Special-use Forest System - An Important Dlst Resource: A- Overview of Special-use Forests in the Dhcntb Region:

Visiting fruit gardens such as Grapes, Dragon Fruit, Mango, etc. has begun to appear and develop, although not yet complete in its true sense, but increasingly attracting the attention of international tourists.

2.2.1.2 Special-use forest system - an important type of eco-tourism resource: a- Overview of special-use forests in the Central Highlands :

There are two main types:

- National Parks include: Nui Chua National Park, which is characterized by a dry coastal rocky mountain forest ecosystem (Ninh Hai district, Thuan Bac - Ninh Thuan), and Phuoc Binh National Park, which has a closed evergreen forest ecosystem on high mountains (Bac Ai district - Ninh Thuan).

- Nature reserves include: Ong Mountain Nature Reserve (Tanh Linh-Binh Thuan), Ta Kou Mountain Nature Reserve (Ham Thuan Nam-Binh Thuan).

In general, the above-mentioned national parks and inland nature reserves are important ecotourism resource complexes contributing to the development of ecotourism activities in the region.

b- National parks in the Central Highlands region: i/ Nui Chua National Park (Ninh Hai district - Ninh Thuan):

Nui Chua National Park is the northernmost coastal area of ​​the Central Highlands bordering Khanh Hoa province. Nui Chua National Park is located about 25 km from Phan Rang-Thap Cham city and 70 km north of Nha Trang city. The total area of ​​the National Park is 29,865 ha, of which the marine conservation area is 7,352 ha.

Nui Chua National Park has a unique dry forest ecosystem rarely seen in our country with many biological groups that are very rich and diverse in both quantity and species. Specifically, 35 species of plants and 47 rare species of animals have been found listed in the Vietnam Red Book.

According to Professor Thai Van Trung, in Vietnam there are 8 types of forests, but in Nui Chua National Park there are 2 main ecosystems: tropical dry forest ecosystem and evergreen moist forest ecosystem, which will be a valuable and attractive scientific research site for domestic and foreign scientists.

The forest flora here is very rich, with about 1,265 species belonging to 147 families, 85 orders, 596 genera belonging to 7 different plant phyla. There are also some other rare species such as Asiatic black bear, Asiatic sun bear, Clouded leopard, Tiger, Antelope, Large-antlered muntjac, Scarlet pheasant,

Dragon, King Cobra, Box Turtle, Golden Turtle, Sa nhân Turtle... It can be said that the structure of the natural forest ecosystems on the coastal rocky mountains in Nui Chua National Park has created valuable ecotourism resources, currently being exploited in the form of ecotourism tours such as walking to explore the forest, visiting the mountain lake, Bac stream, observing wild animals... Not only for international visitors but also domestic tourists are participating more and more [ 5,33]

Regarding marine biological resources: scientists have identified about 350 species of coral in Nui Chua National Park, including 307 species of hard corals forming reefs belonging to 59 genera and 15 families. Of which, 46 species have been newly classified for Vietnam. Regarding fish living in coral reefs, there are 147 species belonging to 81 genera and 32 families. Regarding mollusks, there are 45 species. Especially regarding sea turtles, Nui Chua National Park is the only place on the mainland and the second region in Vietnam (after Con Dao National Park) where sea turtles come to feed and lay eggs. Since the 2000s, the ecotourism tour to discover turtles coming ashore to lay eggs has been exploited by the National Park Management Board, creating a unique and attractive ecotourism product for tourists.

- Regarding the natural landscape in the National Park: There is the famous beautiful Vinh Hy Bay along with 5 beautiful pristine beaches: Thung beach, Binh Tien beach, Hoi beach, Lon beach, and Da Vach beach located right in the marine conservation area of ​​Nui Chua National Park. These are extremely suitable locations for types of ecotourism such as: swimming, admiring the wild beauty of mountains and sea, adventure tourism such as mountain climbing, scuba diving and other types of sea sports.

