Eco-tourism development in a sustainable manner will be promoted in Dong Thap province’s Tram Chim National Park– the “green lung” of the Mekong Delta.

Birds at Tram Chim National Park

According to Vo Tien Thanh, Director of the provincial Tourism Development Centre, surveys will be carried out, with the data used to take measures to balance tourism development and ecosystem preservation. 

It is also necessary to get locals involved in conserving natural resources and properly exploiting tourism, he said. 

Director of the Tram Chim Tourism Area Le Hoang Long underlined the need to develop local specialities and homestay services to improve incomes for local communities, contributing to reducing illegal exploitation of natural resources and hunting of wild animals.

In 2017, a project funded by the World Wide Fund for Nature in Vietnam was implemented, aiming to encourage eco-tourism and sustainable use of natural resources in the park, and improve livelihoods for locals through community-based tourism.

The park, flooded for half the year and dry for the other six months, spans more than 7,300 hectares in Tam Nong district. It is home to 250 species of water birds, 100 species of freshwater fish and 190 species of plants.

It is the fourth Ramsar site of Vietnam and the 2000th Ramsar site of Wetlands of International Importance in the world. 

The park has become a destination for both domestic and foreign tourists. In 2017, it welcomed more than 134,000 holiday-makers, a year-on-year surge of 28.87 percent.-VNA