Ha Long Bay, littered with trash, makes foreign news reports.

The Hong Kong newspaper SCMP reported that Ha Long Bay, while beautiful, was littered with trash, leaving many tourists disappointed.

Squinting in the summer sun, Vu Thi Thinh sits on the edge of a wooden boat scooping up a pile of waste from Ha Long Bay. It's not yet 9 a.m., but behind her is a heap of styrofoam boxes and plastic bottles – the clearest sign of the negative impact of human activity on this UNESCO World Heritage site, according to the Hong Kong newspaper South China Morning Post (SCMP).

"I'm tired from picking up trash in the bay all day without much rest," said the 50-year-old woman who has been doing this job for nearly 10 years. Every day, Ms. Thinh has to row 5-7 trips to finish her work.

Local residents were hired by the authorities to collect trash in Ha Long Bay. Photo: AFP

Since the beginning of March, 10,000 cubic meters of trash – enough to fill four standard Olympic swimming pools – have been collected from the water, according to the Bay Management Board. The waste problem has been particularly serious in the past two months, as plans to replace styrofoam buoys at fish farms in the bay with a more sustainable solution have proven ineffective. Fishermen have been discarding excess PS plastic blocks into the sea.

Authorities deployed 20 barges, 8 boats, and dozens of people to carry out the cleanup. Even so, Ha Long Bay is under pressure from the amount of trash.

Over 7 million tourists visited the bay in 2022. Authorities estimate this year's figure will reach 8.5 million. The destination's popularity, coupled with the rapid development of Ha Long City—with its cable car, amusement park, luxury hotels, and thousands of newly built houses—has severely damaged its ecosystem.

Conservationists initially estimated there were over 230 coral species in the bay. That number has now been halved. There have been signs of recovery over the past decade, with the resurgence of coral and dolphins, but it is still limited. Debris remains a major concern.

There are many large residential areas near the bay. Household waste from these areas, if not properly treated, will affect the ecosystem, including coral reefs. "Currently, Ha Long City can only treat more than 40% of the wastewater," said Do Tien Thanh, an employee of the bay management board.

A garbage collection boat in the bay. Photo: AFP

The bay management board stated that single-use plastics are now banned on cruise ships. The use of plastic products in general on ships has decreased by 90% compared to peak levels. However, litter still accumulates on shore, and beaches still require daily garbage collection teams.

Pham Van Tu, a freelance tour guide and local resident, said many tourists have complained about the litter problem. "They read in the newspapers that Ha Long Bay is beautiful but has a lot of floating trash. They don't want to swim, go boating, and are hesitant to recommend it to their friends and relatives," Tu said.

According to the World Bank, rapid economic growth and urbanization in Vietnam have led to a "plastic pollution crisis." A 2022 report estimated that 3.1 million tons of plastic waste are generated annually, with at least 10% of it leaking into waterways. Vietnam is becoming one of the leading plastic polluters in the oceans. The level of plastic waste leakage could double by 2030.

Larissa Helfer, 21, a German tourist, said that Ha Long Bay is beautiful but the issue of trash will be "one of the most memorable moments" of the trip. "Usually, people would say: look at this beautiful scenery or look at these fishing villages. But in the bay, you have to talk about trash: oh my God, look at the plastic bottles in the sea. That makes me sad," Helfer said.

Ms. Thinh, who grew up in Ha Long, said: "The workload makes me tired and irritable. But we have to do our jobs."

( By Anh Minh , according to SCMP )

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