Quang Ninh, the land of mountains and rivers

Quang Ninh - a land that has long been likened to a miniature Vietnam. From the vast ocean, the distant islands with rippling waves, to the fertile, green plains, the rolling hills stretching to the northernmost point of the country... All intertwine, blend, and weave a picture of natural scenery that is both majestic and poetic so that no matter where you set foot in this beloved Northeast region, you can clearly feel the peace, tranquility and poetry of life. Not only is it the pride of the local people, Quang Ninh is also a dream destination, a place of nostalgia in the hearts of countless tourists from all over the world.

Proud of natural values

When mentioning Quang Ninh, it is impossible not to mention the World Heritage - Natural Wonder of Ha Long Bay - one of the world's famous landscapes, honored by UNESCO three times. There are few places with such exceptional and everlasting value as Ha Long Bay when its beauty has always been praised and admired from ancient times to the present. That beauty transcends borders and countries, sowing nostalgia for those who have once encountered it, becoming an endless source of inspiration in poems, songs, music, and paintings.

The beauty of Ha Long Bay is not only the magical beauty of the mountains, water, clouds and sky outside, but also the magic hidden inside the rocky islands. Each island and cave is associated with legendary stories about love, culture, history, and proud feats of national defense. In particular, the combination of environment, climate, geology, and geomorphology has made Ha Long Bay a gathering place of biodiversity including forest, marine, and coastal ecosystems with many endemic species of animals and plants that are unmatched anywhere else.

Quang Ninh - a land rich in nature and culture and proud to own the World Natural Heritage Ha Long Bay. Photo: Provided by Ha Long Bay Management Board

Not only Ha Long, but also any locality in the province is endowed by nature with unique and majestic landscapes. Located next to the world natural heritage Ha Long Bay, Bai Tu Long Bay (in Cam Pha, Van Don) - a beautiful island sea area, owns a system of large and small rocky islands, land islands, pristine beaches, precious nature reserves and unique cultural and historical values. Bai Tu Long Bay area is famous for many beautiful pristine beaches such as Minh Chau and Quan Lan. In particular, there is also Bai Tu Long National Park with high biodiversity value and extremely unique landscape.

Along with Ha Long Bay - a heritage symbol that has been famous all over the world, Bai Tu Long Bay has a wild and quiet beauty, Co To Island is also known as the "island paradise" of Vietnam. With clear blue sea water, endless white sand beaches and rows of casuarinas rustling in the wind, Co To is an ideal destination for those who love the sea and want to return to the pure beauty of nature.

Beautiful scenery of Hon Su Tu on Co To sea.

Not only the sea and islands, Quang Ninh also possesses a rich and majestic mountain and forest ecosystem. That is a beautiful, simple, wild Binh Lieu, imbued with a floating and wandering color. From the color of the clouds, the immense green mountains reflected on the border patrol routes, through the slopes, the passes, the villages, the rice fields to the majestic beauty of Khe Van waterfall, the majestic Cao Ba Lanh peak or the endless "dinosaur spine" road.

That is Uong Bi, famous for the Yen Tu scenic relic complex - a sacred place of Buddha. Since ancient times, Yen Tu mountains and forests have been famous as a spectacular place and listed as one of the famous mountains of Vietnam. The beauty of Yen Tu is the majesty of the mountains hidden among the white clouds, combined with the ancient and quiet features of the system of hermitages and towers. Yen Tu National Forest is also a large museum preserving many valuable genetic resources in the ecosystem of special-use forests in Vietnam. Besides, the cool Lung Xanh waterfall and the gentle Yen Trung lake are like a quiet highlight in the heart of the city.

Nature has generously bestowed, but it is the people of Quang Ninh who have woven more beauty into their homeland with their minds and hard-working hands. The golden terraced fields winding along the hillsides in Tien Yen and Binh Lieu every rice harvest season are like a vivid landscape painting. The lush green tea hills stretching as far as the eye can see in Hai Ha, the fruit-laden orchards in Dong Trieu, Ha Long, and Van Don make anyone passing by stop and admire. And somewhere among the clear blue waters of Bai Tu Long Bay, aquaculture areas appear simply, highlighting the beauty of the harmonious life between people and nature here.

Preserving priceless "assets"

It can be affirmed that nature is the invaluable asset of Quang Ninh, both the foundation for economic development and an important factor in preserving the environment and cultural identity. Over the years, Quang Ninh has always strived to preserve and promote what nature has bestowed, to build long-term strategies and plans towards the goal of sustainable development, gradually shifting the economy from "brown" to "green". The preservation and rational exploitation of these natural values help Quang Ninh not only become an attractive destination but also become a model of sustainable development, a "green, modern, classy" locality but still bearing its own distinct mark.

Golden season of Binh Lieu — Golden rice season in Binh Lieu.

The province pays special attention to protecting the integrity of the World Natural Heritage Ha Long Bay. Accordingly, the province actively directs relevant units to regularly inspect, monitor and control activities that may affect resources and pollute the bay environment; resolutely relocate 354 households in fishing villages to resettlement areas in 2014; install oil-water separators for 100% of tourist boats operating in the bay to minimize wastewater pollution; seriously and regularly collect floating waste; implement the program "Ha Long Bay without plastic waste"...

Quang Ninh is also a leading province in investigating, evaluating, and building a biodiversity database; pioneering the digitization of the Provincial Biodiversity Conservation Plan to 2020, with a vision to 2030, facilitating conservation work and planning for sustainable economic development.

Cool green tea hills in Duong Hoa commune, Hai Ha district.

The province also regularly directs relevant sectors, units and localities to strengthen inspection, control and strictly handle violations in the environmental field; renovate coastal ecological corridors; focus on implementing projects to renovate, restore and plant new coastal mangrove forests; restore and develop coral reef ecosystems and seagrass beds in Ha Long Bay, Bai Tu Long Bay, Co To - Tran Island sea area; actively conserve endangered and rare wildlife species, etc.

Nature reserve management boards regularly organize re-releases to preserve rare individuals and organize patrols and monitoring of mangrove ecosystems, forest ecosystems, coral reefs... to promptly detect, prevent and coordinate the handling of acts of encroachment on biodiversity values.

Nguyen Dung

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