Impact of tourism on the environment at moc chau districts, son la province, viet nam

Location Map of Moc Chau district, Son La province https://earth.google.com/web Currently, the natural environment of Moc Chau still retains the advantages that nature offers, but with

THAI NGUYEN UNIVERSITY

UNIVERSITY OF AGRICULTURE AND FORESTRY

NGUYEN THI XUAN

IMPACT OF TOURISM ON THE ENVIRONMENT

AT MOC CHAU DISTRICT, SON LA PROVINCE, VIET NAM

BACHELOR THESIS

Study Mode: Full-time

Faculty : Advanced Education Program Batch : 2015 - 2019

Thai Nguyen, 09/2019

DOCUMENTATION PAGE WITH ABSTRACT Thai Nguyen University of Agriculture and Forestry Degree Program Bachelor of Environmental Science and Management

Student Name Nguyen Thi Xuan

Thesis Title Impact of tourism on the environment at Moc Chau districts,

Son La province, Viet Nam

Supervisors Prof Dang Van Minh

Supervisors' Signature

Abstract:

Moc Chau, located in the northwest part of Vietnam is known for its ecotourism sites With the cool weather and culture-rich places to visit, Moc Chau has attracted local and foreign tourists The district offers a great deal of environment-related tours and activities, and ecotourism sites to visit and experience

Due to the increasing number of visitors, Moc Chau has been under construction

of roads, hotels and more Because of activities as homestays, some parts of the forests has been cut off turned into gardens for growing vegetables that are being used to cook meals for hill tribe homestay visitors

Development is needed in a country, but if not sustainable, the ability of future generations to meet their needs would be compromised Balance is always required in every aspect of developing, whether in one’s self or countrywide

Tourism has both positive and negative effects; it all depends on how it is handled The negative impacts of tourism development can gradually destroy environmental resources on which it depends On the other hand, tourism has the potential to create beneficial effects on the environment by contributing to environmental protection and conservation It is a way to raise awareness of environmental values and it can serve as a tool to finance protection of natural areas

The awareness of the people living and visiting in Moc Chau is also of great deal and issue

Keywords Environmental impact; Environmental awareness; Tourism

Numbers of pages 60

Date of submission September 20, 2019

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

Graduate internship time is a very important time for each student This is the time to consolidate and review system the knowledge learned and apply theory into practice, and helping students to improve their knowledge and working methods in order to meet requires scientific research practice

With the agreement of the School-board, Advanced Education Program, I have researched the subject: "Impact of tourism on the environment at Moc Chau districts, Son La province, Vietnam"

I sincerely thank the teachers who have given me valuable knowledge throughout the process of learning and training at the school, helping me improve

my ability to meet the requirements of a student after graduation

Thank you, Prof Dr Dang Van Minh devotedly instructed and

instructed me to complete this graduation thesis

To Advanced Education Program, Thai Nguyen University of Agriculture

and Forestry, including Dr Duong Ngoc Duong and the thoughtful staff,

sincerest thank you for the help and opportunity to conduct this research

I would like to express my sincere thanks to Moc Chau districts staff, Son

La province for facilitating me during my internship

Due to limited time and limited capacity, the dissertation cannot be avoided errors, I am looking forward to receiving the comments of teachers and friends so that my thesis will be improved Thank you sincerely!