Tourism exploitation activities in Nui Chua National Park have only been expanded in recent years for ecotourism exploitation, but thanks to the advantages of natural resources, unique ecosystems, beautiful and pristine landscapes and coastlines that other coastal areas do not have, it has brought many opportunities to soon exploit into a new and promising ecotourism destination of Ninh Thuan to attract international and domestic tourists.

i / Phuoc Binh National Park (Bac Ai district - Ninh Thuan):

Phuoc Binh National Park, located in Phuoc Binh Commune, Bac Ai District, Ninh Thuan Province, is located on the eastern slope of the Da Lat Plateau. Phuoc Binh National Park has a total area of ​​19,814 hectares, the forest ecosystem here is evergreen closed forest growing in high mountains. Regarding the flora, according to the results of surveys by the Forest Planning and Investigation Institute - Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, 1,225 species of terrestrial vascular plants have been identified, belonging to 584 genera,

156 families of 7 different plant phyla. Regarding the terrestrial vertebrate fauna in Phuoc Binh National Park, 69 species of mammals belonging to 27 families, 10 orders have been discovered; there are 206 species of birds belonging to 50 families, 14 orders; there are 34 species of reptiles belonging to 12 families, 3 orders and 18 species of amphibians belonging to 5 families, 1 order. In particular, according to the assessment of animal experts, Phuoc Binh National Park has the largest population of Gaur and Deer in the current special-use forests. Regarding endemic species, there are 4 endemic species of Indochina and are of world interest: Red-cheeked Gibbon, Black-shanked Douc, Northern Civet, Large-antlered Muntjac. In addition, the forest here has rare and precious timber species such as Pơmu, Gõ, Hương, Trắc, many beautiful orchid species with fragrant scent.

Regarding landscape ecology : thanks to the transitional terrain of high mountains and coastal plains, there are many unique landscapes here, combined with Bi Doup-Nui Ba National Park and Da Nhim Hydropower Plant, creating a vibrant landscape complex with high biological value and conservation of natural resources. In the area, there are branches of rivers and streams flowing through such as Gia Nhong stream, Tao Quang stream, which is the confluence of Cai river, creating charming landscapes suitable for organizing outdoor tourism activities for tourists visiting the National Park.

Although Phuoc Binh National Park is not as well known as Nui Chua National Park, thanks to its proximity to Ngoan Muc Pass and Da Nhim Hydroelectric Dam, along with its unique forest ecosystems, beautiful natural landscapes, historical relics and valuable human tourism resources, travel companies are gradually promoting and developing ecotourism tours for both domestic and international visitors.

c- Inland nature reserves (NRs): i/ Nui Ong NR (Tanh Linh district - Binh Thuan):

Nui Ong Nature Reserve has a total area of ​​35,377 hectares, the typical forest ecosystem is tropical humid closed forest. The flora and fauna in Nui Ong Nature Reserve is very rich, according to statistics of the Forest Planning and Investigation Institute II, the nature reserve has

1,070 species belonging to 49 orders, 149 families and 560 genera. Regarding forest animal resources in Ong Mountain Nature Reserve, there are 28 orders, 77 families with 176 species of terrestrial animals and 22 species of aquatic animals. Especially animals: there are peacocks, purple pheasants, striped pheasants, red pheasants,

Hoang, Gầm python, Hùng-cheeked gibbon, Chinchilla, Golden turtle, Flying squirrel, elephant, gaur, wild buffalo, Golden deer, Gibbon, etc. At the same time, this place also has high value in terms of scientific research on typical ecosystems. With the animal and plant resources coexisting in the above-mentioned forest ecosystem, it can be said that this is a very special ecotourism resource distributed to the South of the DHCNTB region, creating a very even and reasonable ecotourism resource distribution map, helping the region to organize management and distribute the ecotourism network in a diverse and optimal way [5,31].

