Preserving and sustainably promoting the heritage values ​​of Ha Long Bay - Cat Ba Archipelago

On March 11, in Ha Long, Quang Ninh province and Hai Phong city welcomed and worked on the first day with the Response Monitoring Delegation of the UNESCO World Heritage Center and the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) in the program to evaluate the management and protection of the world heritage Ha Long Bay - Cat Ba Archipelago. Vice Chairman of Quang Ninh Provincial People's Committee Nguyen Thi Hanh, Vice Chairman of Hai Phong City People's Committee Hoang Minh Cuong and leaders of relevant departments, branches and sectors of the two localities worked with the Delegation.

Working scene.

Speaking at the meeting, Vice Chairwoman of Quang Ninh Provincial People's Committee Nguyen Thi Hanh also emphasized: Since being recognized by UNESCO as a World Natural Heritage 30 years ago, Quang Ninh province has always paid special attention and made efforts to preserve and promote the sustainable value of Ha Long Bay. With the consistent viewpoint: Not exchanging the environment for economic development, up to now, Ha Long Bay with more than 1,500km2 of water surface area and 2,500 large and small rocky islands has always been protected in its original state.

Quang Ninh province has implemented many synchronous solutions to preserve and promote the value of Ha Long Bay, ensuring the balance between heritage protection and socio-economic development. In particular, focusing on building and constantly improving master plans, regulations, and overall management plans to protect and promote the outstanding global values ​​of the heritage. Important documents such as: Plan for preservation, restoration, and rehabilitation of Ha Long Bay scenic spots; Plan for management of Ha Long Bay heritage; and Regulations on management, protection and promotion of heritage values ​​have been issued and effectively implemented. To ensure the highest efficiency in management, Quang Ninh has also updated the detailed zoning of management areas on the Ha Long Bay world heritage map; built a Sustainable Tourism Development Plan and a Comprehensive Tourist Management System.

Comrade Nguyen Thi Hanh, Vice Chairman of Quang Ninh Provincial People's Committee spoke at the meeting.

To protect the heritage area's ecosystem, the province has strictly banned the transportation of cement clinker on the bay; relocated coal mining activities and small-scale industrial activities out of the core zone as well as the heritage buffer zone; completely banned fishing activities in the heritage area; replaced styrofoam buoys at floating structures on the bay with more sustainable floating materials; relocated residents living in the heritage core zone to shore; banned the use of disposable plastic products on Ha Long Bay...

Quang Ninh is also the first locality in the country to assess the tourism capacity of Ha Long Bay. The results have been used by specialized agencies in issuing policies and mechanisms, developing plans for heritage management and tourism activities...

After Cat Ba Archipelago was recognized as a World Heritage Site, Ha Long Bay - Cat Ba Archipelago became the first inter-regional World Heritage Site in the country. Based on the commitment to continue to closely coordinate to manage and protect the integrity of the Outstanding Universal Value of the World Heritage Site of Ha Long Bay - Cat Ba Archipelago, Quang Ninh Province and Hai Phong City proactively coordinated, signed and implemented the establishment of a Management Council, completed the Coordination Regulations, signed the Regulations on management, protection and promotion of the values ​​of the World Heritage Site of Ha Long Bay - Cat Ba Archipelago; Plan for management of the World Heritage Site of Ha Long Bay - Cat Ba Archipelago for the period 2026-2030, with a vision to 2045, submitted to competent authorities for approval according to regulations, helping to promote the sustainable development of the heritage values ​​of the two localities.

Representatives of the Response Monitoring Team of the UNESCO World Heritage Center and the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) spoke at the working session.

During the working session on March 11, the Response Monitoring Team of the UNESCO World Heritage Center and the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) highly appreciated the efforts and effectiveness of the solutions implemented by Quang Ninh Province and Hai Phong City in protecting Ha Long Bay - Cat Ba Archipelago. In particular, the team especially appreciated Quang Ninh's efforts in relocating residents in the core area of ​​Ha Long Bay to the shore, as well as assessing the carrying capacity of the Bay to develop a sustainable tourism development plan.

The delegation also requested the two localities to report on a number of issues related to heritage management coordination activities between the two localities; how to improve the effectiveness of management coordination; practical application in management based on heritage capacity assessment; regulations on environmental protection as well as planning and construction of projects in the area....

Regarding coastal construction projects, Quang Ninh province also affirmed that all projects are implemented in the buffer zone and do not have any impact on the core heritage area. All approved projects must conduct environmental impact assessments, as well as comply with general planning and general construction standards according to current regulations. During the implementation process, they are strictly managed and monitored; if there are any negative impacts, they must be remedied immediately. The projects are implemented to ensure quality, achieve socio-economic efficiency, while still protecting the natural values ​​of the heritage site, creating practical benefits for the local community.

On March 12, the delegation will continue to conduct a field assessment of the Ha Long Bay buffer zone. On the morning of March 13, the delegation will work with tourism and environmental experts on the Ha Long Bay Sustainable Tourism Development Plan and the management and environmental protection of Ha Long Bay - Cat Ba Archipelago. Next, the delegation will work at Cat Ba Archipelago, conducting a field assessment of Lan Ha Bay. The working program will last until March 14.

After 30 years of being recognized as a World Heritage Site, Ha Long Bay is still protected in its original state.

According to the representative of UNESCO Vietnam, Ha Long Bay and Cat Ba Archipelago have been recognized by UNESCO as World Natural Heritage thanks to their natural beauty and unique ecological value. This inter-provincial Heritage management cooperation model is also an important reference model for the development of the Cultural Heritage Law, which was recently passed by the National Assembly at the end of 2024. By inviting the Feedback Monitoring Team of the World Heritage Center and IUCN to assess the overall conservation status of Ha Long Bay - Cat Ba Archipelago at the request of the World Heritage Committee, Quang Ninh Province and Hai Phong City hope that this will be an opportunity to continue receiving advice and comments from international experts on the conservation and sustainable promotion of the heritage's value. The recommendations from the Monitoring Team will be an important basis for continuing to implement measures to protect and develop the heritage site in the future.

Source: https://baoquangninh.vn/bao-ton-va-phat-huy-ben-vung-gia-tri-cua-di-san-vinh-ha-long-quan-dao-cat-ba-3347941.html