Nguyen Thi Xuan

TABLE OF CONTENTS

DOCUMENTATION PAGE WITH ABSTRACT i

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT iii

TABLE OF CONTENTS iv

LIST OF FIGURES vii

LIST OF TABLES viii

LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS ix

PART I INTRODUCTION 1

1.1 Research Rationale 1

1.2 Research's objectives 3

1.3 Research Questions 3

1.4 Limitations 3

1.5 Definition 4

PART II LITERATURE REVIEW 5

2.1 Basic Concepts 5

2.2 Characteristic of the Tourism Industry 6

2.3 Tourism Environment 8

2.3.1 Structure of the Tourism Environment 9

2.3.2 Relationship between Tourism and Environment 11

2.4 Impact of Tourism on the Environment 12

2.4.1 The Positive Impacts 12

2.4.2 The Sources of Travel Impact the Environment 17

2.4.3 The Potential Impacts of the Tourism Development Project 18

PART III METHODOLOGY 20

3.1 Object and Scope of the Study 20

3.1.1 Research Object 20

3.1.2 Research Scope 20

3.2 Time and Locale of the Study 20

3.3 Research Content 20

3.4 Research Methods 20

PART IV RESULTS 22

4.1 Status of Tourism Development in Moc Chau 22

4.1.1 Status of Traveler to Moc Chau Tourist Area 22

4.1.2 System of the Residence in Moc Chau Tourist Area 24

4.1.3 Restaurant Facilities and Services 25

4.2 Assess the quality of environment in Moc Chau tourism area 26

4.2.1 Soil environment quality 26

4.2.2 Water environment quality 28

4.3 Assess the Impact of Tourism Activities on the Environment 30

4.3.1 Sources of Waste Generation 30

4.3.2 Waste Composition 31

4.3.3 Amount of Waste Generation 33

4.3.4 Domestic Wastewater from Tourism Activities 33

4.3.5 Other Environmental Issues: Noise, Ecosystems, The Impact of Tourism Activities on Social Issues (social evils, ect.) 34

4.4 Assessment of Moc Chau Tourism Environment by Tourists 35

4.4.1 Travelers Opinions about Waste Collection and Treatment 35

4.4.2 Travelers Opinions about the Tourism Environment 36

4.5 Raising Awareness 37

4.6 Solutions for Developing Sustainable Tourism 39

PART V DISCUSSION, CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATION 40

5.1 Discussion and Conclusion 40

5.2 Recommendations 41

REFERENCES 42

APPENDICES 44

LIST OF FIGURES

Figure 1.1 Location Map of Moc Chau district, Son La province 2Figure 2.1 Diagram of the environmental impact on tourism 11Figure 2.2 Diagram of the impact of tourism activities on the environment 12Figure 4.1 Chart of waste composition ratio in Moc Chau tourist area (2019) 32Figure 4.2 Assessment of waste collection, treatment and tourism according to

tourist opinion 35

LIST OF TABLES

Table 4.1 Number of tourists in Moc Chau during 2016-2018 and estimated

for 2019 22

Table 4.2 Summary of some accommodation establishments of Moc Chau tourist area 24

Table 4.3 System of some restaurants in Moc Chau district tourist area 26

Table 4.4 Quality of soil environment in Moc Chau 27

Table 4.5 Surface water quality in Moc Chau 29

Table 4.6 Sources of domestic waste generated in Moc Chau tourist area 30

Table 4.7 Waste component in Moc Chau tourist area 32

Table 4.8 Waste generation 33

Table 4.9 Volume of wastewater generation in Moc Chau 34

Table 4.10 Environmental quality assessment at the resort 36

LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS

Organization

PART I INTRODUCTION

1.1 Research Rationale

Since ancient times in human history, tourism has been recognized as a hobby, a positive activity of human rest Today, tourism has become an indispensable need in socio-cultural life and is strongly developing into a spearhead economic sector in many countries around the world Vietnam has all the factors to develop the tourism industry to become a key economic industry, Vietnam has a rich and diverse tourism potential In 2011, Vietnam has 7 UNESCO world heritage sites including Ho Dynasty Citadel, Thang Long Imperial Citadel, Hue Monuments Complex, Halong Bay, Hoi An Ancient Town,

My Son Sanctuary, and Phong Nha - Ke Bang National Park Also, there are many other tourist destinations and now Moc Chau is one of the key tourist areas

of the country

Located in the northwestern part of the country, Moc Chau is a highland district of Son La province, a humble land, quietly but hides many wonders of the natural scenery The natural scenery of Moc Chau is combined with human creativity along with the topography of the mountains, the green o f the forest, like a picture arranged in a harmonious composition creating an area with lots of scenery, attractive dreaming

