Agricultural and Rural Development Minister Cao Duc Phat said at a meeting with Hanoi People’s Committee on October 11 that Hanoi should make a plan to exploit Soc Son district’s forest for tourism development.
In the longterm, forests should be used as a park of the city, he said. Although the forest land area in Soc Son is small but very significant to Hanoi, particularly ecological environment, he added.
Hanoi has also put forward proposals to use Son Son's forest as protective forest with a view to protecting the ecological environment in combination with developing convalescent tourism, raising economic efficiency of the forest.
The Soc Son 's forest is on 4,500 hectares, including 3,600 hectares of protective forest.
Soc Son district's forest is very precious to Hanoi, so it should be managed and used in an effective way, said Pham Quang Nghi, Hanoi Party Committee's Secretary. The city will give suitable priorities to local residents who have linked their lives with the forest land for years.
There are now more than 3,000 households living in the forest area in Soc Son who have planted thousands of hectares of forest for the past 20 years.