HỘI AN — Tour operator Võ Tấn Tân plans to offer tours of nipa palm forests that allow tourists to participate in afforestation efforts in Cẩm Thanh Commune in Hội An.

Tân told the Việt Nam News that tours will begin later this year.

He said 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,” Tân 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, Tân and his partners launched waterway clean up kayak tours in Thu Bồn River, the nipa palm forest in the commune and the Hoài River, a tributary of Thu Bồn.

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, Cẩm Thanh Commune began offering the opportunity to join afforestation efforts alongside tours of its nipa palm forest with an eco-tour company in Hội An and the Centre for Natural Resources and Environmental Studies in the Mangroves for the Future’s Sustainable Use of Cẩm Thanh Commune Nipa Palm Wetlands project.

Cẩm Thanh villagers have been planting nipa palm trees for the last 100 years to protect the commune from the Thu Bồn River.

The forest is part of the internationally recognised Chàm Island-Hội An bioreserve, a popular eco-tour destination.  

Tân, a local craftsmen, was the first local to make bicycles made from 50 per cent bamboo.

He also launched a bamboo craft tour in Cẩm Thanh Commune where tourists learn how to make bamboo souvenirs. — VNS