Moc Chau is a district of Sơn La Province in the Northwest region of Vietnam The district had a population of 118,867, and the district covers an area

of 2,025 km² (Districts of Vietnam, 2003)

Moc Chau has many beautiful natural landscapes and is an attractive tourist and resort destination for most domestic and foreign tourists Moc Chau is

popular with Vietnamese and international tourists for its hill tribes such as White & Back of Thai People and Muong People, the green tea hills, Moc Chau milk, the natural landscape of Dai Yem waterfalls, Hill Pine and Orchid Garden flowers Here, there is an invaluable resource that is a cool fresh climate, with many diverse nuances Located at an average altitude of 1500m - 1800m, Moc Chau climate has more or less a temperate zone, with an average temperature of

with a distance of 200 kilometers from Hanoi to Moc Chau

Figure 1.1 Location Map of Moc Chau district, Son La province

(https://earth.google.com/web)

Currently, the natural environment of Moc Chau still retains the advantages that nature offers, but with the rapid development of the tourism industry in recent years, the number of tourists coming to Moc Chau has increased And to response need of visitors of travelers accommodation facilities, restaurants, recreation areas built, tourist sites remodeled These tourism activities have greatly affected the environment of Moc Chau tourist area

Due to increasing number of visitors, Moc Chau has been under construction

of roads, hotels and more Because of activities as homestays, some parts of the forests has been cut off and the rice paddies turned into gardens for growing vegetables that are being used to cook meals for hill tribe homestay visitors Therefore, it has a great impact on the environment as well as the ecosystem

Based on this practical requirement within the framework of the thesis

entitled "Impact of tourism on the environment at Moc Chau district, Son La

1.2 Research's objectives

The main goals of our thesis are as follows:

- To determine the influence of tourism activities on the tourism environment of Moc Chau district, Son La province

- Proposing some solutions to minimize the risk of environmental pollution due to tourism activities in the tourist resort of Moc Chau district, Son La province

1.3 Research Questions

This study answered the following questions:

- What is the current status of Moc Chau tourism?

- What is the environmental quality of Moc Chau area?

- Solutions to minimize the impact of tourism on Moc Chau environment?

1.4 Limitations

The study was conducted in the Moc Chau district, Son La province, Vietnam The study focuses on environmental management activities of selected tourism sites, but also provides some environmental issues due to ecotourism activities

Although the study has achieved its goal, there are still some limitations that affect the research process and results Because the time for conducting research is short, the research process has not been detailed and specific On the other hand, finding the exact location of each respondent is very time-consuming, and also the willingness of the respondents to be interviewed and their honesty as well when it comes to answering all the written survey questions

1.5 Definition

All information and concepts of the given project are accurate, thereby reflecting the real situation of tourism in Moc Chau and helping managers come

up with some solutions to exploit Moc Chau's tourism potential

Knowledge: Awareness, understanding, or information that has been obtained by experience or study, and that is either in a person's mind or possessed

by people generally (Cambridge Advanced Learner’s Dictionary & Thesaurus © Cambridge University Press, 2019)

Environmental impacts 1 : Possible adverse effects caused by a development, agricultural, industrial, or infrastructural project or by the release of a substance in the environment

Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA): Is a predictive tool, a follow-up stage is important in order to identify actual impacts that have arisen, implement corrective measures where necessary, and to learn from the experience gained The monitoring and evaluation of the impacts of a project or plan (that has been subject

to EIA) for management of, and communication about, the environmental performance of that project or plan (Morrison-Saunders and Arts, 2004)

1 http://www.businessdictionary.com/definition/environmental-impact.html

PART II LITERATURE REVIEW

World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) in 2010, definition of tourism:

"Tourism comprises the activities of persons traveling to and staying in places outside their usual environment for not more than one consecutive year for leisure, business and other purposes."

