The International Ecotourism Society (TIES), Digital Traveler ~ Asia Pacific eNewsletter, June 2006

www.ecotourism.org

Positive Ecotourism Developments in Vietnam

By Attila Woodward

Vietnam is a place of incredible natural beauty, rich cultural and historical heritage, hard
working people and tremendous agricultural and intellectual richness. The country is
blessed with a 3,250 km coastline of mostly pristine beaches, beautiful lagoons and awe-
inspiring Deltas. Biodiversity is rich with an estimated 12,000 plant, 275 mammal, 800
bird, 180 reptile, 2,470 fish and over 5,500 insect species.1

A Visitor at a Phu Quoc Resort

New economic policies initiated in the late 1980’s, known as “Doi Moi” (renovation),
opened the country to foreign investors and international travelers. From 1990 to 2005,
inbound tourism has exploded with an average annual growth rate ranging from 11 to
14%. According to the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism,2 in 2005, some 3.43
million inbound visitors came to the country. The World Tourism and Travel Council
(www.wttc.org) predicts that Vietnam will have the sixth highest tourism growth rate in
the world between 2007 and 2016.3

1
See the Asian Productivity Organization (APO) Report (Page 251): www.apo-
tokyo.org/gp/e_publi/gplinkeco/32chapter30.pdf
2
www.vietnamtourism.com
3
WTTC Vietnam Country Report (2006) can be downloaded at: www.wttc.org/2006TSA/pdf2/Vietnam.pdf
 The International Ecotourism Society (TIES), Digital Traveler ~ Asia Pacific eNewsletter, June 2006
www.ecotourism.org

Local Women Selling Fresh Vegetables

The sudden rush to capitalize on Vietnam’s tourism assets is starting to threaten the
beauty of the country. Surging tourism demand is placing a burden on the short supply of
hotels in some destinations. Keen on this new economic opportunity, foreign and local
companies are investing in multi billion-dollar mega-hotel projects that will put a strain
on the environment.4

There are, however, some positive developments in parts of the country. The Southern
island of Phu Quoc is one such example. In March 2006, I visited the Phu Quoc with the
goal of researching ecotourism initiatives.

4
Saigon Times Daily, “Dalat’s huge resort project gets closer to reality,” May 4, 2006, Issue No. 2681, Page 3
 The International Ecotourism Society (TIES), Digital Traveler ~ Asia Pacific eNewsletter, June 2006
www.ecotourism.org

Phu Quoc Eco-Resort

Located some 30 miles from the Vietnamese mainland, in the Gulf of Thailand, at a
length of 28 miles and slightly bigger than Singapore, Phu Quoc is Vietnam’s largest
island. Beautiful beaches and one of the biggest virgin forests in Southern Vietnam make
this a prime area for ecotourism. Bird life includes the puff throated babbler, stripe
throated boo boo, green eared barbet, flower picker, and the lesser raquet tail drongo.
There are over 50 species of butterfly and the list goes on.

Over the past three years, ambitious plans have been proposed to turn the island into a
multi-use tourism destination, complete with golf courses, hundreds of hotels and resorts,
and a new international airport capable of handling some 2.5 million passengers per
year.5 There is an estimated 80,000 population currently living on Phu Quoc.

Three eco-resorts, Thang Loi, Bo Resort and Mango Bay, on the northwestern part of the
island, are setting a different example of what could be done on the island. I visited Bo
Resort and Mango Bay and discovered they are both low-density resorts using many
common ecotourism concepts, including the use of solar power, replanting of endemic
vegetation, and construction materials made from renewable sources such as earth,
leaves, stone and bamboo. Mango Bay is taking ecotourism initiatives a step further by
getting involved with large forest preservation projects, setting up a tourism school, and
building a handicraft center for local communities.

5
Airline Industry Information, December 28, 2005 issue. Visit the web link at:
www.allbusiness.com/periodicals/article/851144-1.html
 The International Ecotourism Society (TIES), Digital Traveler ~ Asia Pacific eNewsletter, June 2006
www.ecotourism.org

Attila and Mango Bay Staff

Other nature based programs and ecotourism initiatives on the island include: developing
eco-tourist maps and eco-tours that use existing park resources, eco-trails, documentation
of local flora and fauna, and an analysis of ecotourism impacts on the environment. An
NGO called Wild Life at Risk (WAR)6 is also working with the government of Kien
Giang province on a new initiative that proposes establishing a trade group with codes of
conduct for new hotel and resort projects on the island. These will include construction
and beach policies, local community involvement, as well as marine and forest
conservation.

Vietnam is at a difficult crossroads between economic development that will bring

prosperity to its people and preservation initiatives that maintain the rich beauty and
natural heritage of the country. On my last trip to Phu Quoc, I was pleased to learn of
new initiatives that partner NGO’s, local government and private businesses (mainly eco-
resorts) working towards a more sustainable future – a positive development amid the
distress the tourism boom is causing.

Attila Woodward is a Master’s of Tourism Administration candidate at the George

Washington University. He has lived and worked in Vietnam from 1996 – 2004 and has
traveled to Phu Quoc seven times between 1997 and 2006. He is currently setting up a
destination management company focusing on Vietnam cultural travel.

6
www.wildlifeatrisk.org