A Vietnamese firm is seeking for an approval from local authorities to open a direct cruise route from the central city of Da Nang to the Cham Islands off Hoi An, a tourist city in Quang Nam Province.

The company, known as Ca Voi Xanh (Blue Whale), is based in Da Nang.

Ca Voi Xanh had an official meeting with the Quang Nam People's Committee to put forward the idea of launching a Da Nang – Cham Islands cruise tour on the company’s pleasure boats on Tuesday, according to provincial officials.

Nguyen Bach Khoa, a representative of Ca Voi Xanh, said that the plan is built up on the needs of tourists to travel directly from Da Nang to the Cham Islands, instead of going to Hoi An City before boarding speedboats at Cua Dai to the islands like at the present time.

According to its plan, Ca Voi Xanh will carry passengers on the company’s four 12-seat cruises, a pair of 150-seat ships, 11 speedboats and five sailboats.

In addition, watercraft and parasailing will also be employed for sea sports and island-touring activities in the tour.

Originally, the project was planned to collect passengers at Bai Bac, a strict conservation area on the Cham Islands, according to Khoa.

“But the company realized that the cruise route can leave heavy impacts on the conservation of ecological diversity, especially the marine turtle conservation project, which is currently implemented on the islands,” the representative explained.

“The pick-up point will be changed to another place, which is far from the conservation areas if the proposal is approved,” he said.

Bai Bac – a strict conservation area on the Cham Islands. Photo: Tuoi Tre

On the other hand, Nguyen Van Dung, chairman of the Hoi An City People's Committee, suggested Ca Voi Xanh work with the management board of the Cham Islands Marine Protected Area to consider the project and then contact relevant authorities to submit specific consultation documents.

According to Nguyen Van Vu, head of international research and cooperation at the Cham Islands Marine Protected Area, many biodiversity conservation projects are being implemented on the Cham islands to restore the marine environment and to bring marine species back to their safe habitats.

“Therefore, if not carefully considered, the project will negatively impact the local ecosystem that many people have poured money and time into to save it over the past few years,” Vu said.

A short distance from the heart of Hoi An City, Cham Islands are located in Tan Hiep Village and it takes just 20 minutes to reach the islands by speedboat.

The islands were recognized by UNESCO as a World Biosphere Reserve Site in 2009.

At times there are so many visitors to the Cham Islands that the management board of the Cham Islands Marine Protected Area has decided to limit the number of tourists to the site to only 4,000 to 6,000 per day.

The Hoi An City People's Committee had a meeting with Ca Voi Xanh company on July 3, 2018. Photo: Tuoi Tre

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