Tourism is activities connected with trips taken by people outside their habitual residences aimed at satisfying their needs for sightseeing, study, leisure

or recreation in a certain period of time (Tourism Law of the Socialist Republic

of Vietnam, 2005)

Mathieson and Wall (1982) created a good working definition of tourism

as "the temporary movement of people to destinations outside their normal places

of work and residence, the activities were undertaken during their stay in those destinations, and the facilities created to cater to their needs."

Sustainable tourism is the development of tourism that meets current needs without compromising the ability to meet future travel needs (Tourism Law of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam, 2005)

The United Nations (1963) defines tourism as follows: “Tourism is a collection of activities, services and industries that delivers a travel experience, including transportation, accommodations, eating and drinking establishments,

retail shops, entertainment businesses, activity facilities and other hospitality services provided for individuals or groups traveling away from home"

According to the World Conservation Union (IUCN) in 1996: Tourism is

a social, cultural and economic phenomenon which entails the movement of people to countries or places outside their usual environment for personal or business/professional purposes These people are called visitors (which may be either tourists or excursionists; residents or non- residents) and tourism has to do with their activities, some of which imply tourism expenditure

Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) is a process of evaluating the likely environmental impacts of a proposed project or development, taking into account inter-related socio-economic, cultural and human-health impacts, both beneficial and adverse (United Nations Environment Programme)

2.2 Characteristic of the Tourism Industry

All tourism development projects are implemented on the basis of exploiting the values of natural, cultural and historical tourism resources together with the infrastructure and associated services The result of the exploitation process is the formation of tourism products from the potential of resources, bringing many benefits to society

First, there are socio-economic benefits, creating more job-hunting opportunities, improving the local community's economic life through tourism services, facilitating the preservation of cultural values, historical and diversity of nature where tourism development activities Next, the benefits for visitors in enjoying the strange natural landscapes, cultural and historical traditions

Basic features of the tourism industry include:

- Interdisciplinary

Multidisciplinarity is expressed in the object of exploitation for tourism (attraction of natural landscape, historical, cultural values, infrastructure and associated services .) Social income from tourism also generates revenue for many different economic sectors through products and services provided to tourists (electricity, water, agricultural products, goods )

- Multi-component

Expressed in the diversity of tourists, people serving tourism, the communities in the resort, governmental and non-governmental organizations involved in tourism activities

- Multi-purpose

Expressed in the diverse benefits of nature conservation, cultural and historical landscape, improving the quality of life of tourists and service participants, expanding cultural and economic exchanges and improve the good awareness of all members of society

- Cost

The manifestation is that the purpose of tourists traveling is to enjoy tourism products, not to make money

2.3 Tourism Environment

* Tourism environment concept

The tourism environment includes a combination of natural, economic and human factors in which tourism activities exist and develop

socio-Tourism activities have a close relationship with the environment, exploiting the characteristics of the environment to serve the purpose of development and the impact that changes the environmental characteristics

The existence and development of tourism as an economic industry is associated with the ability to exploit resources and exploit the characteristics of the surrounding environment Therefore, tourism activities are closely related to the environment in a broad sense The beautiful landscapes of nature such as mountains, rivers, the sea cultural values such as monuments, architectural works or the characteristics and condition of the surrounding environment are potentials capabilities and conditions for tourism development In contrast, to a certain extent, tourism activities create new environments or contribute to improving the environment such as the construction of amusement parks, green parks, artificial lakes, and villages culture of tourism Thus, it is clear that tourism and environment activities have reciprocal, reciprocal and if-exploited impacts, unreasonable tourism development will likely cause decline in the value

of resources, reducing environmental quality and also reducing the effectiveness

of tourism itself

Any activity of tourism has a two-way impact on its environment Therefore, in tourism activities, it is necessary to have the most appropriate planning, policies and projects to minimize the impact on the environment

2.3.1 Structure of the Tourism Environment

* Natural tourism environment:

