Tour operator Vo Tan Tan plans to offer tours of nipa palm forests that allow tourists to participate in afforestation efforts in Cam Thanh commune in Hoi An, the central province of Quang Nam.
Nipa palm forest in Cam Thanh commune (Photo: VNA). Tan said that tours will begin later this year, adding communes will allocate an area in the nipa palm forest for tourists to explore nature and plant trees. “It’s a tour that allows visitors to learn about the 300-year-old forest, while contributing to protecting the environment,” Tan said. He said the tour is ready and is awaiting approval from local authorities. Tourists who join the tour will explore and learn about the wetland’s ecological system and plant trees, he said. Earlier this year, Tan and his partners launched waterway clean up kayak tours in Thu Bon River, the nipa palm forest in the commune and the Hoai River, a tributary of Thu Bon. The clean-up tours remove all kinds of rubbish, including plastic bags and bottles dropped in the water by irresponsible residents and tourists. Three years ago, Cam Thanh commune began offering the opportunity to join afforestation efforts alongside tours of its nipa palm forest with an eco-tour company in Hoi An and the Centre for Natural Resources and Environmental Studies in the Mangroves for the Future’s Sustainable Use of Cam Thanh commune Nipa Palm Wetlands project. Cam Thanh villagers have been planting nipa palm trees for the last 100 years to protect the commune from the Thu Bon River. The forest is part of the internationally recognised Cham Island-Hoi An bioreserve, a popular eco-tour destination. Tan, a local craftsman, was the first to make bicycles made from 50 percent bamboo. He also launched a bamboo craft tour in Cam Thanh commune where tourists learn how to make bamboo souvenirs.
