Dr. Tran Thi Hoang Mai - Director of Hai Phong Department of Culture and Sports
The global value of Cat Ba Archipelago
Madam, what has Hai Phong prepared to have Cat Ba recognized as a World Natural Heritage along with Ha Long Bay?
The journey to make Cat Ba a heritage site can be said to be quite long and arduous. In 2012, the Department of Culture and Sports coordinated with relevant departments and units to develop a nomination dossier. The Department proactively advised the city to complete the dossier, proposed the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism (MOCST) to submit and the Prime Minister ranked Cat Ba Archipelago as a special national monument in 2013.
Initially, Hai Phong independently developed a dossier for Cat Ba Archipelago to request UNESCO to recognize it as a world natural heritage. However, relevant agencies said that Cat Ba and Ha Long have many similarities, so it is necessary to consider building a dossier together with Ha Long Bay. Immediately after that, the Department actively advised the city to build a dossier to submit for recognition of the Ha Long - Cat Ba extended world natural heritage .
In the following years, the city coordinated with the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and Quang Ninh province to organize many conferences to build a dossier for the Ha Long - Cat Ba World Natural Heritage extension. The conferences had the participation of relevant ministries, branches, delegations, organizations under UNESCO... and experts to explain and clarify the value of the nominated heritage.
After more than 10 years of persistent efforts to build and complete the dossier, on September 16, 2023, in the capital Riyadh (Saudi Arabia), UNESCO nominated and recognized Ha Long Bay - Cat Ba Archipelago as a World Natural Heritage.
So, what are Cat Ba's outstanding global values, madam?
In 1994, Ha Long Bay was listed as a World Natural Heritage Site for its outstanding aesthetic value. The Cat Ba Archipelago has similarities in aesthetic value to Ha Long Bay. The outstanding value of this heritage is the karst limestone terrain submerged by the sea with countless majestic limestone towers and features of coastal erosion such as domes and caves. Together with the limestone mountains covered by primary tropical rainforest and the vast blue sea, it creates a very majestic landscape. Therefore, the expansion of the world natural heritage to include the Cat Ba Archipelago ensures the long-term integrity of this heritage site.
Ha Long Bay - Cat Ba Archipelago is also the most prominent and extensive example of sea-eroded tower karst topography and one of the most important areas in the world for Phong Linh tower and Phong Tung pyramid topography. This is a submerged tropical karst topography formed by Holocene sea level rise.
One of the characteristics of Phong Tung karst terrain is the large closed lakes, submerged lakes, some of which only appear at high tide. Caves are also one of the outstanding geological features of the heritage site with three main types of caves: ancient underground caves, ancient karst caves and frog-jaw caves. This is also an area that fully demonstrates the karst formation processes on a large scale and demonstrates a long period of geological evolution.
Lan Ha Bay in Cat Ba Archipelago
Developing green and smart Cat Ba tourism
With the global value of the heritage recognized, what policies and orientations does Hai Phong have to awaken the potential value of the heritage, combining the development of high-class tourism and cultural products?
Immediately after Cat Ba Archipelago was recognized as a World Natural Heritage, the Hai Phong City Party Committee and People's Committee assigned departments, branches and localities to carry out a number of tasks to promote the heritage's value.
Specifically, complete the Hai Phong City Tourism Development Project to 2025, with a vision to 2030, adding the goal of building Cat Ba into a green, smart international tourism center. Implement synchronous and comprehensive solutions to solve traffic congestion at Got ferry terminal and Cai Vieng ferry terminal. At the same time, build a passenger wharf in the city center to promote the transportation of passengers by waterway. In addition, strengthen the World Natural Heritage Management Board, implement Cat Ba tourism development projects...
Regarding the long-term plan, the city is implementing the planning for the preservation, restoration and rehabilitation of the Cat Ba Archipelago National Special Scenic Site; developing a plan and regulations for the management of the world natural heritage; continuing to research and develop a dossier to submit to UNESCO for expanded recognition of biodiversity value criteria.
Tourists visit the ancient fishing village of Viet Hai in Cat Ba Archipelago
In the coming time, how will Hai Phong City organize heritage management, especially linking the two heritage areas of Ha Long Bay - Cat Ba Archipelago?
The event of “Ha Long Bay - Cat Ba Archipelago” being recognized as a World Natural Heritage has a special significance for Hai Phong. This title affirms the geological, geomorphological, aesthetic and natural landscape values of Cat Ba Archipelago. Being recognized as a World Natural Heritage places higher demands on the preservation and promotion of heritage values, not only in compliance with Vietnamese law but also in strict compliance with UNESCO regulations.
As the first inter-provincial and city heritage in the country, Hai Phong City will coordinate with Quang Ninh Province to study and evaluate the current status of management, protection and promotion of the value of Ha Long Bay and Cat Ba Archipelago based on the regulations and rules being implemented in the two localities and two heritage sites, along with the issues raised to unify the organization of the implementation of the world heritage master plan, management plan and heritage protection regulations according to the provisions of the World Heritage Convention and current laws.
At the same time, coordinate with the State management agencies of world heritage at the central and other local levels in propaganda, promotion, prevention and handling of acts of infringement on world heritage.
Thank you very much.
“Images of Cat Ba have been broadcast on international media channels (CNN, Heritage...), on Vietnam Airlines flights and other media channels such as: Youtube, Tiktok... With the global value of the heritage and the plan to preserve and promote the local heritage value, I believe that in the coming years Cat Ba will sustainably develop the brand "Green Cat Ba", becoming an attractive destination for international friends and tourists".
Dr. Tran Thi Hoang Mai
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