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  • Mekong Tourism Operators Cut Wet-Season Rates by up to 50 per Cent

    Mekong Tourism Operators Cut Wet-Season Rates by up to 50 per Cent

    Mekong region tourism operators and state agencies are overhauling wet-season packages, discounting travel prices by up to 50 per cent to eliminate the traditional monsoon revenue slump.

    Hotels and cruise lines across Vietnam, Cambodia and Myanmar have sharply reduced tariffs between May and October to capture budget-focused millennial and Gen Z travellers, according to Hanoi Tourism Association Vice Chairman Nguyen Tien Dat.

    In Vietnam, boutique accommodation in Hoi An that commands US$90 a night in February drops to US$35 in October. Cruise operators in Halong Bay have rolled out 40 per cent price cuts during the same window. The pricing strategy aims to smooth out hospitality revenue cycles by filling inventory that traditionally sat empty through months of heavy rainfall.

    Discounting to Fill Rooms

    Price drops of 30 to 50 per cent across transport, lodging and guided tours are altering cash-flow dynamics for independent operators. Lower room yields reduce unit margins, yet maintaining baseline occupancy covers fixed property overheads and keeps service staff employed through the low season.

    In Myanmar, domestic demand has absorbed capacity in secondary destinations. Hotels in Hpa-an, the capital of Kayin State, reached full occupancy during the monsoon as regional travellers booked nature and landscape excursions.

    Restructuring Urban and Cultural Products

    Destination managers are substituting weather-exposed outdoor activities with indoor, urban and heritage experiences. Coastal hubs that rely on swimming and beach recreation during dry months are pivoting to culinary tours, craft villages, museum trails and wellness centers.

    Quang Ninh province in northern Vietnam is marketing evening entertainment and temple sites alongside mountain circuits. Further south, Da Nang is redirecting visitors away from beaches toward integrated resorts and city entertainment venues when coastal conditions deteriorate.

    Hanoi Tourism Association Vice Chairman Nguyen Tien Dat outlined the shift in product design for rainy periods. “A rainy day is an opportunity for museum visits, heritage tours, culinary experiences, wellness, art or craft villages, while a beach itinerary can be replaced with a city tour, nature excursion, and community-based cultural activities,” he said.

    Community Spending and Operational Margins

    Shifting visitor traffic into rural communities spreads consumer spending directly to local suppliers. Guesthouse operators, craft producers, traditional performers, and transport rental vendors secure steady cash flow rather than enduring half-year income droughts.

    For retail and hospitality investors, year-round operating models lower customer acquisition costs by reducing the need for aggressive marketing campaigns ahead of peak periods. The commercial risk rests on weather volatility, as sudden flooding or extended transport disruptions can trigger last-minute cancellations that promotional pricing cannot offset.

    Greener Models and Target Travelers

    Regional authorities are coupling the off-season push with sustainability mandates aimed at younger demographic cohorts. Tourism accounts for 7.3 per cent of global greenhouse gas emissions, according to data from the World Travel and Tourism Council, creating pressure on regional governments to balance volume growth with lower-impact travel models.

    Cambodia launched its Coastal Green Season Tourism Event in Kampot province in early October, setting out state plans to market rainforest and river attractions during peak precipitation months.

    Regional tourism boards across Hanoi, Phnom Penh and Yangon are preparing their next round of joint promotional campaigns ahead of the mid-2027 monsoon booking cycle.

  • Mekong Delta Mango Prices Soar by 33% as Tet Celebrations Approach Amid Low Supply

    Mekong Delta Mango Prices Soar by 33% as Tet Celebrations Approach Amid Low Supply

    The Mekong Delta’s renowned Hoa Loc mangoes are currently being sold at a retail price of VND200,000 (US$7.70) per kilogram, reflecting a surge of 33% compared to the previous year, primarily due to a supply shortage.

