The main island of the Spratly Archipelago

Assistant Prof. Dr. Pham Trung Luong, Deputy Chief of ITDR under the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism, said, this is part of the national tourism sea and island tourism project, which will last into 2020.

The plan includes the development of different tourism attractions including sports and sea-ecology facilities, camping, sailing and historic tours on the Spratly Archipelago, he added.

Historic tours will give visitors a chance to see documents which establish Vietnam’s sovereignty over the area, as well as recently-issued ones on building rights.

According to the official, the tourism sector will cooperate with the historical research agencies and local authorities to collect more legal evidence to show that Vietnamese people have used and managed the islands for a long time.

“We also want to let international visitors know that this sea is inseparable from Vietnam”, Luong noted.

“We have recommended the construction of an Air Taxi port and a quay to facilitate tourism services on Truong Sa, ” Luong said, adding that the islands are expected to welcome its first visitors in 2015.

The Spratly Islands have favourable conditions for a tourist destination, with more than 100 islands and coral reefs, surrounded by a marine area of 410,000 km2. The archipelago is the habitat for an abundant and diverse ecosystem of marine life, including sea cucumbers, tuna and highly-valued snails.