On 21–22 August 2025, the Environment Unit of AICS Hanoi carried out a mission in Quảng Ngãi Province within the framework of the Vietnam–Italy Debt Swap Program, with the objective of supporting the Management Board of Chu Mom Ray National Park in the formulation of the Feasibility Study of the project on “Capacity Building in Sustainable Planting, Management and Protection of Forest, associated with the development of Ethnic Minority Livelihoods”.
Despite being recognized as an ASEAN Heritage Park, Chu Mom Ray faces major challenges: degraded forest protection facilities, high risk of wildfires, limited staff capacity, and difficult socio-economic conditions of local communities, who often depend on the unsustainable exploitation of natural resources. Yet, Chu Mom Ray remains the custodian of extraordinary biodiversity, with nearly 1,900 plant species and more than 1,000 animal species, many of them rare and endangered, while still lying outside the main tourist circuits.
The project, worth about 2 million euros, aims to reverse this trend through training for communities and schools, strengthening the skills of forest protection staff, reforesting 50 hectares with indigenous species, upgrading patrol roads, and building a 600 m² Community House, made with sustainable materials. This structure will serve both as a training space, a showcase of the Park’s biodiversity, and a meeting point between culture and nature, fostering eco-tourism development and greater environmental awareness.
During the mission, which also involved a representative of the Vietnamese Ministry of Finance, AICS experts discussed with the Park staff the articulation of the project and in particular the contents of the courses for local communities, which will include beekeeping, organic coffee production, and traditional weaving. AICS Hanoi recommended integrating circular economy practices and expanding the offer with tour guide courses to strengthen income opportunities linked to eco-tourism.
AICS Hanoi will continue to provide assistance for the finalization of the Feasibility Study, which is expected to be approved by the end of the year, and will accompany local authorities in the subsequent stages of project implementation.