    Market Dynamics

    Several retail stores in Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC) have reported difficulties in procuring sufficient quantities of this fruit, which is a traditional component of the Tet (Lunar New Year) fruit tray. As the New Year approaches, larger and more attractive fruits are being sold out rapidly, despite their steep prices.

    Nguyen Thi Loan, a fruit store owner located in the An Hoi Dong Ward of the city, revealed that her daily sales have dropped to approximately 150 kilograms compared to last year’s 200 kilograms during the same period. The availability of other mango varieties has also decreased, subsequently pushing their prices upwards.

    Weather Impact and Export Priorities

    Unfavorable weather conditions have hampered timely fruit-bearing in many large orchards, contributing to the supply-demand imbalance. Nguyen Thi Hong, a mango grower with over a hectare of land in the Mekong Delta province of Dong Thap, claimed that Hoa Loc yields have declined by 20-30% compared to the previous year.

    This reduction in output has inflated both farm-gate and wholesale prices. For instance, at the Thu Duc agricultural wholesale market in HCMC, mango prices have skyrocketed by over 60% since the last Tet, reaching VND130,000 per kilogram.

    A manager at the market also indicated that certain businesses are prioritizing their export orders, thereby intensifying the local supply crunch.

    Questions & Answers

    Why have the retail prices of Hoa Loc mangoes increased significantly?
    The prices have escalated due to a supply shortage, which has resulted from unfavorable weather conditions and lower yields.

    What other factors are contributing to the rise in the prices of these mangoes?
    In addition to the supply-demand imbalance, some businesses are prioritizing their export orders over local supply, leading to a further increase in prices.

    How has this affected the traditional Tet fruit tray?
    The scarcity of Hoa Loc mangoes and their high prices have led to a reduction in sales, impacting the traditional Tet fruit tray which typically includes these mangoes.

  • Tet Holiday Sees Durian Prices Skyrocket Amid Mekong Delta Supply Crisis

    Tet Holiday Sees Durian Prices Skyrocket Amid Mekong Delta Supply Crisis

    As the Lunar New Year, or Tet, approaches, the cost of durians has seen a significant spike due to the dwindling supply in the Mekong Delta region. Traders are currently buying the highest quality, or grade A, Monthong durians for a rate of VND140,000 (US$5.4) per kilogram, marking the highest price point in two years.

    Price Increases Across Durian Varieties

    The Grade A Ri6 durian is also witnessing a price surge, selling at VND80,000, which is an increase of 30 to 50 percent from prices recorded in November, marking the end of the main harvest period.

    Nguyen Thanh, a trader based in the Dong Thap Province of the Mekong Delta region, has reported challenges in obtaining a sizable quantity of durians, despite repeated offers of higher prices.

    Lower Harvests Impacting Supply

    The country’s primary durian supply comes from the off-season crop harvested in the Mekong Delta from November to March. However, farmers have reported lower harvests this year, which is impacting supply.

    A farmer by the name of Cuong, who owns a durian orchard in Can Tho City, decided to forego the harvest this year after experiencing a drastic dip in prices during last year’s Tet preparation. He is instead nurturing his trees for the main harvest season in April.

    Dien, a farmer from Dong Thap Province, expressed that many growers have opted out of the off-season crop this year due to unpredictable weather patterns, which have increased costs while simultaneously reducing yields. Despite a 30% decrease in output compared to last year, Dien managed to sell around 200 kilograms of fruit at VND130,000 per kilogram.

    Floods and Export Demands Affect Durian Supply

    According to the Vietnam Fruit and Vegetable Association, several delta orchards were severely affected by floods a few months ago and are still in recovery. High export demand is also contributing to the strain on supply.

    Last year, durian exports were valued at $3.86 billion, marking a 20% increase from the previous year, as per customs data.

    Questions & Answers

    Why have durian prices increased?
    Durian prices have increased due to a reduced supply caused by lower harvests, the damaging effects of recent floods, and high export demand.

