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| A corner of Ha Long Bay in Quang Ninh province__Photo: VNA |
Quang Ninh province has adopted solutions to conserve and promote outstanding values of Ha Long Bay - a World Heritage Site and Natural Wonder, with a view to contributing to its sustainable tourism and socio-economic development.
Ha Long Bay’s tourism potential
Located off the coast of northern Quang Ninh province, Ha Long Bay was recognized by UNESCO in 1994 for its natural landscape value, and in 2000 for the values of natural landscape, geology and geomorphology. It was listed as a special national relic site in 2009 and became one of the new seven natural wonders of the world in 2011.
Ha Long Bay’s nominated area is 434 square kilometers with 775 islands, of which 411 were named. This area embraces a number of limestone islands and beautiful caves and beaches. It is limited by three islands: Dau Go island (in the west), Dau Be island (in the south) and Cong Tay island (in the east).
“Rarely does a destination offer visitors the chance to experience such a rich diversity of natural, cultural, historical and human values as Ha Long Bay. It is a unique combination that sets Ha Long Bay apart from other tourist destinations and has established it as a global destination,” said Assoc. Prof. Dr. Pham Trung Luong, former Deputy Director of the Institute for Tourism Development Research of the Vietnam National Authority of Tourism.
In the first four months of 2024, Ha Long Bay welcomed over 1 million arrivals of holidaymakers, including 208,000 arrivals of domestic visitors and 811,000 arrivals of international tourists. Last year, it welcomed almost 2.7 million arrivals of visitors, half of whom were international holidaymakers.
The province plans to introduce 11 new tours in Ha Long Bay in this year’s tourism product development plan. Apart from traditional tours such as cave exploration and swimming, overnight cruising and seaplane tour of Ha Long Bay, these new tours offer tourists a variety of options. They include sailing, kayaking, speed boating, traveling to archeological sites and fishermen village, pearl farming and crafting, fishing with local fishermen, dragon boat racing and wedding on board cruise ships.
At present, the Ha Long Bay Management Department is working with travel agencies to organize new tour routes and regulate visitor numbers during peak seasons. Vu Kien Cuong, Director of the Ha Long Bay Management Department, said that his department will revise the plan on management of cruise ships operating in Ha Long Bay. The plan is designed to improve cruise ships’ quality and capacity and gradually reduce the number of ships operating in the bay, tighten regulations on technical safety and environmental protection, and supplement regulations on management of recreational watercraft in the bay. The department is also considering a scheme on operating an online cruise booking system to empower tourism businesses with better planning.
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| Fighting Cocks islet in Halong Bay__Photo: Thanh Van/VNA |
Solutions to conserve Ha Long Bay
According to the Ha Long Bay Master Plan through 2040, the bay area is identified as a zone for the conservation and promotion of world heritage values as defined in the Law on Cultural Heritages and its development space will be connected with Bai Tu Long and Lan Ha bays and Cat Ba islands. Therefore, the Ha Long Bay Management Department has put forth six tasks and solutions to realize the master plan.
Specifically, the province will implement the Master Plan on conservation and embellishment of scenic landscapes for the 2025-35 period with a vision toward 2050; and the World Heritage Committee’s Decision 45 COM 8B.3 approving the significant boundary modification of Ha Long Bay, Vietnam, to include the Cat Ba Archipelago, to become Ha Long Bay-Cat Ba Archipelago on the World Heritage List on the basis of criteria (vii) and (viii). In addition, it will implement the heritage management plan for the 2021-25 period; formulate a sustainable tourism development plan for Ha Long Bay; and formulate and effectively implement inter-sectoral and inter-regional coordination mechanisms for heritage management.
The department will tighten the management and protection of Ha Long Bay’s heritage resources and environment and raise the people’s awareness about the issue.
Quang Ninh province will focus on restoring and promoting cultural and historical values of Ha Long Bay to develop ecotourism, cultural tourism and community-based tourism products in association with night economy, smart tourism, and high-quality tourism. It will also develop tourism products to connect different regions and other provinces and world heritage sites at home and abroad.
To enhance tourism appeal, the department will intensify digital transformation and apply digital technology to heritage management, conservation and promotion. It will foster international cooperation in the field, particularly with UNESCO, the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), the World Heritage Center and other international organizations in order to receive expert advice, and technical and financial support for heritage and conservation, environmental protection, sustainable tourism development, and human resources training.
In 2023, the Ha Long Bay Management Department conducted research on Ha Long Bay’s values and assessment of the current state of coral reef ecosystems in the bay. This research serves as a foundation for implementing measures to conserve and sustainably promote the heritage’s value and delineate areas with high coral cover. In addition, the department conducted surveys and prepared dossiers on Ha Long Bay’s geological and geomorphological values for sustainable conservation and promotion.
The province also closely monitors the management of special-use forests for protection of Ha Long Bay landscape and the implementation of a project on the establishment of the Ha Long Bay nature reserve which is intended to effectively conserve and sustainably develop the recognized heritage values and protect biodiversity of the bay in association with the province’s socio-economic development, and ensure connectivity with surrounding ecosystems.-
