According to Dr Bui Thi Minh Nguyet from the Forestry University, the 2014 Law on Forest Protection and Development and the 2017 Forestry Law cite ecotourism as one of the three most important tasks of national parks and natural reserves.

To date, 24 out of 34 national parks have opened for ecotourism development under different business modes – self-organization, joint venture establishment, or forest environment leasing.

A report presented at a workshop on the future of the community forests in Vietnam held in early January in Hanoi showed that in the last three years, SUFs received 1,153,858 visitors, an increase of 8 percent compared to the previous years. The average growth rate in the three years was 116.8 percent of the plan.

Regarding the business results of ecotourism development, the report pointed out that the number of visitors to national parks and natural reserves has been unequal. Some national parks have special tourism resources that attract many visitors.

A report presented at a workshop on the future of the community forests in Vietnam held in early January in Hanoi showed that in the last three years, SUFs received 1,153,858 visitors, an increase of 8 percent compared to the previous years.

In 2016, seven national parks reported revenue from fees and surcharges of over VND3 billion - - Ba Vi National Park (241,000 visitors, VND8.4 billion in revenue), Cat Tien (31,000 visitors, VND9.3 billion), Cuc Phuong (82,500 visitors, VND5.15 billion), Hoang Lien (94,000 visitors, VND6.3 billion), U Minh Thuong and Tram Chim.

Particularly, Phong Nha Ke Bang continued to lead national parks, receiving 655,748 visitors and earning VND68.5 billion in revenue, up by VND26 billion over the year before (VND42.3 billion).

The gaps in the numbers of visitors and revenue attribute to differences in geographical positions, infrastructure conditions, tourism services, management skills, workforce, professionalism, business modes and ecotourism models.

Leasing forests: challenges

According to Nguyen Quoc Dung from the Forest Inventory and Planning Institute under the Forestry General Directorate, there are 13 areas allowed to lease forest. However, the lease has been on a trial basis at the Ba Vi National Park since 2003, while the plans on leasing forests at Cuc Phuong and Budop-Nui Ba are still being drawn up.

Institutions and individuals mostly lease forests to develop tourism and grow medicinal herbs.

Dung said there are many problems in the regulations related to forest environment leasing.

Forest owners cannot collect money (if businesses take losses), and when they can, the money collected from forest environment leasing is much lower than other services.

Ba Vi National Park can collect only VND800 million from leasing 11 ecological areas in the park, while the money collected from vehicle keeping service alone is VND1 billion. 

Thien Nhien

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