Obstacles for road links to Vietnam

30 Aug 2014  2039 | World Travel News

KON TUM Vietnam’s Central Highlands Kon Tum province and Thailand’s Ubon Ratchathani province say they will cooperate to develop road links that will pass through Laos via the Bo Y border gate, but red tape in Vietnam could scuttle plans to encouage self-drive car holidays on the routes.
Local news channels reported that the two provinces recently agreed that new routes through eight provinces of Vietnam, Laos and Thailand should be developed urgently.
But route details are still under consideration and the role of Lao PDR will be essential for the plan to succeed.
Kon Tum Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism deputy director, Nguyen Xuan Truyen, said it was important to convince tour operators that it was feasible to offer tour links between Vietnamese and Thai provinces.
“Kon Tum province and relevant agencies in Laos will discuss further details after reaching an agreement with Thailand,” he said.
These agreements are not new. The three countries host annual meetings that are designed to pursue tourism cooperation, but they are usually theoretical discussions. Tour operators with practical knowledge and market intelligence on what is possible are not usually invited.
There are already mini-buses and cars that ferry tourists between Vietnam and Thailand via Laos, but the vehicles must be escorted when they reach Vietnam at the Bo Y border gate as right-hand drive cars are not allowed free access to Vietnam’s highways. They must be accompanied by an escort vehicle at all times on routes that are approved in advance by authorities.
“If travel conditions were simple, tourism would grow,” the Kon Tum province deputy director explained.
He echoed calls made by leading tour operators who attended Mekong Tourism Forums over the last decade. They have repeatedly called on the Mekong Region countries to streamline regulations for car tourism. Vietnam has the strictest rules that are so restrictive it discourages car tourism.
Some travel firms have suggested that National Highway 14 should be upgraded if Kon Tum province wanted to develop land routes from the Bo Y border gate.
The National Highway 14 is a road connecting Ban Me Thout, Pleiku, Kon Tum and Thua Thien-Hue in central Vietnam.
Previously, many travel agencies arranged tours for their guests to travel from Ho Chi Minh City on National Highway 14 to Bo Y border gate and then to Champasak province in Laos and through to Thailand. But they have since cancelled the trips due to poor road conditions.
Kon Tum Province lies in the Central Highlands region of Vietnam and shares borders with Laos and Cambodia. Neighboring provinces are Quang Nam to the north, Quang Ngai to the east and Gia Lai to the south.

sourced:ttrweekly.com

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