🏝 ECO TOURISM – WEEK 3 TUTORIAL
Case Discovery: Cần Giờ
🎯 Learning Objectives for Today
By the end of the class, students should be able to:
Apply economic sustainability concepts to a real case
Identify social trade-offs in tourism development
Map stakeholder power and interest
Recognize sustainability as political negotiation
Critically evaluate the “eco” label
🕒 TOTAL: 2 HOURS
🔥 0–10 MIN: Framing Without Giving Away the Case
Write on board:
“A UNESCO Biosphere Reserve located 1 hour from HCMC is about to undergo
major tourism development.”
Ask:
What does UNESCO Biosphere Reserve mean?
What kinds of development are appropriate in such areas?
Can large-scale tourism coexist with ecological protection?
Do NOT mention Cần Giờ yet.
🔎 10–30 MIN: Guided Research Discovery
Divide class into groups of 3–4.
Give them this instruction:
“You have 20 minutes to investigate the tourism development plans for Cần
Giờ.”
Provide prompts:
1. What type of project is being proposed?
2. Who is leading the project?
3. How large is it?
4. What are the stated economic benefits?
5. What environmental concerns exist?
6. Is it positioned as eco-tourism?
They must use phones/laptops.
You circulate and guide:
“Look for scale of land reclamation.”
“Look at mangrove status.”
“Look at investor name.”
“Look at infrastructure details.”
Let them discover:
Sea reclamation (~2,800 ha)
Vingroup involvement
Urban-tourism complex
Biosphere Reserve status
Real estate + tourism mix
This discovery phase is crucial.
💬 30–45 MIN: First Reaction Discussion
Bring class back.
Ask:
Were you surprised?
Does this align with your idea of eco-tourism?
What feels conflicting?
Write student reactions on board.
Do NOT judge.
Let tension surface organically.
💰 45–65 MIN: Economic Sustainability Analysis
Now structure the thinking.
Each group answers:
1. What are the economic promises of this project?
o Jobs?
o Infrastructure?
o Tax revenue?
o Real estate appreciation?
2. What are the economic risks?
o Dependency?
o Climate exposure?
o Leakage?
o Speculation?
3. Is this long-term resilience or short-term growth?
Then introduce a shock:
“Sea-level rise projections increase. Insurance costs triple.”
Ask:
Does the economic model still hold?
🌱 65–85 MIN: Environmental Systems Analysis
Draw on board:
Mangroves provide:
Carbon sequestration
Flood protection
Fisheries
Biodiversity
Ask:
What happens if even part of the mangrove system is altered?
Can artificial engineering replace natural protection?
Is ecosystem service pricing adequate?
Push deeper:
If GDP rises but storm vulnerability increases, is that sustainable?
This connects directly to systems thinking.
👥 85–105 MIN: Stakeholder Power Mapping
Now introduce stakeholder framework formally.
On board draw 2x2:
Power (High/Low)
Interest (High/Low)
Students place:
Developer (Vingroup)
HCMC Government
Local fishermen
Local tourism SMEs
UNESCO
Environmental NGOs
Urban property buyers
Future generations
Ask:
Who has highest power?
Who bears highest environmental risk?
Who is least represented?
Then ask:
Is sustainability decided by science — or by power?
This is the intellectual turning point.
⚖️105–115 MIN: Structured Debate
Motion:
“The Cần Giờ project is economically sustainable.”
Half class argues YES
Half argues NO
Rules:
Must reference economic, social, AND environmental dimensions.
Must reference stakeholders.
No emotional arguments.
🧠 115–120 MIN: Final Reflection
Ask them to write:
1. Has your definition of eco-tourism changed?
2. Who defines sustainability in real projects?
3. Can mega-development ever be eco-tourism?
Collect or discuss.
🎓 Why This Structure Works
They discover facts themselves
They confront scale
They apply TBL
They apply leakage
They apply stakeholder theory
They see governance tension
They experience trade-offs
It feels real, not hypothetical
💡 If You Want to Elevate It Further
End with this question:
Is eco-tourism sometimes used as a branding tool to legitimize large-scale
development?
