'There will be no joint management board' for Ha Long

Hai Phong said there will be no joint management board for the Ha Long - Cat Ba world natural heritage complex and entrance fees to Lan Ha Bay will increase to the same level as Ha Long Bay.

The information was given by Deputy Director of the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism of Hai Phong City Trinh Van Tu at the regular press conference of the Hai Phong City People's Committee on October 5.

According to Mr. Tu, under the chairmanship of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, Hai Phong City and Quang Ninh Province are building a set of common management rules after the Ha Long Bay - Cat Ba archipelago complex was recognized as a world natural heritage by the UNESCO World Heritage Committee on September 16.

"There is no common management board, but there will be unity in managing, protecting heritage values, announcing tour routes and even tourism service prices. Hai Phong will have to raise the entrance fee to Lan Ha Bay to the same level as Ha Long," said Mr. Tu.

Currently, the entrance fee to Lan Ha Bay is 80,000 VND/person/trip, while in Ha Long Bay it is 200,000 to 250,000 VND (depending on the route). The overnight fee in Lan Ha Bay is from 250,000 VND to 500,000 VND, in Ha Long Bay it is 550,000 VND to 750,000 VND per person.

Balancing the entrance fee and service price is the premise for opening a tour between the two localities. "Where customers buy tickets, that locality will benefit. However, if you start from Quang Ninh, you can go to Hai Phong and vice versa," said Mr. Tu.

Tourists visit and kayak on Lan Ha Bay. Photo: Quoc Hiep — Tourists visit and kayak on Lan Ha Bay. Photo: *Quoc Hiep*

To do that, Mr. Tu said Hai Phong City will improve the quality of the tourist fleet, focus on solving traffic congestion at Got Ferry Terminal, invest in building Ben Binh passenger wharf and coordinate with Quang Ninh province to upgrade Gia Luan - Tuan Chau ferry.

In addition, Hai Phong City will consolidate the Cat Ba Archipelago World Natural Heritage Management Board on the basis of integrating Cat Ba National Park, the Cat Ba Archipelago Bays Management Board, and the Cat Ba Archipelago Biosphere Reserve into one unit to unify management and promote heritage values. The Hai Phong City People's Committee is developing a tourism development plan associated with the heritage.

The management dispute between Quang Ninh and Hai Phong regarding Ha Long Bay and Lan Ha Bay (Cat Ba) has existed for many years, causing difficulties for cruise ships and tourists. Many people expected that the two localities could jointly exploit and remove the "river barrier" after the Ha Long-Cat Ba complex was recognized by UNESCO as a world heritage site.

Ha Long Bay - Cat Ba archipelago is located in the Northeast, 165 km from Hanoi capital, is one of the most important submerged limestone terrain areas in the world. The area has 775 islands in Ha Long Bay and 358 islands in Cat Ba archipelago, the total core area is 65,650 ha and the buffer zone is 34,140 ha, with countless majestic limestone towers and features of the island's foot erosion process such as frog jaws, caves, creating a unique natural landscape. UNESCO assessed that these features are almost intact, very rare to see anywhere else in the world.

Le Tan

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