Creating tourist highlights for Heritage

Recently, the experimental planting of endemic plants and rare trees with beautiful flowers in Ha Long Bay has become an important highlight in the conservation of the Heritage's ecosystem. In March 2025, the Ha Long Bay Management Board planted more than 150 rare trees on Hon Co Island, including pink and white cottonwood, bright yellow palm flowers, yellow-spotted slipper orchids, and purple-flowered ivy. These trees not only create a green landscape but also increase the attraction of ecotourism.

Ha Long Bay Management Board plants endemic plants and precious trees with beautiful flowers around the port and tourist routes at Hon Co.

According to the plan, Ha Long Bay Management Board will continue to plant more than 240 rare endemic plants such as Ha Long galangal, bitter gourd, ear fungus, mountain phan du, orchid, mat-making tra, and wild tamarind at Hon Co. This activity aims to preserve gene sources and develop sustainable tourism.

Mr. Tran Van Hien, Director of Conservation Center 3 (Ha Long Bay Management Board), said: These endemic plants have high aesthetic value but are scattered and affected by the harsh environment. Planting in large patches or in botanical gardens helps preserve gene sources, while creating green space for visitors to explore the flora of Ha Long Bay. This is also a way to respond to the Flower Bay program, contributing to building new characteristics for the destination.
The pilot planting of a botanical garden in Hon Co opens up great prospects for developing this model, creating more attractive ecological destinations. According to the leader of the Ha Long Bay Management Board, the unit will pilot this model this year, monitor and learn from experience to expand in order to introduce endemic plants to tourists, enhancing the value of the tourist landscape.
According to statistics from scientists, Ha Long Bay has about 1,259 species of terrestrial plants, of which 17 endemic species play an important role in creating a unique landscape. However, the propagation and expansion of endemic plants, especially plants with beautiful flowers, still have many concerns.

Celosia flowers and many other beautiful flowers typical of Ha Long Bay are planted to create landscape for the port area to Sung Sot Cave and many destinations in Ha Long Bay.

However, in reality, this program has many bases for widespread implementation. The Ha Long Bay Management Board has successfully implemented many projects to conserve and propagate endemic plants. A typical example is the Ha Long palm conservation project, which since 2009 has successfully propagated 100 seedlings planted in Cat Lan, which are now growing well. In 2013, about 2,000 cottonwood trees - a species listed in the Vietnam Red Book, were also propagated and planted on the islands of Dau Go, Ti Top, Sung Sot, and Me Cung, creating brilliant colors.

In 2016, the spotted slipper orchid - one of the rare flower species, was propagated by the method of separation and planted in Cong Dam, Cua Van, and preserved at natural distribution points. Thanks to that, this flower species still blooms brilliantly every season, becoming a highlight of the flora of Ha Long Bay. In addition, the Ha Long Bay Management Board also conserves cycads, corals and many other valuable plant species. It is expected that in November 2025, the unit will propagate and test planting Ha Long cycads and many other endemic species.

Currently, many tourist destinations in Vietnam have succeeded thanks to the natural beauty, flowers and precious plants such as: Ha Giang with buckwheat flowers, Da Lat - the city of thousands of flowers or Sa Pa with brilliant flower gardens on Hoang Lien Son mountain range. This is a model worth considering in combining nature conservation with sustainable tourism development.

Dr. Le Hong Truong, Director of the Southern Institute of Ecology (Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology), who has conducted many surveys of plants in Ha Long Bay, commented: Ha Long Bay is like an ecological treasure. If preserved and exploited properly, these values ​​will not only increase but also create an attraction for tourism.

The construction of the Flower Bay landscape is associated with many endemic flowers and plants that beautify the destination of Ha Long Bay .

Thus, building a botanical garden in response to the "Flower City" project not only enhances the value of native flora but also creates a landscape and sustainable tourism attraction for Ha Long Bay. A great advantage is that the successful propagation and planting of typical flowers associated with the land and landscape of Ha Long Bay will create even more attraction and brand. However, to realize this, it is necessary to pay more attention and invest more resources and efforts in care, ensuring that the trees survive and grow well, while at the same time researching and arranging trees and flowers in suitable locations and landscapes.

Source: https://baoquangninh.vn/tao-diem-nhan-du-lich-cho-di-san-3350298.html