The beautiful scenery and cultural, geological, and geomorphological values of Ha Long Bay are a major strength that makes this heritage site attractive to tourists.
Spreading the green message
More than three decades after being recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, Ha Long Bay has taken on a new appearance. Its outstanding global values have been preserved intact; its potential strengths have been developed; and the mechanisms and policies for managing and protecting the heritage site have been gradually strengthened and perfected. These factors provide a solid foundation for a comprehensive and sustainable strategy to preserve and promote the value of Ha Long Bay.
According to Nguyen Thi Hanh, Vice Chairman of the People's Committee of Quang Ninh province: "Since Ha Long Bay was recognized as a world natural heritage site, Quang Ninh province has issued many mechanisms, policies, and regulations on the management, conservation, and promotion of heritage values, especially in key areas such as environmental protection, biodiversity, research, application of science and technology in heritage management, management of the tourism business environment, and tourism product development."
Quang Ninh province has implemented many groundbreaking solutions in recent years, such as: relocating fishing villages on the bay to live on land; prohibiting fishing in strictly protected areas; ending cargo handling and transshipment activities; relocating polluting facilities out of the heritage buffer zone; and establishing nature reserves and special-use forests to protect the landscape. Tourism products and services in Ha Long Bay have their own specific standards, with tourist boats even meeting higher standards than the national standard.
Mr. Michael Burnside, an expert from the University of New South Wales (Australia), shared: “I am very impressed with the beauty of the heritage site, especially after hearing about the environmental protection efforts in Ha Long Bay. I have gained more experience to incorporate into future research projects. Quang Ninh is doing very well in putting local people and tourists at the center of sustainable environmental protection solutions for Ha Long Bay. They are the ones collecting waste, reducing waste sources, and campaigning for the community to work together to protect the heritage.”
The code of conduct for "Civilized Tourism," the code of conduct for people of Quang Ninh, and the code of conduct for "Ha Long Smile" are being comprehensively implemented by Quang Ninh province.
According to Vu Kien Cuong, Head of the Ha Long Bay Management Board: “The work of disseminating information and raising community awareness in heritage protection has been popularized for many groups, from domestic and international students to residents in coastal areas, tourists, and organizations and individuals involved in socio-economic activities in Ha Long Bay, linked with educational, extracurricular, and practical activities on protecting the landscape, environment, and heritage values of Ha Long Bay.”
Since the 2000-2001 school year, Quang Ninh province has introduced a program to educate students about protecting the heritage of Ha Long Bay into schools. This has been considered quite effective and has been widely replicated. In addition, the effectiveness of the Ecoboat educational model, an extracurricular activity on environmental protection in Ha Long Bay with the motto of learning through play and playing while learning, has been noteworthy since 2005.
Tran Van Hieu, a student from Cam Pha city, said: “The lively educational models have helped us understand and raise our awareness of protecting the environment of Ha Long Bay, and at the same time, we have accumulated more knowledge about the special and unique values of the Ha Long Bay World Natural Heritage site.”
A team of United Nations experts assessed the damage caused by Typhoon Yagi to Ha Long Bay.
Currently, waste generated from socio-economic activities in the bay is centrally managed and controlled. All tourist boats have wastewater and oil treatment systems; newly built tourist boats must install wastewater treatment systems that meet standards; wastewater treatment systems at tourist attractions in the bay have been upgraded and advanced technologies are applied to ensure compliance with standards. All tourist boats have signed commitments to strictly adhere to and control the prohibition of carrying single-use plastic products. This has received much positive feedback from tourists.
Elevating the heritage brand
The brand value of Ha Long Bay heritage is increasingly high, a destination that has received numerous prestigious awards, including three UNESCO World Heritage Sites; surpassing over 200 wonders from various countries to be selected as one of the New Seven Wonders of the World; being honored as one of the most beautiful bays in the world; being awarded the title and announced as a top destination in Vietnam in 2018; and being one of the four ideal destinations to witness stunning sunrises and sunsets...
Notably, in 2024, Ha Long Bay was recognized in the rankings of prestigious travel magazines, ranking 3rd in the list of the world's best destinations in 2024 according to the "Travelers Choice Awards - Best of the Best Destinations". Ha Long Bay has also served as the setting for many famous films and documentaries.
Recently, during a meeting with Quang Ninh province, the Director of the UNESCO World Heritage Centre, Lazare Eloundou Assomo, highly praised Quang Ninh province's efforts in addressing environmental challenges and in the management and conservation of Ha Long Bay.
Deputy Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Hoang Dao Cuong shared: The inclusion of Ha Long Bay in the UNESCO World Heritage list affirms the natural beauty, rich landscape, culture and ecology of Quang Ninh province in particular and of the country in general. The province's tourism industry has made a positive contribution and created momentum to promote many other sectors, creating jobs, improving and enhancing the lives of the people.
The Quang Ninh Provincial Planning for the period 2021-2030, with a vision to 2050, focuses on integrating conservation and sustainable development of Ha Long Bay.
Ms. Nguyen Thi Hanh, Vice Chairman of the People's Committee of Quang Ninh province, affirmed: Local communities play a crucial role in protecting heritage values and participating in organizing tourism and service activities in Ha Long Bay in a harmonious and appropriate manner; prioritizing heritage protection alongside the conservation, exploitation, and sustainable development of the values of the world heritage site. Local communities are the central factor determining conservation efforts, especially in actively contributing to raising awareness among the younger generation, as they are the "important factor" determining the sustainable existence of the heritage.
QUANG THỌ
Source: https://nhandan.vn/gin-giu-di-san-vinh-ha-long-post888233.html
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