Vietnam to develop tourism on Spratlys despite China dispute

Vietnam hopes to lure more tourists to the Spratly Islands by 2020 despite rising tension with China over the disputed area, an official said Friday.

The project is part of a wider plan to develop tourism in five marine areas, said Nguyen Van Tuan, director of the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism.Marine tourism development should be closely linked to national defence, Tuan said.

The plan should include a museum on local marine life, including that of the Spratly Islands, and a research institute in the central province of Khanh Hoa, a report in newspaper Viet Nam News quoted Tran Ngoc Them from Ho Chi Minh National University as saying.

Them was speaking at a workshop on tourism development held in Hanoi Thursday.The Spratly Islands are a group of over a hundred small islands believed to be rich in fish and mineral resources strategically located near major shipping lanes.

The entire area is claimed by China, Taiwan, and Vietnam, while parts are also claimed by Malaysia and the Philippines. Brunei has not made a formal claim, but has a fishing zone which overlaps one of the reefs.The area is at the centre of a war of words with China which escalated in recent weeks following Vietnam's accusation that its neighbour harassed survey ships and fishing boats operating in the area.

On Thursday, Vietnamese fishermen accused China of taking equipment and 500 kilograms of fish from boats operating off Quang Ngai province, the provincial coast guard said.The incident allegedly took place on Tuesday, a day after Vietnam conducted live-fire navy exercises in the area. The same day China's Foreign Ministry blamed Vietnam for escalating the row.

Source = monstersandcritics