    How are farmers responding to the increase in durian prices?
    Some farmers, despite the high prices, have decided to skip the off-season harvest this year due to reduced yields and increased costs caused by unpredictable weather.

    What factors affected the durian supply?
    The durian supply was negatively affected by disruptive weather patterns, floods that damaged several orchards, and high export demand, which strained the already limited supply.

  • Aeon expands Vietnam footprint with first Mekong Delta shopping centre

    Aeon expands Vietnam footprint with first Mekong Delta shopping centre

    Japanese retail conglomerate, Aeon, is set to boost its footprint in Vietnam by launching its eighth shopping complex, Aeon Tan An, marking its first entry into the Mekong Delta region.

    Operational Launch and Location

    The center is slated to commence operations on September 23, before officially launching on October 4. The mall is strategically positioned in the administrative region of Tay Ninh province, located on the bustling Hung Vuong artery, in close proximity to the National Highway 1A and a mere 1km from the significant Ho Chi Minh City-Trung Luong Expressway.

    Community-Oriented Design

    The project embodies Aeon’s “Daily Community Park” concept, blending contemporary aesthetics with green spaces and a community-focused layout. To augment the natural ambience of the center, around 11,000 plants have been integrated throughout the complex, paired with spacious seating areas and an alfresco terrace.

    Tenant Profile and Facilities

    The new center will accommodate approximately 30 retailers, a significant 80% of which are making their debut in the Mekong Delta. The retail mix will be anchored by the Aeon General Merchandise Store and will feature a diverse range of outlets including fashion and sports stores, cafes, eateries, bookstores, a cinema, and various entertainment facilities.

    The company statement emphasized the vision of Aeon Tan An as more than just a shopping and entertainment hub, but as a place where people can naturally come together and connect on a daily basis. It further highlighted the opportunities for every family member to explore unique experiences, savor enjoyable moments in a contemporary shopping environment, and benefit from high-quality services and varied entertainment amenities.

    Aeon’s current portfolio includes shopping centers in major Vietnamese cities such as Ho Chi Minh City, Hanoi, Hai Phong, and Binh Duong.

    Questions & Answers

    What is Aeon’s new project in Vietnam?
    Aeon’s latest project in Vietnam is the Aeon Tan An shopping mall, which will be their eighth shopping center in the country and their first in the Mekong Delta region.

    What is the concept behind the design of Aeon Tan An?
    The design of Aeon Tan An embodies Aeon’s “Daily Community Park” concept, which combines modern design with green spaces and a layout focused on community engagement.

    What kind of facilities and stores can visitors expect at the new Aeon Tan An shopping mall?
    Visitors to the new Aeon Tan An shopping mall can expect a variety of outlets including fashion and sports stores, cafes, eateries, bookstores, a cinema, and various entertainment facilities.

  • Oversupply fears as Mekong Delta farmers switch en masse to durian

    Oversupply fears as Mekong Delta farmers switch en masse to durian

    Rice farmers in the Mekong Delta have been switching to durian on thousands of hectares of lands despite warnings the soil is unsuitable and there will be oversupply.

    Tran Dang Khoa in Long An Province in the delta is busy preparing to harvest his durian crop he has sold to a trader at VND150,000 ($6.32) per kilogram.

    The 32-year-old man borrowed from banks five years ago to plant the fruit trees on a part of his 3.5-hectare rice farm. He invested VND1 billion to plant over 150 durian trees, which are now nearly ready for harvest.

    “One hectare can produce 15 tons of fruits, and I can earn an income of over VND1 billion,” he said, pointing out that was 10 times the income he would get by growing rice on his whole farm.

    In the neighboring province of Tien Giang, Nguyen Van Dong gets up early every day to fertilize his four-year-old durian trees that will be ready for harvest next year.

    He too used to farm rice, but it fetched him VND20 million a year. When jackfruit prices rose, he switched to it, but prices plunged due to oversupply and he suffered losses.

