HOI AN (VNS) — Cham Island, 18km off the coast of Hoi An, will host a series programmes to mark the fifth anniversary of its recognition as a world biosphere reserve by UNESCO from Friday to Monday.

The central city's Culture and Sports Centre said the island would also debut a new tourism rest-stop in Cam hamlet.

A photo exhibition of the Cham Island Marine conservation centre and the Hoang Sa (Paracel) and Truong Sa (Spratly) archipelagoes will be held.

The island management board will also complete a five-year campaign to ban plastic bags.

Cham Island with a population of 3,000 hosts about 100,000 tourists annually, 10 per cent of them foreigners. However, it is not yet connected to the power grid. — VNS