ECOTOURISM IN THANH HOA, VIETNAM

Rich natural resources, attractive landscape, diverse cultural nuances, Thanh Hoa province has great potentials and advantages to become one of the leading eco-tourism centers in Vietnam. Tourism development strategy to 2030 has been issued by the province; however, until now, only a number of types of tourism have been effectively exploited in Thanh Hoa (marine tourism, cultural tourism). Ecotourism, in particular, has not been paid enough attention, which is a big gap in development planning and investment. Ecotourism in the localities are mainly spontaneous with improper practices, which leads to negative impacts on natural, ecological and human environment, especially living environment of local people and causes tourists' disappointment. From the practice of ecotourism in Thanh Hoa, the article focuses on clarifying the issues: Potentials and advantages of Thanh Hoa province in developing ecotourism; Current status of ecotourism activities in Thanh Hoa province and solutions to develop ecotourism towards sustainable development.