    He switched to the fruit with durian prices rising relentlessly in recent years.

    “I have 200 trees and invested VND800 million in the farm, part of it borrowed from banks.”

    In the last three years the area under durian in Tien Giang has expanded by 21% to 17,600 ha. Neighboring localities such as Can Tho City and Hau Giang Province have been witnessing a similar trend with thousands of hectares of durian added in recent years.

    The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development planned to have 75,000 ha of durian by 2030, but the figure has already exceeded 80,000 ha and is increasing.

    Nguyen Bao Ve, former head of agriculture studies at Can Tho University, said warned about unsuitable soil and low yields.

    Tan Phuoc District in Tien Giang has for instance acid sulphate in the soil, and it would cost farmers a lot of money to make the soil suitable for growing durian, he said.

    Tien Giang, Long An and Dong Thap provinces frequently suffer flooding and growing durian there without building dikes could lead to losses, he warned.

    Vo Huu Thoai, head of the Southern Horticultural Research Institute, said farmers used to replace rice with jackfruit when the latter’s prices rose and chop them down when prices dropped. The same thing happened with orange and is now happening with durian, he said.

    “Of the 80,000 hectares of durian in Vietnam, only 5% are approved for imports by China, and this poses a great risk to farmers.”

    In the long run the government needs to impo

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  • Mekong Delta fruit prices surge as travel restrictions ease

    Mekong Delta fruit prices surge as travel restrictions ease

    Jackfruit, longan, and lemon cultivated in the Mekong Delta are fetching two to four times the prices that prevailed when Covid-19 related transport restrictions were in force before Oct. 1.

    Lemons bought directly at gardens are priced VND7,000-8,000 ($0.31-0.35) per kilogram these days, while they were selling for just VND2,000 per kilogram earlier.

    Prices of Thai jackfruit have also surged to VND19,000-30,000 per kilogram. These prices are four times more than the previous four months when travel was restricted.

    Similarly, longan prices have doubled to VND12,000-14,000 per kilogram.

    “Farmers hope to a lot of longan and make a profit when Chau Thanh District (Dong Thap Province) harvests the fruit in about a month,” said Nguyen Van Thuan, a farmer from the district.

    In July, fruit from the Mekong Delta, Vietnam’s agriculture hub, was sold poorly at lower prices as wholesales markets across HCMC close due to Covid-19.

    Mekong Delta contributes 90 percent of the country’s rice exports, 65 percent of seafood exports, and 70 percent of fruit exports.

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  • Vietnam Equity Firm buys into Vietnam’s Pharmacity

    Vietnam Equity Firm buys into Vietnam’s Pharmacity

    Vietnam private equity firm Mekong Capital has issued funding to pharmacy chain Pharmacity.

    Pharmacity is now the eighth company to receive funding from Mekong’s latest financing round, following the firm’s investment in mattress producer Vua Nem last year.

    With 186 outlets retailing both traditional Vietnamese and Western medicines, Pharmacity is the country’s most widespread network of pharmaceutical products stores, with 1 million subscribers to its loyalty program. The firm is targeting 1000 outlets in VIetnam within two years.

    “Our partnership with Mekong Capital will empower us to continue improving healthcare for the Vietnamese people,” said Pharmacity founder and CEO Chris Blank, “and help accelerate our growth while better positioning us to execute on our vision and mission to build the most convenient pharmacy chain where customers fully entrust their health and wellness.”

    “The company was the first retailer in this sector to demonstrate that all of Vietnam’s regulations and compliance thresholds can be met and still generate a healthy store level profitability,” added Mekong Capital partner Chad Ovel.

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  • Tourism plans in Mekong Delta called too ambitious

    Tourism plans in Mekong Delta called too ambitious

    Thirteen provinces and cities in Mekong Delta received 7.6 million travelers in 2016, including 900,000 foreign travelers, or 10 percent of total foreign travelers to Vietnam.

