PM welcomes new tourism ambassador

PM Nguyen Xuan Phuc (R) welcomes new tourism ambassador of Viet Nam for the 2018-2021 period at the Government Office in Ha Noi on October 31, 2018. Photo: VGP

Greg Norman, who is a legendary golfer from Australia, was appointed to the post by Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Nguyen Ngoc Thien earlier the same day.

The Government chief expects the ambassador would help boost the development of Viet Nam’s tourism which is considered as one of the spearhead economic sectors.

Norman said  Viet Nam has favorable locations and resources to develop golf tourism and that the ambassador will help make the country a high-profile destination on the global golf map. 

He has worked in Viet Nam for 12 years and his company has designed several golf courses in the country, most notably the Bluff Ho Tram Strip in the southern province of Ba Ria-Vung Tau.

Norman currently serves as the Chairman and CEO of the Greg Norman Company, a global corporation with a portfolio of subsidiary companies in fields like apparel, interior design, real estate, private equity, golf course design, and more.

Before Norman, there were five previous ambassadors appointed, with Vietnamese actress Ly Nha Ky as the first, serving the 2011-2012 tenure. Ky was remembered for her achievements in encouraging people to vote for Ha Long Bay as one of the seven new wonders of the world. 

Ky’s successors were New Zealand chief Bobby Chinn as ambassador to Europe from July 2014 to July 2017, and Anoa Suzanne Dussol Perran, a French national of Vietnamese origin, as ambassador to France for 2015-2018. 

Jordan Vogt-Roberts, Director of the Hollywood movie “Kong: Skull Island”, is also named among these ambassadors serving the 2017-2020 tenure. He has worked to promote Vietnamese tourism by inviting foreign film producers, directors and actors to the country.

Viet Nam lured more than 12.8 million foreign tourists over the last 10 months, up 22.4% from the previous year, according to the Viet Nam National Administration of Tourism (VNAT)./.

By Quang Minh