- Regarding natural landscape resources : there is Lac Lake with a water surface area in the dry season of 324ha, 7km long, over 4km wide, locals call it "Lac Sea" because the lake is so large, in the rainy season water from La Nga River flows into the lake, rising to occupy an area of

2,000 hectares is like a sea lost in the mountains and forests. Surrounding the lake are vast primeval forests with many rare flora and fauna. Besides Lac Sea, we must mention Thac Ba scenic spot, located on the Cac River, the waterfall is about 200m high, following the broken terrain creating many layers of waterfalls, a very beautiful landscape. In addition to the two main landscapes in the area, there is also a hot spring discovered during the French period, located on the western slope of Ong Mountain (in Dong Kho commune - Tanh Linh). The hot spring can be used for medical resort tourism, enriching the tourism resources of the area.

Currently, the low-lying area bordering Bien Lac, a low mountainous area bordering Lam Dong and located near the traffic route, is being exploited by the locality and outdoor tourism companies with various types of products such as exploring the tropical rainforest ecosystem, walking in the forest, watching bird gardens around Bien Lac, visiting famous lakes and waterfalls, ecotourism tours organized by travel agencies in Ho Chi Minh City are gradually expanding (such as camping, exploring, and adventure tours connecting to Lam Dong, Team Building tours, etc.). With the extremely rich and unique tourism resources of Nui Ong Nature Reserve, the exploitation of resources to develop ecotourism in the next few years in the southern part of the DHCNTB area has many development prospects.

ii/ Ta Kou Nature Reserve (Ham Thuan Nam district - Binh Thuan):

Located close to National Highway 1A, about 25km northeast of Phan Thiet city, with a total natural area of ​​17,823ha. There are typical forest ecosystems, of which the most important and unique is the coastal Dipterocarpus forest ecosystem. This type of forest still preserves quite concentrated ancient Dipterocarpus and Sen forests, which are currently natural exploration and exploitation sites for tourists.

The flora in Ta Kou Nature Reserve was initially recorded to have 751 species belonging to 465 genera of 129 families and 4 plant branches. Regarding forest fauna: although the area of ​​Ta Kou Nature Reserve is not large, the forest here has a relatively diverse and rich composition of flora and fauna. Compared to neighboring Nature Reserves such as Binh Chau-Phuoc Buu Nature Reserve and Ong Mountain Nature Reserve, the fauna here is equivalent. There are currently 178 species of fauna with 77 families belonging to 28 orders [5,42].

Regarding natural landscape resources and historical and cultural relics: the famous ones are Chua Nui (also known as Linh Son Truong Tho Pagoda) and Ho Dau Pagoda (below 100m altitude). The 16-hectare Chua Nui area has a reclining Buddha statue of "Shakyamuni entering nirvana", 49m long, 6m high and weighing hundreds of tons, considered the largest reclining Buddha statue in Southeast Asia... This is currently one of the famous pilgrimage sites, every year on the full moon of the first lunar month, the pilgrimage lasts for the whole month. Next is the Khe Ga Lighthouse complex, located on Khe Ga Island, in the sea of ​​Tan Thanh Commune (Ham Thuan Nam), the rocky island has an area of ​​5ha, the lighthouse is a massive architectural work made of sophisticated green granite, the lighthouse tower is 35m high, the height from the ground to the top of the lamp is 41.5m. Khe Ga Lighthouse is now both a unique architectural relic and a famous scenic spot of Binh Thuan, attracting a large number of tourists, especially coastal eco-tourism tours.

Another valuable resource is the Bung Thi hot mineral spring located next to the wild Melaleuca leucadendron forest, the good quality mineral water can be exploited for medical tourism. In addition, the KBTN also has a rich system of lagoons and lakes, the largest of which are:

- Bung Ba Tung (151ha): is a flooded area from year-round flowing sand dunes, only about 4km from National Highway 1A, on both sides of the low-lying land are rice fields.

The upper 2-3 rice crops are tropical forests with sparse Dipterocarpaceae and Sen forests, and at the end of the stream is a low-lying area that creates a swamp forest. In particular, there is a very diverse system of swamp birds. In the early morning or late afternoon, birds fly back to roost in flocks, making visitors feel like they are coming to one of the miniature bird sanctuaries of the Southwest.

