Current Status of Soc Son Protective Forest Resources for Tourism Purposes

culture, historical sites, temples, hotels, restaurants, entertainment areas. Hanoi also has rich suburban rural areas with a system of rivers, lakes, lagoons, national parks, protective forests, scenic forests and historical sites, etc. Hanoi is an attractive destination for tourists who want to learn and research culture, history, people, and the laws of wild tropical nature, etc. The world's prestigious travel website TripAdvisor has continuously voted Hanoi as one of the top 10 destinations in the world in 2014 - 2015.

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According to Mr. Tran Duc Hai, Deputy Director of Hanoi Department of Tourism, the total number of tourists to Hanoi has increased continuously, reaching more than 21.8 million in 2016; an increase of 11% compared to 2015, of which international tourists reached more than 4 million, an increase of 23% compared to 2015. The tourism industry has contributed significantly to the socio-economic development of the capital.

In recent years, the investment in tourism development of Hanoi city has had positive changes. Some other projects such as the construction of Long Bien golf course and services, Van Son lake golf course and services (Chuong My) have been put into use, creating momentum for tourism development. Eco-tourism areas of Soc Son golf course, Green Valley tourist area, Gia Nong hill eco-village, resorts on the outskirts of Hanoi... This is a type of tourism that has developed quite strongly after Hanoi expanded. The advantages of tourism development of the Ba Vi mountain system and many artificial lakes with large water surface areas such as Suoi Hai lake, Dong Mo lake, Quan Son lake... In recent years, many eco-tourism and weekend resort areas and spots have been formed and developed such as: Thac Da tourist area; Dam Long - Bang Ta; Tan Da mineral spring; Asean; Ao Vua; Khoang Xanh - Suoi Tien; Thien Son - Suoi Nga... contributes to meeting the needs of weekend relaxation, entertainment, and sports activities for tourists.

According to the approved tourism planning scheme, by 2020, Hanoi tourism will become a key economic sector, with a system of infrastructure

Synchronous and modern technical quality; high-quality, diverse, branded and competitive tourism products; imbued with national cultural identity, environmentally friendly; building Hanoi into an attractive, classy destination and worthy of being the tourism center of the region and the whole country.

According to the draft Resolution, after nearly 10 years of implementing the Hanoi Tourism Development Project for the period 2007-2015 of the Hanoi Party Committee, the number of tourists to Hanoi has always maintained a fairly high growth rate , accounting for about 1/3 of the total number of tourists nationwide, with an average increase of more than 10% per year. In 2015, Hanoi welcomed 3.26 million international visitors and 16.43 million domestic visitors. Total revenue from tourists increased steadily, averaging over 15% per year, reaching nearly 55,000 billion VND in 2015.

The resolution aims to create a breakthrough in the comprehensive development of tourism in the capital in terms of both scale and service quality, ensuring sustainability. By 2020, Hanoi tourism will truly become a spearhead economic sector with high growth rate, professionalism, a synchronous and modern technical infrastructure system; high-quality, diverse, branded and competitive tourism products; imbued with national cultural identity and environmentally friendly; making Hanoi a safe, friendly and attractive destination, worthy of being a tourist center of the country and the region.

Research on the impact of tourism on forests and environment in Hanoi

As well as nationwide, in Hanoi there have been a series of studies on ecotourism development for decades. For example, Nguyen Thi Hai (2002) studied the weekend travel needs of Hanoi people, Nguyen Thi Bich Dao (2007) studied the potential and solutions for ecotourism development in Soc Son district. Le Hai (2007), Hoang Van Ngoc (2011) and Bui Thi Minh Nguyet (2012) studied the current situation and solutions for ecotourism development in Ba Vi National Park, Pham

Huu Tuyen (2013) studied the level of pollution and solutions to minimize the impact of tourism on the environment in Huong Son, Nguyen Thi Thuy Diep (2015) studied the potential of humanistic ecotourism resources in rural areas and solutions to link tourism development with rural development, Le Dinh Thanh (2016) studied solutions to make resort tourism a key type of tourism in Ba Vi district, etc.

In their research, the authors focused on the following main issues:

- Assessing the current status of humanistic ecotourism in Hanoi, in which the authors have assessed the capital's enormous humanistic ecotourism resources, and also assessed the limited, biased, and ineffective development of ecotourism, especially the economic efficiency for local communities, the efficiency for conservation and development. The studies also assessed the large gap between the potential and actual contribution of ecotourism to socio-economic development, the current status of the environmental impact of ecotourism in key areas such as Huong Son, Ba Vi, Soc Son, etc.

- Assess the potential of humanistic ecotourism, clearly indicating the diversity of natural populations, ecosystems, natural landscapes, cultural identities, traditional festivals, historical relics, cultural works, production areas, residential areas, scenic spots, etc. of Hanoi. This is an invaluable resource of humanistic ecotourism in the capital. If we know how to preserve, develop and exploit them properly, they will become an important factor for economic development, environmental protection, preservation of traditional cultural and historical features, environmental education, contributing to the formation of a personality that loves nature, loves people, loves the homeland of each citizen of the capital.

- Develop solutions for the development of humanistic ecotourism, in which the authors all aim to integrate ecotourism in Hanoi with cultural, historical and spiritual tourism. The main solutions for the development of ecotourism include planning tourism development, promoting biological resources and human resources - historical relics, developing infrastructure, technical facilities for tourism, diversifying tourism products, improving the quality of the ecotourism workforce, managing the environment well in tourist areas, etc.

