Volunteer divers collect trash at Hon Sup coral reef during "Clean Up Son Tra," an environmental protection program in Da Nang's Son Tra peninsula. (Photo: VNA)

In its tourism development strategy to 2030, Vietnam prioritizes sea and island resort tourism plus sports and entertainment tourism at sea.

The rapid growth of the marine tourism is leading to many environmental challenges: plastic waste pollution, coral reef degradation and ecosystem imbalance.

To mitigate the harmful effects of plastic waste on tourism, over the years, many marine conservation projects have been underway to restore natural ecosystems, such as coral reef restoration project in Nha Trang; marine conservation management program in Cu Lao Cham; and "Join hands for the blue sea" campaigns. Recently, nearly 10,000 volunteers have created a "green wave" spreading across 28 provinces and cities across Vietnam for the "Joint action for the blue sea" campaign.

The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism has issued a set of criteria to guide environmental protection for tourism and service establishments. By the end of this year, 100% of tourist areas and establishments will not use disposable plastic products and hard-to-decompose nylon bags.