    Under the plan for Mekong Delta tourism development, the region would have turnover of VND25 trillion by 2020, or VND15.3 trillion higher than last year’s turnover.

    Some experts commented the plan is too ambitious, because the number of travelers to Mekong Delta has not increased sharply like other regions. With the overlap in tourism products, poor infrastructure and services, and bad marketing, Mekong Delta tourism agencies should not set a high target in the number of travelers.

    An analyst commented that there could be a ‘one for all’ tour, in which travelers visit one locality to experience all the products of the whole region.

    If travelers visit My Tho, they will not need to go to Can Tho, and if they visit Can Tho, they can go straight to Chau Doc or to Cambodia, and there would be no need to stop over in neighboring localities.

    My Tho and Ben Tre’s tourism has become nearly saturated as all tourism resources such as don ca tai tu (amateur music in southern Vietnam), hand rowing and craft villages.

    Travel firms report that travelers to Mekong Delta stay for 1-2 nights or go home within the day. While the central region can exploit its advantages to provide resort tourism or MICE, Mekong Delta has few large groups of 500-1,000 MICE travelers because of the lack of hotels and services.

    Nguyen Thi Hoa Le, CEO of Hoa Binh Tourism JSC, said that provinces and cities need to provide tourism products with ‘specific taste’.

    She has urged local authorities to make heavier investments in infrastructure and services. “All localities want to develop tourism, but how they can attract more tourists if they hesitate to make big investments?” she said.

    Some businesses think Mekong Delta has become less attractive because of rapid modernization. Many rural areas have lost the charm of the southern countryside.

    In Tien Giang and Can Tho provinces, for example, there are floating markets, an original characteristic of the southern region. However, the markets have become smaller as people now have other modern trade channels.

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  • Vietnam looks for shrimp farming to save the Mekong Delta

    Vietnam looks for shrimp farming to save the Mekong Delta

    About 700 000 hectares of rice and other agriculture crops in Vietnam were destroyed by climate-induced natural disasters in 2016, reports the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development.

    Consequently, rice production, which was hit the hardest, fell by some 800,000 tons, which has forced the Ministry to fast track implementation of remedial climate change adaption measures.

    Under one initiative, rice cultivation in several Mekong Delta provinces has been converted to growing fruit trees and grapes that require less water yet provide suitable alternative sources of income for farmers.

    Vietnam is the third largest exporter of rice, behind India and Thailand. Nicknamed the ‘rice bowl’, the Mekong Delta region comprises 12% of the arable land of the country and is responsible for nearly 50% of the rice production.

    This past paddy season, the culprit was salt water intruding upstream from the coast, said Mekong wetlands ecologist Nguyen Huu Thien.

    In turn, he places the blame squarely on dams that have been constructed at locations in Laos and Cambodia that are blocking the free flow of water and sediment, which allows for saltwater to make its way in the opposite direction the waters of the river naturally flow.

    Last year, a severe drought in much of Southeast Asia compounded the problem.

    In May, the Vietnam government observed the Mekong River at its lowest level since 1926, but eventually successfully convinced China to release water from its upstream dams, which helped to alleviate some of the problem.

    The Ministry has also helped other farmers migrate elsewhere in the country where they can earn a living and, as part of their main initiative, assisted many rice farmers to experiment with saltwater shrimp farms in lieu of growing rice.

    The Mekong Delta is gradually losing the capacity to support the populace, say Ministry spokespersons and it will fall apart if a corrective action plan isn’t put in place to address the fundamental problems post haste.

    Shrimp farming appears to be the best alternative but even the farming of shrimp, a salt-tolerant creature, can be challenged by excessively salty conditions.

    However, Ministry spokespersons say some of the challenges facing shrimp farming in the Mekong are being addressed by using a three-pond shrimp and fish farming strategy, in which one pond holds fresh water that is used to dilute water in the other two ponds when they become too salty.