An integral part of the tourism environment, including a collection of natural (organic) and non-living natural (inorganic) objects Including natural objects not yet affected by humans and natural objects affected by human beings, renovated to different degrees, but still preserving part or all of their properties self-recovery and development The natural tourism environment is the entire space and territory including natural factors such as land, water, air, terrestrial and aquatic fauna, and natural landscape architectural works, place where tourism activities are conducted

The natural environment has great significance for the development and diversification of tourism activities, paving the way for the development of tourism areas For example, famous tourist areas such as Phong Nha - Ke Bang,

Ha Long, Moc Chau and Da Lat… are destinations based on natural environment with unique natural landscapes Because the basic components of the natural environment are necessary for tourism activities and have a great appeal to visitors, "they" are directly exploited for the purpose of business travel The basic factors and conditions of the natural tourism environment that have the most

2 Nguyen Dinh Hoe, Vu Van Hieu (2001), “Sustainable tourism”, National University Ha Noi Publisher, Hanoi

significant impacts on tourism are geographical location, geological environment

- geomorphology, water environment, air environment, biological environment

* Humanistic tourism environment

Humanistic tourism environment is a part of tourism environment directly related to people and the community, including elements of population and ethnicity Associated with the elements of population and ethnicity are traditions, community relations, historical and cultural factors… When we stand from the perspective of the environment, those are positive elements of the tourism environment because this is not only the object of tourism but also the factor that creates the attraction of the tourism environment because of its diverse forms of traditional humanistic values of different ethnic communities In addition, the development of cultural factors, effective exploitation of human resources (historical relics, world heritages, festivals, cuisine, ethnic culture, ) Tourism is also an effective way to enhance human values and increase favorable conditions

to attract tourists

* Socio-economic tourism environment

The socio-economic environment is the entire context, economic and social activities of a country, region or the whole world When considering socio-economic environment, it is necessary to consider clearly factors such as policy institutions, science and technology development level, level of infrastructure development, urban and industrial environment, level of people's lives, social order and safety, social organizations and environmental management

2.3.2 Relationship between Tourism and Environment

Tourism and the environment are interrelated and inseparable The development of any economic sector is also associated with environmental issues This is particularly significant for the development of a highly interdisciplinary, inter-regional, and highly socialized economy like tourism The environment is considered as an important factor that directly affects the quality and attractiveness of tourism products, thereby affecting the ability to attract visitors, the existence of tourism activities

Figure 2.1 Diagram of the environmental impact on tourism

(Vietnam Association for Conversion of Nature and Environment, 2010)

Tourism development means increasing the number of tourists, increasing infrastructure, services and increasing the demand for natural resources, thereby leading to an increase in tourism pressure to the environment In many cases, due to the rapid growth of tourism activities beyond the awareness and management capacity, the pressure on the responsiveness of natural resources and environment has been created, causing local pollution and risk of long-term recession

Figure 2.2 Diagram of the impact of tourism activities on the environment

(Vietnam Association for Conversion of Nature and Environment, 2010)

2.4 Impact of Tourism on the Environment

2.4.1 The Positive Impacts

• Contribute to ensuring water quality in and outside the tourism development area if technical solutions in water supply and drainage are applied Properly designing the water supply and drainage systems of tourist resorts will reduce the pressure to pollute the water environment through the consolidation of

3 Bui Thi Hai Yen, Pham Hong Long (2007), “Tourism resources”, Vietnam Education Publishing House.

infrastructure Especially in the case of tourism development areas located upstream

of river basins, the issue of water conservation will be more effective if the development activities here are well planned and handled reasonable technique;

• Contribute to the improvement of microclimate conditions through projects that often require the creation of additional gardens, landscaped parks, artificial waterfalls and lakes;

• Contribute to increasing the level of biodiversity in tourist destinations through projects that develop landscape green parks, bird sanctuaries or conserve biodiversity through activities Artificial farming for tourism;

• Add beauty to the tourism development area of the works are harmoniously coordinated;

• Limiting the local spread of pollution in the region if synchronized technical solutions are properly applied (for example, for coastal fishing villages

in the area planned to develop into a marine tourism area, etc.)