That will stretch stronger students.
You can use these to steer discussion.
🔥 PART 1: Initial Framing
“Can large-scale tourism coexist with a UNESCO Biosphere
Reserve?”
Strong Analytical Direction:
Students should realize:
A Biosphere Reserve is not a national park.
It allows economic activity.
But it requires zoning:
o Core protection zone
o Buffer zone
o Transition zone
Key tension:
Is 2,800 hectares of sea reclamation consistent with the spirit of biosphere
conservation?
If students say “UNESCO allows development” — push them:
Does “allowed” mean ecologically optimal?
🔎 PART 2: Guided Research – What They Should Discover
1️⃣ What type of project?
Large-scale coastal urban tourism complex
Sea reclamation
Mixed-use: tourism + real estate + entertainment
2️⃣ Who is leading?
Major private developer (Vingroup)
Backed by HCMC government
3️⃣ Scale?
~2,800 hectares reclaimed land
Massive compared to existing eco-tourism footprint
Push them:
Scale matters in sustainability.
💰 PART 3: Economic Sustainability Analysis
What are the economic promises?
Strong answers:
Job creation
Infrastructure investment
Increased tax revenue
Real estate appreciation
International branding
Diversification from traditional mangrove eco-visits
What are the economic risks?
Good students should identify:
Climate risk (coastal vulnerability)
Dependency on high-end tourism
Real estate speculation bubble
Infrastructure maintenance costs
Leakage if high-end operators dominate
Insurance cost escalation
Push deeper:
Is this economic resilience — or coastal financial exposure?
Shock: Insurance Costs Triple
Strong conclusion:
The economic model becomes fragile if:
Property values depend on climate stability
Maintenance of sea walls becomes costly
Insurance becomes unaffordable
Tourism demand fluctuates
This reveals:
Short-term GDP ≠ long-term sustainability.
🌱 PART 4: Environmental Systems Analysis
What do mangroves provide?
Students should mention:
Storm surge protection
Carbon sequestration
Biodiversity
Nursery grounds for fisheries
Coastal stabilization
Push them:
These are ecosystem services that have economic value but are not priced
properly.
Can engineering replace mangroves?
Strong critical answer:
Artificial sea walls are expensive
Maintenance-intensive
Less adaptive than natural systems
Climate change increases uncertainty
Conclusion direction:
Replacing natural systems increases long-term risk.
👥 PART 5: Stakeholder Mapping – What You Want Them to See
High Power / High Interest:
Vingroup
HCMC Government
High Interest / Low Power:
Local fishermen
Small tourism operators
Future generations
High Power / Low Direct Interest:
Urban investors
Moral Complexity:
UNESCO has symbolic power but limited enforcement power.
Critical Insight You Want Them to Reach:
Sustainability is shaped by:
Capital concentration
Political alignment
Long-term vs short-term incentives
Not by ecological science alone.
⚖️Debate Motion:
“The Cần Giờ project is economically sustainable.”
Strong YES Arguments:
Infrastructure multiplier effect
Diversifies tourism offering
Generates jobs
Enhances HCMC’s competitiveness
Can integrate green design
Raises tax base
Strong NO Arguments:
Climate vulnerability
Overconcentration of capital
Long-term maintenance burden
Real estate speculation > tourism value
Environmental degradation risk
Public infrastructure cost socialization
🧠 Final Reflection Question:
“Has your definition of eco-tourism changed?”
Strong student evolution:
Initial:
Eco-tourism = nature tourism.
After discussion:
Eco-tourism = governance model + scale + stakeholder equity + resilience.
🎯 The Deeper Insight You Want Them to Reach
1. Sustainability is not technical.
2. It is political.
3. It is about power distribution.
4. It is about time horizon.
5. It is about resilience under shock.
If they leave class thinking:
“Sustainability depends on who decides and who benefits.”
Then you won.