Dong Nai builds forest ecotourism

At present, Dong Nai province has three schemes of ecotourism, resort, and entertainment approved by the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment and the Dong Nai Provincial People's Committee. These ecotourism schemes set the stage for Dong Nai to establish and develop sustainable forest ecotourism.

Visitors enjoy a cycling experience through Gia Canh Forest, managed by Tan Phu Protection Forest Management Board. Photo: Ngoc Lien.

Ecotourism schemes are being implemented at forest management units across the province, including the Tan Phu Protection Forest Management Board (Dinh Quan commune), the Dong Nai Nature-Culture Reserve (Tri An commune), and Cat Tien National Park (Nam Cat Tien commune). These schemes aim to utilize and promote the potential and advantages of natural resources, cultural resources, and historical relics on the basis of conservation, sustainable development, and mobilization of all social resources to protect and develop forests, conserve nature, and develop tourism.

Shaping ecotourism models

Grounded in indigenous natural, cultural, and historical values associated with economic development for surrounding communities, forest ecotourism in recent years has become one of the tourism models attracting tourism investors as well as being welcomed by domestic and international visitors.

Keeping up with this trend, Dong Nai province has actively promoted forest ecotourism projects to shape a forest ecotourism space with the distinctive identity and brand of the province. These forest ecotourism models go beyond preserving and showcasing natural, cultural, and historical values; they also foster close connection with local communities, driving overall socio-economic development of the locality. In particular, as international integration deepens, developing a sustainable forest ecotourism has become an inevitable trend embraced by many countries worldwide.

Cat Tien National Park covers an area of more than 71,000 hectares and is recognized as one of Vietnam’s leading biodiversity reserves. Cat Tien National Park had its “Ecotourism, Resort and Entertainment Scheme for the 2025–2030 period” approved by the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment at the end of 2025. This marks the third ecotourism project in Dong Nai province to receive official endorsement and is now being accelerated through the required procedural steps to ensure compliance with regulations, laying the legal groundwork for subsequent forest environment lease contracts.

Previously, in 2023, the Dong Nai Provincial People’s Committee also approved two ecotourism, resort and entertainment schemes for the 2021–2030 period for the Dong Nai Nature–Culture Reserve and the Tan Phu Protection Forest Management Board. These schemes are expected to open up space for sustainable tourism development for Dong Nai, shaping a forest tourism ecosystem bearing the Dong Nai brand in the domestic and international tourism markets.

In June 2024, the Prime Minister issued a decision approving the tourism system master plan for the 2021–2030 period with a vision to 2045. According to Vietnam’s tourism spatial development plan, Dong Nai province has two areas designated as national tourism zones, including the Tri An Lake area and the Ba Ra – Thac Mo mountain area.

Accelerating implementation of the schemes

To ensure that the ecotourism schemes are rolled out promptly and attract investor interest, forest management units are accelerating procedures and legal processes, establishing a solid legal foundation for investors to implement projects.

Tran Van Binh, Deputy Director of Cat Tien National Park, said that immediately after the ecotourism scheme was approved, the park actively coordinated with consulting units to conduct inventories and assessments of the current forest status. Once preparations are complete, Cat Tien National Park will invite investors to lease the forest environment and develop 15 ecotourism routes across 19 sites on a planned area of more than 2,000 hectares. The planned ecotourism routes and sites, with a total length of 142 km, are based on existing patrol roads and trails. The expected investment capital for the scheme is more than 1.1 trillion VND. Once put into operation, the scheme is projected to welcome over 500,000 visitors annually and create job opportunities for more than 500 local workers.

As the unit that has just signed a forest environment lease contract with its first partner to implement the first tourism project in the chain of tourism sites planned under the Ecotourism, Resort and Entertainment Scheme in the Dong Nai Nature-Culture Reserve, approved by the Provincial People’s Committee at the end of 2023, so far, the Dong Nai Nature-Culture Reserve has already attracted considerable interest from investors. Sharing details of the preparation and investor engagement process, Nguyen Hoang Hao, Director of the Dong Nai Nature-Culture Reserve, said that after a period of review, the reserve selected and signed a contract to lease forest environment with its first partner. Currently, the reserve continues to assess investor capacity while completing legal procedures to ensure favorable conditions for its partners during project implementation.

The ecotourism scheme of the Dong Nai Nature-Culture Reserve orients nine ecotourism products, including nature exploration; resort tourism; lake-based ecotourism, revolutionary historical sites and ethnic minority cultural experiences; sports and adventure tourism; integrated entertainment tourism; ecotourism combined with meetings, incentives, conferences  and exhibitions (MICE) tourism, events; and community-based tourism such as homestays and farmstays.

At a recent working session with local authorities and the Tan Phu Protection Forest Management Board, Le Truong Son, Member of the Provincial Party Standing Committee and Vice Chairman of the Provincial People’s Committee, stated that the Mai Waterfall - Nuoc Soi Pond area, earmarked for ecotourism, resort, and entertainment development, is a unique destination for both Dong Nai and the Southeast region of Vietnam. Therefore, the locality needs to quickly conduct the necessary procedures to move the project forward and fully unlock its potential and advantages.

By Ngoc Lien – Translated by Minh Hong, Thu Ha