Unit 10. Ecotourism. Lesson 5. Listening

Unit 10
LISTENING
Ecotourism in the Mekong Delta
1. What do you know about the Mekong Delta? Work with a partner. Look at the pictures and decide which activities tourists can do there.
The Mekong Delta is in South Viet Nam. It is famous for its fertile land, vast rice fields and fruit orchards. This area includes 12 provinces and one city: Cần Thơ City, Tiền Giang, Hậu Giang, Vĩnh Long, Sóc Trăng, An Giang, Đồng Tháp, Long An, Bến Tre, Trà Vinh, Cà Mau, Bạc Liêu, and Kiên Giang.
2. Listen to a news report and choose the caption that best summarises the main idea.
a. How the Mekong Delta became an ecotourism destination
Audio script
While many sights in Viet Nam are hardly known to tourists, some farmers in the Mekong Delta have attracted hundreds of foreign visitors to their ecological gardens.
Ba Đức’s old house in Tiền Giang Province is one example. Before 2000, no visitor spent more than 15 minutes at his house, and very few tourists returned for a second visit. Then Ba Đức had an idea. He thought if tourists had more activities to do while visiting his house, they would stay longer. He then turned 2.5-hectare farm into an ecological garden, with a fish pond where tourists can go fishing. His wife started cooking home-made meals for the visitors and even teaching them how to cook local specialities. At present, Ba Đức welcomes around 100 visitors a day.
Similarly, Tư Bình of Vĩnh Long province turned his 2.1-hectare fish pond into an ecotourism destination in 2005. Tourists can now catch fish in the pond, but then they have to release the small ones back into the pond. He also kept several exotic birds and raised some African ostriches. Bird watching and ostrich riding became very popular activities for tourists to enjoy on his farm. Tư Bình now runs a very successful ecotourism business with around 300 visitors every day.
3. Listen again and answer the questions.
1. Because tourists did not have many interesting activities to do.
2. 100 tourists now visit his garden every day.
3. He started ecotourism activities to attract visitors in 2005.
4. They release small fish back into the pond.
5. Around 300 tourists now visit his farm every day.
4. Listen again. Complete the notes about the two farmers’ ecotourism places for tourists.
1. Ba Đức’s ecological garden:
Garden area:
…………………………..hectares
Activities for tourists:
a. visiting the old house
b. …………………………………
c. ………………………………….
d. ……........................................
2. Tư Bình’s ecological farm:
fish pond area:
………………………………hectares
Activities for tourists:
a. catching fish
b. ………………………………..
c. ………………………………..
2.5
catching fish
enjoying home-made meals
cooking local food/ learning how to cook local food
2.1
watching birds
riding ostriches
5. Work with a partner. Which of the activities mentioned in 4 would you enjoy doing the most if you took a tour to the Mekong Delta?