* Humanistic and social environment

• Contribute to regional economic growth

• Create more jobs, increase income for a part of local community (directly or indirectly participating in tourism activities)

• Contribute to improving the conditions of infrastructure and social services for the locality (health, entertainment, etc.) together with tourism development activities

• Contribute to promoting traditional craft villages

• Preserving and developing traditional culture (folk songs, traditional musical instruments, traditional traditions, etc.)

• Creating favorable conditions for the cultural exchange process between ethnic groups and communities

* Natural environment

• The ability to provide clean water for domestic use and wastewater treatment is not commensurate with the ability to assimilate pollution of the local water environment, problems arising in solving solid waste elimination In all cases it is important to note that tourists, especially those from developed countries, often use more water and other resources, and the amount of waste per capita is often larger than that of the local population;

• Increasing pressure on land resources in coastal areas which have been very limited due to exploitation and use for the purpose of construction of wharves, ports, aquaculture and urban development The effects of a tourist seasonal mechanical population increase may have adverse effects on the coastal environment;

• Ecosystems and island environments are sensitive and vulnerable to the pressure of tourism development There is often a unique flora and fauna system that can be replaced by new species from elsewhere in the process of development Natural resources such as coral reefs, seaweed areas, mangrove forests; fisheries and other livelihoods on the islands may be changed for the worse due to unreasonable tourism development;

• Areas with high biodiversity such as tropical forests with many rare animals, waterfalls, caves, landscapes and geothermal areas are often very attractive to visitors, but also vulnerable to tourism development, especially when developing tourism to an overload;

• The life and habitats of wildlife can be affected by the large number of tourists arriving at important points in the life cycle (migration, feeding, breeding, nesting, etc.)

* Humanistic environment

• The traditional cultural values of many communities in the high mountainous areas are often unique but easily changed due to their exposure to strange cultures and the tendency to market cultural activities, due to a conflict that arises when developing tourism, or because of contrasting lifestyle

• Archaeological historical and cultural heritages are often constructed with materials easily damaged by the effects of tropical monsoon climate in Vietnam These heritage sites are often distributed on narrow areas, easily degraded by the impact of tourists who visit without protection measures

• Due to the seasonal nature of tourism, peak demand may exceed local infrastructure and public service capacity, typically as a result of traffic congestion water supply-demand, energy, capacity of wastewater treatment system, solid waste treatment exceed local capacity

• Thematic tourism activities such as archeology may arise in conflict with traditional local religious activities

• The construction of hotels may cause unintended relocation and relocation of the locals

• Activities due to the design and construction of tourism facilities may arise due to the lack of harmony in landscape and socio-culture The negative impacts of developing tourism technical facilities on the aesthetic value resources are also likely to arise

• Unintentionally spreading social negative and illnesses to managers and businesses

• Conflicts easily arise between tourists and local people due to the unequal distribution of benefits and costs of tourism in many cases

• New demands arise in ensuring national security and social safety Tourism development affects the economic, cultural and cultural environment of the region Tourism generates income, budget, creates jobs, sources of foreign currency That helps to improve the living standards of the local community On the contrary, it can cause economic disruption and employment if tourism activities only focus on one or several separate areas of the country or regions are not paired with the corresponding development of other regions For example, an increase in the price of land and goods and services in the tourism area could devalue the currency, putting financial pressure on people in the region People in many tourist centers can turn into cheap labor, seasonal temporary

One of the basic functions of tourism is cultural exchange between communities When traveling, visitors always want to penetrate local cultural activities But if penetration with a legitimate purpose is abused, the penetration turns into abuse On the other hand, to satisfy the needs of tourists, because of the great economic benefits, traditional cultural activities are performed in an unnatural or professional manner or make fun of tourists Traditional occupations are sometimes forgotten, especially young people today, who are increasingly rejecting traditions and changing the way they live in fashion

2.4.2 The Sources of Travel Impact the Environment

Sources of environmental impact include all phenomena, activities in the project and other activities related to the project They have the potential to create environmental impacts and often include the following 4 groups of factors:

