Putting 2,000 hectares of 500-year-old forest and 'mysterious' ethnic village into tourism exploitation

du lịch sinh thái - Ảnh 1. — The 500-year-old green cypress population will be put into tourism exploitation - Photo: HOANG TAO

On October 23, the People's Committee of Quang Tri province announced that it had approved the ecotourism project exploring the cypress trees and Kling Cave, which is part of the Phong Nha - Ke Bang National Park ecotourism, resort, and entertainment project.

The project, managed by the Phong Nha - Ke Bang National Park Management Board, is being implemented in sub-areas 645, 643, and 288A in Thuong Trach commune, with a total investment of 4.29 billion VND under a joint investment model, and is scheduled for completion by 2030.

du lịch sinh thái - Ảnh 2. — The green cypress forest of about 2,000 hectares was discovered in 2004 - Photo: HOANG TAO

The cypress forest in this area covers more than 2,000 hectares, is approximately 500 years old, and was discovered in 2004. Three tours are planned, lasting from 1 to 3 days, with visits to the cypress forest, Kling Cave, Ruc Ca Roong Cave, A Cu Cave, and the Arem ethnic minority village.

Arem Village – home to the Arem people – one of the smallest communities in Vietnam. Once living in isolation in deep caves within the Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park, the Arem people have now settled down, preserving many customs, languages, and cultural characteristics deeply rooted in the Truong Son mountain range.

The Provincial People's Committee requires Phong Nha - Ke Bang National Park to find a partner with sufficient capacity and in accordance with the law. Upon expiration of the partnership period, the parties must evaluate and report to the Provincial People's Committee for consideration of extension.

Investors are only permitted to construct temporary structures such as shelters, safety ropes, and portable toilets, ensuring the safety of tourists and avoiding any negative impact on the forest environment.

The project aims to develop sustainable ecotourism, create jobs, increase income for local people and contribute to the budget.

Đưa 2.000ha rừng 500 tuổi và bản tộc người 'bí ẩn' vào khai thác du lịch - Ảnh 3. — Ancient green cypress trees with diameters many people can hug - Photo: HOANG TAO

du lịch sinh thái - Ảnh 4. — Rough, mossy tree roots - Photo: HOANG TAO

The green cypress is a large, evergreen tree with a very strong root system that clings tightly to rocks and spreads out around it.

In Phong Nha - Ke Bang National Park, the green cypress is mainly distributed in the limestone mountain area in the strictly protected area, with an altitude of 572m or more (most concentrated at an altitude of 600 - 800m). The potential distribution area of the green cypress is about 3,700ha, of which the habitat area is about 2,000ha, with about 592,000 mature trees.