Ca Mau has great potential to develop tourism into a spearhead economic sector. In recent years, the provincial authorities have launched various projects to focus on building, enhancing, and effectively exploiting the local tourism advantages and potential, with the aim of attracting both domestic and international tourists. Among these initiatives, the development of green tourism is a long-term, sustainable direction that the province has adopted, with the goal of revitalizing tourism in the southernmost region of Vietnam in the near future.
Exploring mangrove forests is one of the tourist “specialties” of Ca Mau.
In line with the current tourism development trend, green tourism is a form of sustainable travel that focuses on environmental protection, respecting local culture, and contributing to the economic and social development of community. The goal of green tourism is to minimize the negative impact of tourism activities on nature and people, while emphasizing experiential travel.
Ca Mau is known as the place where “the land knows how to bloom, the forest knows how to walk and the sea knows how to multiply”. The province’s unique terrain is characterized by the intermingling of mangrove forests, cajeput forests, and a network of rivers, streams, and canals, creating a region where the forest and sea coexist harmoniously. Notably, Ca Mau's mangrove forest is regarded as the “green lung” of the Mekong Delta and is the second-largest mangrove forest in the world, after the Amazon rainforest. It covers most of the coastal area, particularly in the Cape Ca Mau region and along large river mouths. The cajeput forests, which thrive on peat land, possess a unique ecosystem with rare species such as deer, wild boar, pythons, snakes, monitor lizards, turtles, eels, and various freshwater fish species. These are mainly concentrated in the inland wetlands of the U Minh Ha National Park. Additionally, the province boasts a coastline stretching about 254 kilometers, bordered by the South China Sea and the Gulf of Thailand. The combination of forests and seas in Ca Mau not only boasts high biodiversity but also plays a crucial role in the development of the local fishery economy and in tapping tourism potential.
In recent years, Ca Mau's tourism industry has made impressive strides, from services and product quality to a steady increase in the number of visitors each year. This has generated new momentum and enthusiasm for the province on the national tourism map. With a focus on leveraging existing natural advantages, respecting local culture, preserving, and promoting the cultural and traditional values of the people, the provincial authorities have been gradually planning, orienting, and developing green tourism.
The ecosystem of the acid sulfate swamp forest in the U Minh Ha National Park is one of the must-see destinations for tourists wishing to explore Ca Mau.
Mr. Tieu Minh Tien, Deputy Director of the Department of Culture, Sports, and Tourism, stated: “Recently, Ca Mau has identified eco-tourism, community-based tourism, and sea and island tourism associated with the local cultural identity as long-term, overarching development directions. The province aims to harness the advantages of its natural conditions and traditional cultural values from local crafts, such as dried shrimp, dried fish, salted crab, honeycomb production, and basket weaving, to create distinctive and unique tourism experiences. As a result, the picture of Ca Mau tourism must evolve towards green tourism, with active participation from local communities to create diverse, rich, and characteristic tourism products. In particular, experiential tourism, linked to local life and production activities, should be prioritized. Currently, Ca Mau is proactively implementing and providing strong support to local tourism sites, particularly community-based tourism destinations. These include focusing on planning, attracting investment, and developing tourism areas such as Ca Mau, Thi Tuong Lagoon, and the U Minh Ha National Park Eco-tourism Area. The development plan for the Ca Mau Cape Tourism Area is also underway, led by the Ngoc Hien District People's Committee, linked to the national rural development program”.
Mr. Tran Van Thao, Chairman of the Ca Mau Tourism Association and Director of Vietravel Ca Mau Branch, commented: “I believe Ca Mau is an ideal region to develop green tourism. With its forests, seas, and the distinctive terrain of Ca Mau Cape, we can leverage the local natural materials, such as mangrove trees, cajeput trees, and specialties from both the forest and sea. This allows tourism professionals to realize the concept of green tourism, in line with modern trends. Additionally, the region's waterway culture and the warm, generous nature of its people are key elements that position Ca Mau as a significant location on the map of Vietnamese tourism and even globally”.
Green tourism, coupled with community-based experiences, is becoming the trend and preferred choice for many tourists.
Furthermore, green tourism encourages community involvement in tourism activities, contributing to job creation and improving the local population’s livelihood. It also plays a significant role in the socio-economic development of the region. Many businesses in the province are currently focusing on green tourism development, offering various forms such as eco-tourism to explore forests, seas, and nature reserves, as well as community-based experiential tourism. As a result, many new tourism sites have been created, taking full advantage of the forests and seas. Now, the province has 27 tourism sites, including many community-based destinations. Ms. Ngo Huynh Trang, Director of the Ca Mau Eco-tourism Area (in Tran Hoi commune, Tran Van Thoi district), shared: “Having been born and raised in Ca Mau, I feel a strong responsibility to preserve, protect, and promote the cultural and tourism values of this land. The Ca Mau Eco-tourism Area was created with the idea of recreating the landscape of the Vo Doi pristine forest, offering products such as forest tours, activities like catching freshwater fish, setting eel traps, experiencing honeycomb production, and paddling on traditional boats. Through these activities, visitors can gain an authentic insight into the simple, rustic daily life of Ca Mau's people under the forest canopy”.
Mr. Tieu Minh Tien, Deputy Director of Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism, hopes: “To further boost the province's tourism, the provincial authorities will focus on improving the quality of tourism products and ensuring that tourism development aligns with the province's natural resources. The province is currently building a strategy for tourism growth in the near future, with a focus on green tourism, eco-tourism, and community-based tourism linked to agricultural development, and creating OCOP tourism products. The goal for tourism development is to attract mainly domestic tourists, with the target of achieving around 2 million visitors and a revenue of over VND 3 trillion, with an annual growth rate of over 10% in the coming years. A crucial step toward achieving this goal is completing plans and projects to attract strategic investors to Ca Mau. In the near future, the Department of Culture, Sports, and Tourism will continue to propose mechanisms and policies for human resource development and effective tourism product promotion”.