The location of Ta Kou Nature Reserve is very convenient for tourism exploitation, located close to National Highway 1A, behind it is adjacent to the national highway along the coast. Currently, in the coastal area from Thuan Quy to Tan Thanh, over 14 large resorts have been formed, many other projects are being approved for investment by local authorities, promising that in the future with the orientation of eco-tourism development, Ta Kou Nature Reserve will be a great attractive destination for domestic and foreign tourists.

2.2.1.3 Marine and island protected area system (MPA) is a unique form of ecotourism resource in the Central Highlands :

i/ Cu Lao Cau National Park (Tuy Phong district - Binh Thuan):

Cu Lao Cau is a small island, located close to the shore, the above-ground part of the island has an area of ​​about 1.5 km 2. The BTB area takes Cu Lao Cau as the center and the water area includes from the island to Vinh Hao-Ca Na and the surrounding sea. Regarding biodiversity characteristics:

- Coral community: according to the investigation of Nha Trang Institute of Oceanography, Cu Lao Cau area has identified 134 species belonging to 48 hard coral genera (Sleratinia), 28 soft coral species (Alcyonacea) and 2 horn coral species (gorgonacea), 2 hydrozoa coral species (Hydrozoa).

- Coral reef fish : 211 species belonging to 87 genera and 35 families have been identified. The genus of fish living in the reefs of Cu Lao Cau area has added 54 new species to the list of marine fish in Vietnam. Comparison of fish species living in coral reefs in Vietnam's seas is as follows:

Table 2.4: Comparison of species scale of Cau Islet Marine Reserve

with 4 famous sea areas in Vietnam

Inlet

Surname	Alike	Species
Cham Island Nha Trang	31 41	77 200	187 256

Maybe you are interested!

