"Race" to Vietnam's first smoke-free island
At the working session with the People's Committee of Con Dao Special Zone on the afternoon of July 25, Chairman of the Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee Nguyen Van Duoc assessed that the ecosystem in Con Dao is very special, found nowhere else. The wild nature and peaceful life are valuable assets that need to be protected and promoted. From there, the leaders of the City People's Committee requested to clearly identify the unique identity of Con Dao to build a suitable development strategy, ensuring the preservation of unique values, building an overall development strategy for Con Dao in the direction of "green - identity - worth living".
Ho Chi Minh City will pilot green transportation in Con Dao and Can Gio, only allowing new vehicle registrations using electricity or clean fuel.
PHOTO: INDEPENDENCE
To realize the sustainable development orientation, the Chairman of the Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee requested the construction of a modern, environmentally friendly transport infrastructure system. Ho Chi Minh City chose Con Dao and Can Gio as the two leading localities in developing green transport; new vehicles registered in the two special economic zones of the city must use clean fuel or electricity.
The orientation of developing green transport in Con Dao and Can Gio is part of the project to control vehicle emissions that Ho Chi Minh City is implementing, which is also the orientation that the tourism industry has been aiming for for a long time. Known as one of the 10 most charming islands on the planet, Con Dao tourism has become an ideal choice for those who love to explore the wild beauty, with the advantage of many beautiful beaches and Con Son Bay including 14 large and small islands, creating a fascinating natural picture that makes every step of visitors linger when they set foot here. Con Dao is also the first place where Ba Ria-Vung Tau province (old) applied the circular economic model, green tourism, many models to encourage tourists and people to limit the use of plastic products have been implemented and brought about efficiency. Tours to pick up trash, clean the sea, collect trash under coral reefs, and plant forests have been built by many businesses, attracting tourists. Thus, if successfully implemented, Ho Chi Minh City will be the first locality in the country to own two green tourist islands without vehicle exhaust, which are also two "green lungs" of the city.
Previously, Hai Phong City leaders were also determined to "reheat" the planning of Cat Ba green island, making it a must-see destination for ecotourism enthusiasts. The beautiful natural landscape with overlapping mountains; a rare biosphere tourism area in the world; blue water, white sand beaches blending with natural mountains and forests have given Cat Ba its own unique beauty. In addition, Cat Ba has a quite attractive terrain with roads through mountains and forests leading to the sea, giving visitors a very special feeling. This is the reason why since 2017, the Project "Developing Hai Phong tourism in the period
2017 - 2020, orientation to 2030" of Hai Phong City People's Committee has determined to build Cat Ba island according to the model of an ecological, smart island, with no emissions from motor vehicles, becoming a national tourist area.
Now, the path to becoming a smart, world-class eco-tourism center of Cat Ba is once again being suggested, when Hai Phong builds the "Overall Project for Hai Phong Tourism Development to 2025, Vision to 2030" with contents contributing to re-planning and changing the appearance of Cat Ba Island. In particular, Hai Phong City aims to stop operating and replace vehicles using gasoline and diesel with vehicles using clean, environmentally friendly fuel on the island, making Cat Ba the first smoke-free island in the country.
Cat Ba Island is entering the journey of developing eco-tourism, saying "no" to vehicle exhaust.
PHOTO: GIANG LINH
Not to be outdone, Phu Quoc Island is determined to become the country's first Net Zero urban area. At the working session of Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Chi Dung with the leaders of Kien Giang Province (old) in April, the Government assigned Phu Quoc the task of being a pioneer in developing and implementing a green transformation program before 2030; aiming for Phu Quoc Island to have no vehicles using gasoline or oil, becoming one of the islands with the best environment in the world. According to the plan, 100% of buses replaced or newly invested in on the island this year will use electricity and green energy. By 2030, the rate of vehicles using electricity and green energy will reach at least 50%; at the same time, 100% of taxis replaced or newly invested will also switch to using clean energy. By 2050, all buses and taxis in Phu Quoc will operate on electricity or green energy.
The pearls in the middle of the ocean are all turning green, "winning" the position of Vietnam's first smoke-free island.
"Powerful weapon" of tourism
Not only having important environmental significance, green islands are also a future strategy for the tourism industry. In the world, green and smart tourist islands have always proven to be extremely attractive. Famous as a top destination in Europe, Greece with more than 200 large and small inhabited islands has launched the "All you want is Greece" campaign to position the brand for the islands across the country, while increasing the experience of tourists to extend the tourist season all year round. A decree by the President of Greece in 1950 banned all forms of wheeled vehicles on the island of Hydra, turning it into a peaceful, ecological "paradise", attracting artists and creators from all over, including Italian actress Sophia Loren, who fell in love with Hydra when filming the 1957 film Boy on a Dolphin here.
Similarly, Lamma Island (Hong Kong Special Administrative Region) is always in the top list of the most worth-exploring car-free islands in the world; Princes Island (Türkiye) says no to gasoline-powered cars; or Tau Island in the American Samoa archipelago has switched to using solar energy almost entirely... A series of other tourist islands such as Honolulu (Hawaii, USA), the island nation of Dominica in the Caribbean Sea... are also willing to spend large budgets on greening efforts and have achieved unexpected success, attracting a huge number of global visitors each year.
Mr. Pham Ha, Chairman and CEO of Lux Group, assessed that not only tourism but also the trend of green development and greening products is becoming inevitable in the world. For the tourism industry alone, ecotourism is considered the focus and core of green tourism. Exploiting natural values, especially biodiversity, will bring tourists interesting insights and experiences about nature; at the same time, it has brought significant revenue to many countries in recent years. Since the early 1990s, ecotourism has been the fastest growing type of tourism industry, with a growth rate of about 20 - 34%/year.
However, not all places have enough potential to promote and develop this type of tourism. "Marine ecosystems, terrestrial forest ecosystems, mangrove ecosystems, along with extremely rich and rare flora and fauna... are the strengths of islands in Vietnam such as Cat Ba, Phu Quoc... In the context of the trend of green tourism and green development that is growing strongly around the world, this is an extremely valuable tourism resource. If it can be implemented according to the right planning, these smoke-free islands will help Vietnam increase the competitiveness of destinations on the world tourism map, while creating ideal places for domestic people to relax, explore, and immerse themselves in nature," he said.
Source: https://thanhnien.vn/dao-xanh-khong-khoi-xe-se-la-vu-khi-moi-cua-du-lich-viet-185250727181838385.htm
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