Dizzying development has robbed Phu Quoc of the pristine, tranquil charms that once represented the essence of Vietnam to many early travellers. The island's fate seems similar to that of other destinations in this country undergoing the throes of ticommercialisaon. Story after story in the Vietnamese press recounts how unspoiled natural spaces become strewn with rubbish and marred by ham-fisted infrastructure projects. There is a plan to set up a $100m tourism fund to promote the country. Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung recently expanded visa waivers for European countries and continues to press ahead with further exemptions. But even proponents of visa waivers say that such a policy is not a silver bullet. The deputy prime minister, Vu Duc Dam, on the sidelines of a recent parliamentary session, blamed unsafe roads, issues of food quality and the environment, thieves, beggars and scams for hampering tourism.