• Identify Rating Levels and Rating Scales zt2i3t4l5ee zt2a3gstourism,quan lan,quang ninh,ecology,ecotourism,minh chau,van don,geography,geographical basis,tourism development,science zt2a3ge zc2o3n4t5e6n7ts of the islanders. Therefore, this indicator will be divided into two sub-indicators: a1. Natural tourism attractiveness a2. Cultural tourism attractiveness b. Tourist capacity The two island communes in Quan Lan have different capacities to receive tourists. Minh Chau Commune is home to many standard hotels and resorts, attracting high-income domestic and international tourists. Meanwhile, Quan Lan Commune has many motels mainly built and operated by local people, so the scale and quality are not high, and will be suitable for ordinary tourists such as students. c. Time of exploitation of Quan Lan Island Commune: Quan Lan tourism is seasonal due to weather and climate conditions and festivals only take place on certain days of the year, specifically in spring. In Quan Lan commune, the period from April to June and from September to November is considered the best time to visit Quan Lan because the cultural tourism activities are mainly associated with festivals taking place during this time. Minh Chau island commune: Tourism exploitation time is all year round, because this is a place with a number of tourist attractions with diverse ecosystems such as Bai Tu Long National Park Research Center, Tram forest, Turtle Laying Beach, so besides coming to the beach for tourism and vacation in the summer, Minh Chau will attract research groups to come for tourism combined with research at other times of the year. d. Sustainability The sustainability of ecotourism sites in Quan Lan and Minh Chau communes depends on the sensitivity of the ecosystems to climate changes. landscape. In general, these tourist destinations have a fairly high level of sustainability, because they are natural ecosystems, planned and protected. However, if a large number of tourists gather at certain times, it can exceed the carrying capacity and affect the sustainability of the environment (polluted beaches, damaged trees, animals moving away from their habitats, etc.), then the sustainability of the above ecosystems (natural ecosystems, human ecosystems) will also be affected and become less sustainable. e. Location and accessibility Both island communes have ports to take tourists to visit from Van Don wharf: - Quan Lan – Van Don traffic route: Phuc Thinh – Viet Anh high-speed boat and Quang Minh high-speed boat, depart at 8am and 2pm from Van Don to Quan Lan, and at 7am and 1pm from Quan Lan to Van Don. There are also wooden boats departing at 7am and 1pm. - Van Don - Minh Chau traffic route: Chung Huong high-speed train, Minh Chau train, morning 7:30 and afternoon 13:30 from Van Don to Minh Chau, morning 6:30 and afternoon 13:00 from Minh Chau to Van Don. f. Infrastructure Despite receiving investment attention, the issue of infrastructure and technical facilities for tourism on Quan Lan Island is still an issue that needs to be resolved because it has a direct impact on the implementation of ecotourism activities. The minimum conditions for serving tourists such as accommodation, electricity, water, communication, especially medical services, and security work need to be given top priority. Ecotourism spots in Minh Chau commune are assessed to have better infrastructure and technical facilities for tourism because there are quite complete and synchronous conditions for serving tourists, meeting many needs of domestic and foreign tourists. 3.2.1.4. Determine assessment levels and assessment scales Corresponding to the levels of each criterion, the index is the score of those levels in the order of 4, 3, 2, 1 decreasing according to the standard of each level: very attractive (4), attractive (3), average (2), less attractive (1). 3.2.1.5. Determining the coefficients of the criteria For the assessment of DLST in the two communes of Quan Lan and Minh Chau islands, the students added evaluation coefficients to show the importance of the criteria and indicators as follows: Coefficient 3 with criteria: Attractiveness, Exploitation time. These are the 2 most important criteria for attracting tourists to tourism in general and eco-tourism in particular, so they have the highest coefficient. Coefficient 2 with criteria: Capacity, Infrastructure, Location and accessibility . Because the assessment area is an island commune of Van Don district, the above criteria are selected by the author with appropriate coefficients at the average level. Coefficient 1 with criteria: Sustainability. Quan Lan has natural and human-made ecotourism sites, with high biodiversity and little impact from local human factors. Most of the ecotourism sites are still wild, so they are highly sustainable. 