Quang Nam: Boasting a coastline of 125 kilometres with stunning beaches such as Cua Dai, An Bang, Ha My and Tam Thanh, together with a wide range of small and large islands, the central province of Quang Nam has worked to capitalise on its resources for tourism development. An Bang beach in Hoi An has made it name on the list of Travelers' Choice Awards Best of the Best Beaches in Asia as voted by readers of Tripadvisor, one of the world's largest travel guidance platforms. As a having-it-all destination with powder-white sand, blue skies and stunning views, and home to a coral reef, making it a perfect spot for swimming and snorkeling, An Bang, together with Cham islet of Tam Hai island commune, has become a top drawcard in Quang Nam province. Chairman of Quang Nam Tourism Association Phan Xuan Thanh said that An Bang and many other beaches of Quang Nam have been must-visit destinations for tourists, particularly foreigners. Last year, Quang Nam hosted more than 7.5 million tourist arrivals, with more th an 2.5 million choosing sea and island packages, he said, adding this demonstrates that sea and island tourism has been a magnet to tourists. David Karl, a visitor from Australia, said he was impressed by Quang Nam's tranquil villages, world heritage sites which have been well preserved, and beautiful beaches like An Bang and Ha My. However, he expects better transportation and more diversified tourism offerings since the locality have advantages to develop underwater sports. In a meeting between travel firms and the Chairman of the provincial People's Committee, Thanh said sea and island tourism is a new project with great potential for further development. However, the province has not injected adequate investment to enterprise capital. He suggested the local authority work to remove roadblocks for the firms, with the focus given to support in tax, preferential loans, land for rent, reduction of power prices, as well as stimulus packages to make sea and island tourism an indispensable product in the chai n of green tourism products. Director of An Bang beach event festival company Le Ngoc Thuan said sea and island tourism holds the lion's share of the number of tourists to Quang Nam every year. In a bid to fully tap the local sea and island potential, the business community needs financial support from the state to develop and popularise new offerings and train its labour force. According to Chairman of the provincial People's Committee Le Tri Thanh said the province has seen protection of the ecological environment as a motive to develop green tourism and economy towards sustainable development. Admitting that local sea and island tourism products lack connectivity and harmonious investment, Thanh said that the province is working to gradually remove the bottlenecks. It has splashed out trillions of VND on coastal embankment construction, and is working closely with ministries, sectors and the French Development Agency (AFD) to implement a project on Hoi An beach erosion prevention and sustainable prote ction worth 982 billion VND (39.77 million USD). Upon completion in 2026, additional 3.5 kilometres along Hoi An beach will be safeguarded, he said, adding the project helps protect tourism resources while attracting investments that serve as a foundation for strong and sustainable sea and island tourism development./. Source: Vietnam News Agency Former Defense Minister Lee Jong-sup departed for Australia on Sunday to take office as Seoul's top envoy to Canberra, two days after the justice ministry lifted his travel ban over his alleged involvement in a military probe into a young Marine's death. In January, the state anti-corruption agency banned Lee from leaving the country over allegations that he exerted influence to hold off the findings of the military probe into the death of the Marine during a search operation for victims of downpours last July. The exit ban was made public after Lee's appointment to the post last Monday. Lee filed an appeal against the ban the next day, with the justice ministry's travel ban deliberation committee deciding to lift it last Friday. The committee took into consideration that the exit ban has been extended several times without much inquiry, and Lee recently underwent questioning and promised cooperation with investigators, according to the ministry. Lee underwent questioning by the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials over the allegations Thursday. On Sunday, Lee was confirmed to have departed at 7:51 p.m. on board a Korean Air flight headed toward Brisbane at Incheon International Airport, west of Seoul. The Democratic Party (DP) accused Lee's departure as being an "obstruction of investigation." Party members held a protest at Incheon International Airport and criticized the former minister's exit as a "concealment of crime." "This is clearly obstruction of justice, using national institutions to help the main suspect escape overseas," DP floor leader Rep. Hong Ik-pyo said at the airport. The ruling People Power Party defended the appointment, arguing that Lee serving in the post would help "deepen and expand cooperation between South Korea and Australia in various fields." Source: Yonhap News Agency