- Assess the limitations of ecotourism development, including the negative impacts of tourism on the environment and solutions to minimize environmental impacts. Some authors focus on analyzing the impact of tourism on water, air, and solid waste quality, identifying the state of pollution and overload of tourism development on the environment. The main solutions to protect the environment are proposed such as cleaning up the remaining garbage, monitoring the behavior of tourists, determining the capacity of tourist sites, building a qualified management team, motivating the environmental protection team, perfecting the signboard system, prescribing penalties, promoting environmental protection awareness for tourists, monitoring pollution levels for adjustment, planning tourism development taking into account appropriate tourist flows, arranging appropriate waste disposal areas, regulating toilet areas, regulating the responsibilities of business households, upgrading or completely stopping tourism services in polluted areas, developing new routes to reduce environmental pollution in overloaded areas, etc.

Research on developing tourism guidelines in forest ecosystems.

In general, studies on the impact of tourism on forest ecosystems as well as the natural environment in Hanoi in general are relatively abundant. A series of economic, social and technological solutions have been proposed to promote sustainable tourism development in forest ecosystems. However,

Up to now, there have been no documents issued regulating the responsibilities, rights and obligations of the parties participating in tourism activities in forest ecosystems. Due to the lack of these guiding principles, tourism activities in the capital's forests are still basically unorganized and undisciplined. This is one of the reasons why tourism activities in forests are not properly managed, affecting tourism efficiency and negatively impacting forest resources. The current situation is the lack of guiding principles for tourism managers, tourism businesses, forest owners, as well as tourists.

General conclusion:

Ecotourism in forests is internationally accepted with sustainable development ideas, built and developed on the basis of attractive natural areas and respecting basic ethical principles on the basis of balancing socio-economic and environmental goals.

Ecotourism in forests needs to be managed in a unified manner with adequate guiding principles to ensure the stability of the natural environment, ensure maximum benefits for the tourism industry and local communities, and minimize negative impacts of tourism on local communities and the environment with the ultimate goal of becoming a powerful support tool for conservation work.

Vietnam is a country with great potential for tourism in general and ecotourism in particular. However, with the strong increase in the number of tourists every year, coupled with limited infrastructure and management, ecotourism activities in Vietnam’s national parks and reserves are facing challenges that need to be overcome.

Chapter 2

OBJECTIVES, OBJECTS, SCOPE, CONTENT AND METHODS OF RESEARCH

2.1. Research objectives

2.1.1. General objectives of the topic

Contribute to promoting sustainable tourism development in protective forests of Soc Son district, Hanoi city.

2.1.2. Specific objectives

- Assess the current status of applying guiding principles to manage tourism in Soc Son protective forests, Hanoi city.

- Propose to amend and supplement the guiding principles for tourism activities in Soc Son.

2.2. Significance of the topic

- The topic contributes to improving the effectiveness of tourism and sustainable forest management in Soc Son protective forest.

- Research scope: protective forest, Soc Son district, Hanoi city.

- Research period: From January 2018 to October 2018.

2.3. Research content

2.3.1. Current status of Soc Son protective forest resources for tourism purposes

- Current status of forest resources for tourism purposes in Soc Son.

- Tourism activities in Soc Son protective forest.

2.3.2. Assessment of the current status of applying guiding principles in tourism management in Soc Son protective forest

- Current status of applying guiding principles for tourism activities.

- Factors affecting the effectiveness of applying guiding principles for tourism activities in Soc Son.

2.3.3. Research and propose to supplement guiding principles for tourism activities in Soc Son

- Principles guiding tourism activities applied to tourism management.

- Principles guiding tourism activities applicable to tourists.

- Principles guiding tourism activities applicable to local communities.

2.4. Research methods

2.4.1. Methodology

Tourism guidelines are understood as the rules and regulations for participating in tourism activities. It includes regulations for tourism managers, tourism businesses and tourists.

“Tourism in forest ecosystems is a form of ecotourism. It is distinguished from other forms of nature tourism by the high level of environmental and ecological education provided by skilled guides. Ecotourism in forest ecosystems involves interactions between people and wild nature, combined with an educational awareness that turns tourists into environmental champions. Ecotourism development minimizes the impact of tourists on culture and the environment, ensures that local communities benefit financially from tourism, and emphasizes financial contributions to nature conservation.”

The guiding principles of tourism in forest ecosystems need to ensure the main orientation of ecotourism as follows:

- Ecotourism must be consistent with positive environmental principles, promoting and encouraging ethical responsibility towards the natural environment.

- Ecotourism must not damage resources and the environment.

Environmental principles should not only apply to external resources (natural and cultural) but should also focus on internal values and promote the recognition of these values.

Environmental and ecological principles need to come first, so that each ecotourist will have to accept nature for what it is and accept its limitations rather than altering the environment for personal convenience.

Ecotourism must ensure long-term benefits for resources, for the locality and for the industry, whether conservation, economic, cultural, social or scientific. Ecotourism must help visitors increase harmony and understanding of nature rather than seeking strange, strong sensations or the purpose of improving physical fitness.

The principles of ethics, conduct and practices in ecotourism organizations are very important. It requires the industry's supervisory body to set accepted principles and standards and monitor all activities.

Among the main orientations of tourism in forest ecosystems, the top priority is forest conservation as the most important resource of ecotourism.

Therefore, when assessing the current status of tourism guidelines, it is necessary to analyze the adequacy of the guidelines, ensuring the promotion of forest conservation and contribution to improving the lives of local people.

2.4.2. Methods of information collection and processing

- Information collection method

+ Method of inheriting documents

The topic inherits legal documents related to tourism development and planning.