As reported by Lao Dong newspaper, at the 45th session of the UNESCO World Heritage Committee held in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, the UNESCO World Heritage Committee recognized the Ha Long Bay - Cat Ba Archipelago complex as a World Natural Heritage site.
Mr. Le Khac Nam, Vice Chairman of the People's Committee of Hai Phong city, proudly called this a "victory." This victory further extends Hai Phong's achievements, as the Cat Ba archipelago was recognized by UNESCO as a world biosphere reserve in 2004.
This also marks the third time Ha Long Bay has been recognized as a UNESCO World Natural Heritage site, with the last time being in 2020 and the previous time in 2000.
And this also marks the first time Vietnam has had a "trans-regional heritage site" between two provinces recognized by UNESCO.
The recognition of Ha Long Bay and Cat Ba Archipelago as a World Natural Heritage site is a great honor, opening up fantastic opportunities for tourism development for both Quang Ninh and Hai Phong provinces.
However, this also presents a significant challenge in how to optimally utilize the resources to serve the tourism industry while ensuring the integrity of the heritage site is not damaged by human intervention.
The damage to UNESCO-recognized and unrecognized cultural and natural heritage sites in Vietnam has been quite common in recent times, in many forms, despite warnings and recommendations about the revocation of UNESCO's designation.
Most recently, tourists and locals have been repeatedly writing and drawing graffiti on the Flag Tower of the Hue Imperial Citadel, despite the helplessness of the managing unit, the Hue Imperial Citadel Relics Conservation Center.
Most recently, the incident in early September caused a public uproar when a survey team trampled on stalactites to take photos in the newly discovered Son Nu cave in Dieu Do village (Truong Son commune, Quang Ninh district, Quang Binh province).
According to Howard Limbert, head of the expedition from the Royal British Cave Association, "these were brutal impacts." Because the stalactites and stalagmites in the cave – a masterpiece formed from the essence of rock and water over a very long period, possibly hundreds of millions of years – are very fragile entities.
Returning to Ha Long Bay and Cat Ba Archipelago, the reality is that being recognized as a World Natural Heritage site is very difficult, but protecting, preserving, and promoting the heritage after it has been recognized is even more challenging.
The "victory" and "extending the achievements" of Ha Long Bay and Cat Ba Archipelago at this time is also an advantage. This is because there are already many valuable lessons learned about both successes and shortcomings in protecting and promoting heritage sites.
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