With UNESCO’s recent recognition of the Nui Chua area as a world biosphere reserve and Vinh Hy Bay being named as a national heritage site, the south-central province of Ninh Thuan now has a network of forest-sea natural heritages. This has laid a firm foundation for the province to integrate heritage landscape in tourism development
An aerial view of Vinh Hy Bay in Ninh Thuan province. (Photo: VNA)
Covering around 106,646 hectares, Nui Chua Biosphere Reserve has a peculiar topography with the convergence of three natural areas of forest, sea and semi-desert. In addition to possessing a diverse natural landscape and dozens of species of flora and fauna listed in both in the Vietnam Red Data Book and the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s (IUCN) Red List, Nui Chua also features a large coral population of more than 350 species.
Located inside the Nui Chua Biosphere Reserve, Vinh Hy Bay is listed among top 8 most beautiful bays in Vietnam. The bay is a part of Vinh Hai Commune, Ninh Hai District, about 40 km from the centre of Phan Rang City. This is home to stunning coral reefs, magnificent caves, white sand beaches, and crystal-clear seawater interspersed with different shades of blue.
While Vinh Hy Bay has been dubbed the “Mediterranean of Vietnam”, Hang Rai is a majestic, rare and impressive wonder with large and flat limestone surfaces and ancient coral reefs that were created by geological tectonics thousands of years ago. Locals said that this place had housed many species of otters, which brought the name Hang Rai (Cave of Otters).
The best time of the day to visit Hang Rai is at low tide when the sea water overflows on the rock surfaces and then recedes to form a unique waterfall in the sea.
While introducing the province’s tourism potential, Chairman of the Ninh Thuan Provincial People's Committee Tran Quoc Nam said that Ninh Thuan has a coastline stretching more than 105 km and is endowed by Mother Nature with diverse natural resources and beautiful natural landscapes such as the Ninh Chu, Ca Na, Binh Tien, and Binh Son beaches, Vinh Hy Bay, the Nui Chua and Phuoc Binh national parks, and the Nam Cuong and Mui Dinh sand dunes.
This has brought about huge advantages for Ninh Thuan in the development of sustainable green tourism.
Rai Cave - a natural wonder that is dubbed the “waterfall on the sea” (Photo: Vietnam Pictorial)
He reported that in the 2021-2025 period, the province aims to focus on boosting sea tourism, green eco-tourism tourism, and agriculture-based tourism in tandem with the promotion of local heritage landscapes, particularly Nui Chua Biosphere Reserve.
According to Tran Van Tiep, Director of Nui Chua National Park, the peak tourism season in Ninh Thuan is the summer and post-New Year holiday.
The park’s management board has issues detailed regulations on welcoming tourists and designating separate sections for visitors. Specifically, the ecological area and protected areas are not open to holiday makers.
Thanks to its favourable geographical location and convenient transport service, Nui Chua World Biosphere Reserve is on the way to becoming an attractive destination for domestic and foreign tourists, providing an opportunity for Ninh Thuan Province to further advertise its beautiful natural scenery, people and unique culture.
Under the provincial tourism development plan for 2021-2025 period with a vision towards 2030, Ninh Thuan targets to welcome 3.5 million tourists, including 455,000 foreign arrivals, by 2025, and to serve 6 million visitors, including 900,000 foreigners, by 2030. The tourism sector is expected to earn 2.9 trillion VND (126.94 million USD) by 2025 and 5.9 trillion VND by 2030.
To realise this plan, the Ninh Thuan provincial authorities have made bold investment in improving infrastructure, enhancing human resources, developing tourism brands, and accelerating promotion activities.