    Research is also underway to find the most suitable commercial shrimp species to raise and to identify synergies in the processes that may benefit shrimp production in the Mekong Delta.

    Many Vietnamese and global organizations, say Ministry spokespersons, are supporting these efforts and others intended to help sustain food production in the Mekong.

    Shrimp farming seems to be a win-win situation for all involved. The farmer in the Mekong can earn more money with it than rice and the consumer in the main importing regions of the EU, US and Japan, can eat healthier shrimp.

    Shrimp farms can also play a role in ensuring the future of the Mekong Delta. Even when the saltwater rises.

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  • Viettel pioneers free roaming in Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam

    Viettel pioneers free roaming in Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam

    Vietnam’s state-owned telecom Viettel will eliminate overseas roaming charges between its operators in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from January 2017.

    “Users of Metfone in Cambodia, Unitel in Laos and Viettel in Vietnam will be charged at the local mobile fee when they make cross-border calls to each other,” said Nguyen Manh Hung, Viettel’s managing director, who regards the three countries as an economic and cultural bloc.

    Discussions about free roaming services started years ago in Australia, Europe, and New Zealand, but without bearing fruit. Free roaming within the Association of Southeast Asian Nations has also been discussed by regional ministers since 2013.

    Viettel has well-established infrastructure in the three countries, and is the first telecom to launch such a service within a regional economic bloc, promising cheaper cross-border rates for calls and data.

    In a statement released on Thursday, Viettel said it expected its individual operators to lose some revenue initially with the reduced charges, but provided no figures. The figure could be 2% according to one Europe model in 2013. Viettel expects users to become more active when they travel if they can continue paying domestic rates.

    Military-run Viettel posted revenue of $9.7 billion in 2015 with 13% year-on-year growth, and profits up 8% to $2 billion.

    As of September 2016, Viettel had 90 million customers, of which 26 million were in nine overseas markets: Burundi, Cambodia, Cameroon, Haiti, Laos, Mozambique, Peru, Tanzania, and Timor Leste. Viettel has targeted 25 countries by 2020.

    Cambodia and Laos were Viettel’s first foreign ventures, and remain its most profitable. By August, Unitel in Laos had $1 billion in accumulated revenue over seven years and aggregate profit of $300 million. Unitel has a brand value of $132 million, making it one of the 30 most valuable in the region and top in Laos, according to a report by UK-based Brand Finance in April. The company currently has more than 2.5 million customers. It accounts for 47% of Laos’s mobile market and 35% of the broadband market.

    Metfone in Cambodia has a brand value of $94 million and is the leading mobile service provider in the country with 5.5 million customers and 37% market share. It recorded $256 million in revenue last year.

    Viettel already operates in East Timor, and is about to launch in Myanmar with a $1.5 billion commitment and two local partnerships. It is also believed to be negotiating its entry into Indonesia.

  • Tallest Mekong Delta building opens

    Tallest Mekong Delta building opens

    The Vinpearl Cần Thơ Hotel, the first five-star hotel in the southern city of Cần Thơ, was inaugurated last weekend, becoming the tallest building in the Mekong Delta region.

    Vinpearl Cần Thơ Hotel, with 30 floors and a three-story lobby, is the ninth hotel in the chain of Vinpearl-branded tourism hotels owned by Vingroup – a Vietnamese property developer.

    The 120-metre-high hotel also offers a high-end restaurant, entertainment, and health and beauty care services.

    The 262-room hotel is located in a hotel–trade centre–shopping complex that is the largest in the Mekong Delta region.

    The chairman of the municipal People’s Committee, Võ Thành Thống, said Cần Thơ, located in the centre of the Mekong Delta, is considered an ideal destination for both domestic and foreign tourists to explore the unique waterways of the southwestern region.

    He noted that Vingroup’s construction of the hotel conforms to the city’s tourism plans, adding that with its high-quality services, the hotel will help attract tourists and fuel the city’s development.

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