HCM CITY — The People’s Committee of Tây Ninh Province has agreed to lease a special-purpose forest environment in sub-zone 66 in Thạnh Tân Commune’s Núi Bà Historical-Cultural Park (Bà Đen Mountain) to develop eco-tourism.

Võ Đức Trong, director of the provincial Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, said the lease term would not exceed 50 years, and the province would review every 10 years the provisions committed by investors in the forest area covering 1,544 hectares.  

The province will also decide whether to continue leasing the area after the results of  the environmental impact assessment of the project are completed. 

Upon the expiration of the lease, if the lessees obey the signed contract, the management board of the Bà Đen Mountain National Tourism Area will be entitled to extend the leasing term no more than 20 years.

The rental price will be adjusted every five years in accordance with the actual situation, but will be not higher than 2 per cent of turnover.

Specifically, the rental fee during the first five years will be at 1 per cent of turnover.

The vice chairman of the provincial People’s Committee, Dương Văn Thắng, said that infrastructure construction serving eco-tourism activities would account for a maximum of 20 per cent of the total leased forest environment (or about 308ha) and must be clearly indentified on maps and signposts.

Construction work must be based on natural conditions and be in harmony with the natural landscape, with little change to the natural terrain.

It must also be in line with the province’s approved general zoning plan.

After being approved, the management board of Bà Đen Mountain National Tourism Area will decide on the subdivisions, and call for investors to bid on renting the special-use forest environment area at the Núi Bà Historical-Cultural Park.

Phạm Văn Tân, the provincial chairman of the People’s Committee, said "the project to lease the special-use forest is a big turning point and paves the way for the provincial tourism industry to develop".

The project would highlight the cultural, historical, spiritual and eco-tourism potential of the Núi Bà Historical - Cultural Park, and contribute to the province’s socio-economic development and management, conservation and sustainable development of special-use forest resources of Bà Đen Mountain, according to Tân.

The Government’s general zoning plan from now to 2030 calls for the province to use a variety of sources of capital, including the State budget, ODA, and domestic and foreign investment, to turn the Bà Đen national tourist site into a special spiritual and cultural site.

The Bà Đen national tourist site spreads over an area of 24 sq km and includes: Heo (Pig) Mountain, Phụng (Phoenix) Mountain and Bà Đen Mountain. 

Bà Đen, the highest peak, rises to a height of 986 metres. Besides the landscape, the site, with its many pagodas and caves, is considered one of the most famous spiritual areas in the southern region.

Each year, Bà Đen Mountain receives more than three million visitors. — VNS