Zinc oxide (ZnO) nanobelts synthesized by thermal evaporation have been ion implanted with 30 keV ${\mathrm{Mn}}^{+}$ ions. Both transmission electron microscopy and photoluminescence investigations show highly defective material directly after the implantation process. Upon annealing to 800 °C, the implanted Mn remains in the ZnO nanobelts and the matrix recovers both in structure and luminescence. The produced high-quality ZnO:Mn nanobelts are potentially useful for spintronics.