Ha Long: Lots of potential and many concerns

Ha Long Bay, although recognized by UNESCO many times as a world natural heritage, still makes the public "heart-stopping" because of incidents.

Beautiful bay is not peaceful

No words can describe the pain of the families whose loved ones died on the Green Bay 58 tourist boat on the afternoon of July 19 in Ha Long Bay. Of the 49 people who boarded the boat to see the sea and sky in this world natural heritage, only 10 survived. According to the press, the boat was designed to be taller than standard, but did not have an automatic distress signal device, and the monitoring agency did not detect it early when the boat's GPS was disconnected.

This reminds the public of the opinion of Mr. Pham Dinh Huynh, Deputy Head of the Ha Long Bay Management Board, in 2018 at the International Conference on World Heritage and Sustainable Development in the New Context organized by UNESCO. At that time, Mr. Huynh said that Ha Long wanted to build a higher standard than the national standard for ships, including the requirement to install additional positioning devices, filters, etc. However, when the incident happened to the ship Vinh Xanh 58, the automatic rescue equipment was not available, and although it was always ready, the rescue team could not arrive early because they received the information late.

The incident of the above ship is a continuation of many "startling" incidents in Ha Long Bay. Previously, Ha Long had many incidents that required warnings, even UNESCO's warnings. In 2006, the Ha Long Bay Management Board had to send a report to UNESCO on the impact of the Cam Pha Cement Factory on the environmental landscape of this world heritage site. UNESCO experts at that time warned about the construction of infrastructure along the bay's shore. In 2013, the bay underwent a field inspection by experts from the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). This agency made 7 recommendations on the conservation status of Ha Long Bay. The bay was put on UNESCO's "black list". In 2014, UNESCO proposed to establish a comprehensive management system, with greater autonomy for the Ha Long Bay Management Board.

World Natural Heritage Ha Long Bay

PHOTO: LA NGHI HIEU

Ha Long Bay also has other incidents such as allowing concerts to be held in Dau Go Cave with candles burning scattered throughout the cave, and performers holding candles in their hands while dancing. The leaders of the Management Board said that this did not affect the landscape of the cave. However, previous research by the Institute of Geological Sciences and Mineral Resources showed that the cave had up to 4 types of gases that did not meet the permitted standards. Of which, O2 was about 21% lower than the natural concentration in the air, CO2 increased, and SO2 and Cl2 gases also needed to be treated. An urban construction project near the bay also dumped soil directly into the waters of Ha Long Bay without any environmental protection solutions...

Fear of "selling out"

The recurring incidents in Ha Long Bay show that management regulations are either not strict enough or not reasonable enough. In that context, Ha Long tourism still attracts many visitors. The problem is that, despite the large number of visitors and increasing revenue, Ha Long has been repeatedly assessed as having been "sold out".

In 2012, the then General Director of the General Department of Tourism, Mr. Nguyen Van Tuan, warned about the loss of mangrove forests, which are the protective barrier for Ha Long along the coast. Mr. Tuan also said that Ha Long was organizing tourism activities in a way that both sold off tourism resources and was ineffective, as shown by the chaotic situation on the boats and the fraud in the quality of services that were not controlled.

At the end of 2024, the Workshop on promoting green economy, digital economy, and Ha Long heritage economy was held. The issue of Ha Long's revenue and resources was raised again. In particular, Associate Professor, Dr. Tran Dinh Thien, former Director of the Vietnam Economic Institute, said that the revenue from tickets to visit Ha Long Bay was only about 1,000 billion VND in 2024, not commensurate with a world natural heritage that has been honored by UNESCO three times, and possesses many outstanding strengths that no other place has. Mr. Thien compared it to Shenzhen (China), from a poor fishing village, this city has now achieved tourism revenue of over 10 billion USD per year, while the initial investment cost for this field is only about 5 billion USD.

One advantage of Ha Long is regional connectivity, this heritage has been "connected" with Cat Ba in UNESCO's record. However, currently, cruise ships have only exploited about 1/3 of the bay's area, the remaining area has not been explored. In addition, with the coastal strip of Vietnam, Ha Long will be able to join other localities to create cross-Vietnam connections. This will require ships, a longer vision, and closer connections. It also requires higher quality ships.

In Ha Long, there is also a Grand Pioneers ship that meets the standards for safe long-distance travel, and can travel across Vietnam like that. This ship currently has a route that can access many difficult-to-reach points in Ha Long. It passes through the bay's typical destinations such as Cho Da Islet, Ga Choi Islet, Titop Island, Sung Sot Cave... The ship also stops at little-known places such as Da Xep Park - considered an outdoor geological museum that has existed for 320 million years, then goes to Xuong Rong Island - the last point of this world natural heritage. The route also extends to Ban Sen, Van Don, Quan Lan, Bai Tu Long National Park and returns.

The story of Ha Long, with its many recognitions as a world natural heritage, is no longer about the recognized value. It lies more in the management of that heritage value. And this is the most challenging thing for local management.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/ha-long-nhieu-tiem-nang-va-khong-it-noi-lo-185250906193707291.htm