3.2.1.6. Results of DLST assessment on Quan Lan island a. Assessment of the potential for natural tourism development  For Minh Chau commune: + Natural tourism attractiveness is determined to be very attractive (4 points) and the most important coefficient (coefficient 3), so the score of the Attractiveness criterion is 4 x 3 = 12. + Capacity is determined as average (2 points) and the coefficient is quite important (coefficient 2), then the score of Capacity criterion is 2 x 2 = 4. + Exploitation time is long (4 points), the most important coefficient (coefficient 3) so the score of the Exploitation time criterion is 4 x 3 = 12. + Sustainability is determined as sustainable (4 points), the important coefficient is the average coefficient (coefficient 1), so the score of the Sustainability criterion is 4 x 1 = 4 points + Location and accessibility are determined to be quite favorable (2 points), the coefficient is quite important (coefficient 2), the criterion score is 2 x 2 = 4 points. + Infrastructure is assessed as good (3 points), the coefficient is quite important (coefficient 2), then the score of the Infrastructure criterion is 3 x 2 = 6 points. The total score for evaluating DLST in Minh Chau commune according to 6 evaluation criteria is determined as: 12 + 4 + 12 + 4 + 4 + 6 = 42 points Similar assessment for Quan Lan commune, we have the following table: Table 3.3: Assessment of the potential for natural ecotourism development in Quan Lan and Minh Chau communes Attractiveness of self-tourismof course Capacity Mining time Sustainability Location and accessibility Infrastructure Result Point DarkMulti Point DarkMulti Point DarkMulti Point DarkMulti Point DarkMulti Point DarkMulti CommuneMinh Chau 12 12 4 8 12 12 4 4 4 8 6 8 42/52 Quan CommuneLan 6 12 6 8 9 12 4 4 4 8 4 8 33/52 b. Assessment of the potential for humanistic tourism development  For Quan Lan commune: + The attractiveness of human tourism is determined to be very attractive (4 points) and the most important coefficient (coefficient 3), so the score of the Attractiveness criterion is 4 x 3 = 12. + Capacity is determined to be large (3 points) and the coefficient is quite important (coefficient 2), then the score of the Capacity criterion is 3 x 2 = 6. + Mining time is average (3 points), the most important coefficient (coefficient 3) so the score of the Mining time criterion is 3 x 3 = 9. + Sustainability is determined as sustainable (4 points), the important coefficient is the average coefficient (coefficient 1), so the score of the Sustainability criterion is 4 x 1 = 4 points. + Location and accessibility are determined to be quite favorable (2 points), the coefficient is quite important (coefficient 2), the criterion score is 2 x 2 = 4 points. + Infrastructure is rated as average (2 points), the coefficient is quite important (coefficient 2), then the score of the Infrastructure criterion is 2 x 2 = 4 points. The total score for evaluating DLST in Quan Lan commune according to 6 evaluation criteria is determined as: 12 + 6 + 6 + 4 + 4 + 4 = 36 points. Similar assessment with Minh Chau commune we have the following table: Table 3.4: Assessment of the potential for developing humanistic eco-tourism in Quan Lan and Minh Chau communes Attractiveness of human tourismliterature Capacity Mining time Sustainability Location and accessibility Infrastructure Result Point DarkMulti Point DarkMulti Point DarkMulti Point DarkMulti Point DarkMulti Point DarkMulti Quan CommuneLan 12 12 6 8 9 12 4 4 4 8 4 8 39/52 Minh CommuneChau 6 12 4 8 12 12 4 4 4 8 6 8 36/52 Basically, both Minh Chau and Quan Lan localities have quite favorable conditions for developing ecotourism. However, Quan Lan commune has more advantages to develop ecotourism in a humanistic direction, because this is an area with many famous historical relics such as Quan Lan Communal House, Quan Lan Pagoda, Temple worshiping the hero Tran Khanh Du, ... along with local festivals held annually such as the wind praying ceremony (March 15), Quan Lan festival (June 10-19); due to its location near the port and long exploitation time, the beaches in Quan Lan commune (especially Quan Lan beach) are no longer hygienic and clean to ensure the needs of tourists coming to relax and swim; this is also an area with many beautiful landscapes such as Got Beo wind pass, Ong Phong head, Voi Voi cave, but the ability to access these places is still very limited (dirt hill road, lots of gravel and rocks), especially during rainy and windy times; In addition, other natural resources such as mangrove forests and sea worms have not been really exploited for tourism purposes and ecotourism development. On the contrary, Minh Chau commune has more advantages in developing ecotourism in the direction of natural tourism, this is an area with diverse ecosystems such as at Rua De Beach, Bai Tu Long National Park Conservation Center...; Minh Chau beach is highly appreciated for its natural beauty and cleanliness, ranked in the top ten most beautiful beaches in Vietnam; Minh Chau commune is also home to Tram forest with a large area and a purity of up to 90%, suitable for building bridges through the forest (a very effective type of natural ecotourism currently applied by many countries) for tourists to sightsee, as well as for the purpose of studying and researching. Figure 3.1: Thenmala Forest Bridge (India) Source: https://www.thenmalaecotourism.com/(August 21, 2019) 3.2.2. Using SWOT matrix to evaluate Quan Lan island tourism General assessment of current tourism activities of Quan Lan island is shown through the following SWOT matrix: Table 3.5: SWOT matrix evaluating tourism activities on Quan Lan island Internal agent Strengths- There is a lot of potential for tourism development, especially natural ecotourism and humanistic ecotourism.- The unskilled labor force is relatively abundant.- resource environmentunpolluted, still Weaknesses- Poorly developed infrastructure, especially traffic routes to tourist destinations on the island.- The team of professional staff is still weak.- Tourism products in general quite wild, originalintact general and DLST in particularalone is monotonous. External agents Opportunity- Tourism is a key industry in the socio-economic development strategy of the province and Van Don economic zone.