Preserving the value of the World Heritage Ha Long Bay - Cat Ba Archipelago

The World Heritage Ha Long Bay - Cat Ba Archipelago is the first inter-provincial world heritage site in Vietnam. The management and protection of Ha Long Bay (Quang Ninh province) and Cat Ba Archipelago (Hai Phong city) are being effectively coordinated by the two localities to promote and preserve the value of the Heritage. At the end of October, the high-speed train connecting Ha Long - Cat Ba officially started. It only takes about an hour for people and tourists to travel from Ha Long to the center of Cat Ba town at a price of 250,000 VND/person/trip. According to Mr. Phan Van Tung, Executive Director of Havaco Investment Joint Stock Company, the high-speed train route connecting Ha Long - Cat Ba helps people and tourists have more interesting experiences, reduces traffic and pressure on ferry routes which are very crowded on weekends; at the same time, strengthens the connection between Ha Long Bay - Cat Ba Archipelago after being recognized as a World Natural Heritage. To ensure the management and protection of Ha Long Bay and Cat Ba Archipelago, Ha Long Bay Management Board and Cat Hai District People's Committee have coordinated well in propaganda, mobilization, and raising awareness of the community, organizations, and individuals operating in Ha Long Bay and Cat Ba Archipelago, especially in the border area, in strictly complying with the State's policies and laws, and current regulations. The coordination work to promote the image of Ha Long Bay - Cat Ba Archipelago has been strengthened through websites and social networking platforms (facebook, youtube, fanpage...). In particular, in the past year, the image of the World Natural Heritage Ha Long Bay - Cat Ba Archipelago was broadcast on the famous American television channel CNN with billions of viewers worldwide, and rebroadcast by hundreds of radio and television stations worldwide; thereby, contributing to spreading the outstanding global value of the Heritage to the world. The two sides also strengthened implementation through 20 periodic monitoring sessions of the conservation status of the Heritage. However, in 2024, the Heritage was severely affected by storm No. 3 (Yagi), and the Ha Long Bay Management Board quickly invited relevant agencies to assess the current situation and advise on how to overcome it. Mr. Pham Dinh Huynh, Deputy Head of the Ha Long Bay Management Board, said: After storm No. 3, the unit invited the Institute of Ecology and Biological Resources to send experts to support the preliminary assessment of the storm's damage to the vegetation on the islands and tourist attractions in the Ha Long Bay World Heritage area. At the same time, the Board also invited experts from the Institute of Geosciences and Mineral Resources to assess the impact of the storm on the outstanding global geological and geomorphological value of Ha Long Bay. The Committee also welcomed and worked with the Inter-sectoral Assessment Team including the United Nations Resident Coordinator in Vietnam, UNESCO Office in Hanoi, ICOMOS risk assessment and management experts, and representatives of the Department of Cultural Heritage to implement the program to assess and verify the level of impact and damage caused by Typhoon Yagi to the World Heritage site of Ha Long Bay, within the framework of the International Strategy for Disaster Reduction of the United Nations General Assembly.

An interdisciplinary assessment team, including ICOMOS risk assessment and management experts, representatives of the Department of Cultural Heritage and UNESCO Hanoi Office, surveyed the level of impact and damage caused by storm Yagi to Ha Long Bay.

Along with joint management of the Heritage, the two localities closely coordinated with relevant units in consulting and proposing to open more tourist itineraries to Ha Long Bay and Bai Tu Long Bay of Quang Ninh province, including 2 routes connecting to Cat Ba Archipelago of Hai Phong city, including: VHL5 journey from Ha Long to Thien Cung cave - Dau Go cave - Cho Da islet - Ba Hang - Dinh Huong islet - Trong Mai islet - Gia Luan wharf, Cat Ba; VHL6 journey from Ha Long to Chan Voi - Ba Cua lagoon - Tung Lam island - Cap Bai islet (the end point of the journey adjacent to Gia Luan, Lan Ha Bay, Hai Phong). One of the important tasks that Quang Ninh province and Cat Ba city pay special attention to is the coordination of environmental management and protection. The program "Ha Long Bay - Cat Ba Archipelago without plastic waste" continues to be effectively promoted and implemented by both sides. On the 20th of each month, the two sides coordinate to organize environmental clean-up campaigns in the border area between the two bays (from Gia Luan area to Van Ta area). During the time when Ha Long Bay - Cat Ba Archipelago had an environmental incident due to the dismantling and replacement of materials at aquaculture facilities and the impact of storm No. 3, the two sides promptly mobilized forces, calling for the participation of organizations, businesses, and communities to collect waste (rafts, rafts, foam buoys, etc.) floating on the sea surface. With the efforts of the two localities, Ha Long Bay - Cat Ba Archipelago continues to be a popular tourist destination. As of October 31, 2024, Ha Long Bay welcomed over 2.6 million visitors (over 1.5 million international visitors), and it is estimated that by the end of 2024, it will welcome about 3.1 million visitors. Cat Ba archipelago welcomes over 1 million visitors, including 650,000 international visitors.

Ha Long Bay Management Board coordinated with Cat Hai District People's Committee (Hai Phong City) to organize a conference to summarize the work of coordinating management, protection and promotion of the value of Ha Long Bay and Cat Ba archipelago in 2024.

However, due to the large area of ​​the border area, complex hydro-climate, and difficulties due to the lack of coordination and management mechanisms for inter-provincial heritage, some coordination activities have not been organized promptly and regularly. In addition, there is still a situation where passenger transport vehicles do not comply with the itinerary licensed by the competent authority; arbitrarily take tourists to visit areas and locations that have not been announced by the competent authority... To ensure the management and protection of Ha Long Bay and Cat Ba Archipelago, the authorities of the two localities are reviewing and discussing mechanisms and policies, as well as recommending to the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Government a legal corridor to base on which to build plans, schemes, and management regulations of the two sides for inter-provincial heritage. At the same time, attention is paid to promoting heritage to potential tourists. Dr. Nguyen Anh Tuan, Director of the Institute for Tourism Development Research (Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism) said: Experts and businesses hope that the two localities will develop a coordination regulation in state management of tourism activities, tour guides, visiting time, especially tour guiding, entertainment and tourist transportation activities in Ha Long Bay and Lan Ha Bay. Furthermore, the two localities need to build bilateral and multilateral international cooperation relations; organize and participate in professional international conferences, fairs and seminars on tourism with international organizations and partners. In particular, it is necessary to proactively approach UNESCO to host conferences and seminars on tourism development at World Natural Heritage Sites, World Biosphere Reserves and related areas to enhance the brand of the World Heritage destination of Ha Long Bay - Cat Ba Archipelago. According to Head of Ha Long Bay Management Board Vu Kien Cuong, in 2025, the two sides will continue to coordinate inspection and supervision; strictly handle violations of regulations on security and order, environmental protection, and heritage protection; at the same time, closely coordinate with relevant units to advise the two local authorities to manage, protect and promote the World Heritage Site of Ha Long Bay - Cat Ba Archipelago sustainably and effectively... Along with that, the two sides will continue to study the issuance of inter-provincial heritage management policies and mechanisms; complete the recommendations of the World Heritage Committee at the 45th (2023) and 46th (2024) sessions. The Committee also proactively advises to welcome and work with the Feedback Monitoring Delegation of the World Heritage Center and IUCN to assess the overall conservation status of Ha Long Bay - Cat Ba Archipelago, scheduled to take place in February 2025. Source: https://baoquangninh.vn/nang-tam-di-san-vinh-ha-long-va-quan-dao-cat-ba-3332498.html