- The sources of impact of the proposed arrangement of construction work

in the tourism development project:

- Sources of input impacts of tourism development projects:

• Activities of renovating and upgrading or building new infrastructure, material and technical facilities in service of tourism (roads, water and energy supply systems, waste collection and treatment systems, )

• Activities of exploiting materials and construction activities of workers;

• Service activities (transportation, post and telecommunications, healthcare, insurance, )

- Sources of impact during the development phase of the project:

• Planning and surface preparation (emigrant, smooth the surface, );

• Implementation of planning: construction investment, construction, ;

• Post-construction tourism activities: sports, swimming, visiting national parks, protected areas, tourism service activities, tourism service activities, management activities, operational programs another action

- Limitations of the project:

• Pollutant load from tourism service facilities;

• Polluted water sources (wastewater, sea water, lake water);

• Waste from recreation facilities, transportation services, water, aviation, affecting the air and water environment, soil and ecosystems

2.4.3 The Potential Impacts of the Tourism Development Project

The environmental impacts of a tourism project are considered through two phases: the planning stage, the site preparation and the operation phase of the project The first phase stops after the completion of construction items according to the planning in the framework of the project, the next stage begins from the stage of project management and exploitation

According to Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA), the potential impacts of a tourism development project include:

Impacts during the preparation of project activities (considered as temporary impacts) such as:

• Impacts on land use structure and landscape of the area due to site preparation activities for the project, especially in wetlands and tropical forests;

• Increasing the level of air pollution (noise, dust due to ground preparation activities ) water pollution (surface water is polluted by waste and construction scraps .) and pollution soil (eroded and structural changes due to excavation prepared for construction)

• Destroying coastal sandy beaches due to exploitation for construction purposes

• Destroying coral reefs by exploitation as construction materials or by waterway transport;

• Destroying plant ecosystems due to construction site preparation activities, affecting fauna systems due to loss of habitat or noise affecting living practices

• The socio-economic situation was disturbed, the traditional culture was affected, the community health hygiene was affected

Impacts due to the project's operating process (considered as long-term impacts):

• Surface water flow and groundwater volume are changed;

• Water pollution due to waste;

• Changes in microclimate conditions and associated air pollution;

• Changes in the stratigraphic structure of the area;

• Changes in the composition of natural ecosystems;

• Losing habitat and the conditions to sustain the life of ecosystems due to sports, hunting, fishing ;

• Harming biodiversity by overexploiting to serve the needs of guests;

• There are also other impacts on other socio-economic environments

PART III METHODOLOGY

3.1 Object and Scope of the Study

3.1.1 Research Object

Study the impact of tourism activities on the environment in Moc Chau tourist area, Son La province

3.1.2 Research Scope

Tourist area in Moc Chau district, Son La province

3.2 Time and Locale of the Study

This dissertation was done in three months from March 2019 to May 2019 The locale of the study: Moc Chau district, Sơn La province in the Northwest region of Vietnam

3.3 Research Content

Studying the current situation of tourism activities in Moc Chau

Assess the status of environmental quality in Moc Chau tourist area and its impact on the environment

Proposing solutions for sustainable tourism development

3.4 Research Methods

Methods of collecting secondary data on natural, economic, social, cultural and natural conditions by investigating and collecting data at agencies such as Division of Natural Resources and Environment, Cultural Department, Economic Department, Moc Chau Urban Environmental Enterprise, ect

Methods of collecting primary data: interviewing in the form of a questionnaire to obtain complete and accurate results according to the content and objectives set by the subject within the specified time I chose the method

survey and interview with tourists From these ideas helps us clearly see the quality of the environment and provide solutions for sustainable tourism development A total of 30 votes of tourists, including 10 local people, 15 tourists (5 foreign tourists, 10 domestic tourists), and 5 business tourism will be interviewed by the researcher

investigation

- At each survey point, the direct interview method was applied with visitors and tourists

Data processing methods:

research results are presented