- Quan Lan was selected as a pilot area for eco-tourism development within the framework of the green growth project between Quang Ninh province and the Japanese organization JICA.- The flow of tourists and especially ecotourism in the world tends toincreasing Challenge- Weather and climate change abnormally.- Competition in tourism products is increasingly fierce, especially with other localities in the province such as Ha Long, Mong Cai...- Awareness of tourists, especially domestic tourists, about ecotourism and nature conservation is not high. Through summary analysis using SWOT matrix we see that:  To exploit strengths and take advantage of opportunities, it is necessary to: - Diversify products and service types (build more tourism routes aimed at specific needs of tourists: experiential tourism immersed in nature, spiritual cultural tourism...) - Effective exploitation of resources and differentiated products (natural resources and human resources) div.maincontent .p { color: black; font-family:"Times New Roman", serif; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; font-size: 14pt; margin:0pt; } div.maincontent p { color: black; font-family:"Times New Roman", serif; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; font-size: 14pt; margin:0pt; } div.maincontent .s1 { color: black; font-family:"Times New Roman", serif; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; font-size: 13pt; } div.maincontent .s2 { color: black; font-family:"Times New Roman", serif; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; font-size: 13pt; } div.maincontent .s3 { color: #0D0D0D; font-family:"Times New Roman", serif; font-style: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; font-size: 14pt; } div.maincontent .s4 { color: black; font-family:"Times New Roman", serif; font-style: italic; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; font-size: 14pt; } div.maincontent .s5 { color: black; font-family:"Times New Roman", serif; font-style: italic; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; font-size: 14pt; } div.maincontent .s6 { color: black; font-family:"Times New Roman", serif; font-style: italic; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; font-size: 14pt; vertical-align: -3pt; } div.maincontent .s7 { color: black; font-family:"Times New Roman", serif; font-style: italic; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; font-size: 14pt; vertical-align: -2pt; } div.maincontent .s8 { color: black; font-family:"Times New Roman", serif; font-style: italic; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; font-size: 14pt; vertical-align: -1pt; } div.maincontent .s9 { color: black; font-family:"Times New Roman", serif; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; font-size: 14pt; } div.maincontent .s10 { color: black; font-family:"Times New Roman", serif; font-style: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; font-size: 14pt; } div.maincontent .s11 { color: black; font-family:"Times New Roman", serif; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; font-size: 14pt; } div.maincontent .s12 { color: black; font-family:Symbol, serif; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; font-size: 14pt; } div.maincontent .s13 { color: black; font-family:Wingdings; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; font-size: 14pt; } div.maincontent .s14 { color: black; font-family:"Times New Roman", serif; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; font-size: 9pt; vertical-align: 5pt; } div.maincontent .s15 { color: black; font-family:"Times New Roman", serif; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; font-size: 9pt; vertical-align: 5pt; } div.maincontent .s16 { color: black; font-family:Cambria, serif; font-style: italic; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; font-size: 14pt; } div.maincontent .s17 { color: #080808; font-family:"Times New Roman", serif; font-style: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; font-size: 14pt; } div.maincontent .s18 { color: #080808; font-family:"Times New Roman", serif; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; font-size: 14pt; } div.maincontent .s19 { color: black; font-family:"Times New Roman", serif; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; font-size: 11pt; } div.maincontent .s20 { color: black; font-family:"Times New Roman", serif; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; font-size: 10pt; } div.maincontent .s21 { color: black; font-family:"Times New Roman", serif; font-style: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; font-size: 11pt; } div.maincontent .s22 { color: black; font-family:"Times New Roman", serif; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; font-size: 11pt; } div.maincontent .s23 { color: black; font-family:"Times New Roman", serif; font-style: italic; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; font-size: 14pt; } div.maincontent .s24 { color: #212121; font-family:"Times New Roman", serif; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; tex
• Management and Development of Ecotourism in Special-Use Forests
• Character System - An Important Element In Theme Development
• Developing a plan to lease special-use forest environment to develop ecotourism at Ba Vi National Park - Hanoi - 12
• Developing a plan to lease special-use forest environment to develop ecotourism at Ba Vi National Park - Hanoi - 1

