countr