Cau Islet Con Dao

An Thoi (Phu Quoc)

35 31 25

87 80 60

211 202 135

(Source: Scientific evidence of Cu Lao Cau Marine Reserve - Nha Trang Institute of Oceanography, 2007 )

- Seaweed community : according to survey documents, 163 species have been identified here.

- Benthic animals : besides corals, mollusks are considered the most diverse benthic animals on coral reefs. There are 46 species of crustaceans in the waters of Cu Lao Cau, many of which have a close symbiotic lifestyle with corals. This is also the distribution area of ​​rare crustaceans such as lobsters, sea crabs, etc.

- About the potential of sea tourism :

Cu Lao Cau is about 8km from the nearest coast. The surrounding landscape of the island is pristine with many beautiful beaches of fine white sand, the island still retains its wild appearance with rich and diverse vegetation; the climate is fresh and cool , the water here is clear and blue to the bottom. The cliffs are close to the sea, in some places forming mysterious caves that attract tourists to stop. If exploited, they will be unique tourism products.

Another great tourism potential in marine ecotourism that has not been paid attention to is the underwater landscape. Because the water around Cau island is less affected by land currents, it is almost transparent all year round. In addition, with the advantage of coral reefs distributed in many places with high coverage density, high biodiversity and rich in ornamental fish resources, along with a very diverse bottom terrain. Especially in the East of the island, the existence of some shallow beaches interspersed in the deep sea is an ideal condition for the formation of diving areas to explore the sea (currently, Scuba - Vinh Hao company has initially exploited coral diving tours to serve international and domestic tourists) [62,37].

Regarding historical relics on the island in the Bai Mieu area, there are currently 3 temples worshiping Ong Nam Hai, preserving more than 40 large whale skeletons. Every year on the 15th day of the 4th lunar month, to pray for a bountiful fishing season, fishermen from Phuoc The and Vinh Hao villages gather to organize a fishing festival (worshiping the Van). Visitors coming on this occasion will witness a unique festival, bearing the spiritual imprint of the coastal residents.

In short, thanks to the advantage of being close to shore, surrounded by a large, pristine coral reef with diverse species, and many beautiful natural landscapes, Cu Lao Cau NKTB meets all the optimal conditions to develop marine-island ecotourism on all three routes: shore and water edge, on the water surface and ocean floor. Currently, it is the first coral diving ecotourism spot to be included in the exploitation tour, attracting a large number of international and domestic visitors from Ho Chi Minh City and neighboring provinces.

ii/ Phu Quy Island Border Guard Area (Phu Quy District - Binh Thuan):

The natural area of ​​the main island is measured at 32km2 , about 7.5km long, about 4.5km wide. Located about 56.7 nautical miles (equivalent to 120km) southeast of Phan Thiet city. The island is surrounded by a wide and thick belt of black rock and coral. The terrain inside the island is not flat, with 3 main mountains: Cam mountain (108m), Cao Cat mountain (85m) and Ong Dun mountain (44.9m).

Phu Quy is an archipelago, surrounded by 10 large and small islands, the largest of the small islands is Hon Tranh with a natural area of ​​about 270 hectares, the widest place is about 400m, the longest is about 1000m, about 900m southeast of the big island. Hon Tranh is currently a favorite destination, chosen by eco-tourists.

Up to now, 70 species of terrestrial plants, 72 species of seaweed, 134 species of hard corals and 15 species of mollusks have been discovered in Phu Quy [57,48]. In terms of animals, they are mainly birds and reptiles such as doves, swiftlets, etc. The composition of marine species in Phu Quy island is very diverse and rich. Hard corals are mainly concentrated in Ganh Hang beach, Lach Du beach (Tam Thanh commune) and neighboring areas. Corals in Phu Quy are concentrated in large clusters in deep water, when they are young, they form diverse clumps of trees, with a beautiful opaque white color. During the growth and development process, they link together into large clusters and rise to the sea surface to form very unique coral islands. In particular, in Phu Quy, there are many types of Hawksbill turtles with high economic value. Here, there are also gathering grounds for sea turtles to lay eggs seasonally, which can be built into scientific research sites for oceanic sea turtles [41,30].

+ Tourism potential: