Looking back on the 30-year journey of preserving and promoting Ha Long Bay

Over the past three decades, since Ha Long Bay was first listed as a UNESCO World Natural Heritage site, the management, preservation, and promotion of its outstanding universal values related to natural landscapes and geological and geomorphological features have always been a challenge for those involved in its management. According to Mr. Nguyễn Công Thái, former Deputy Director of Ha Long Bay Management Department: "The dramatic transformation of Ha Long Bay over the past 30 years feels like a dream." The journey of turning Ha Long Bay into an international destination has witnessed many ups and downs, but it is filled with the pride of the people of Quảng Ninh, who have always upheld the spirit of "putting the preservation of the heritage first, and only then promoting the values it brings, without using the heritage as a tool for economic development at any cost."

The first difficult steps

"Being recognized as a World Natural Heritage site, isn't it just to admire with pride? To preserve the heritage, we need both financial and human resources. The initial period was very challenging, and we were quite confused," said Mr. Nguyễn Công Thái, reflecting on his 20-year journey "living with the heritage" as the Deputy Director of the Ha Long Bay Management Department from 1996.

The fishing dock along the shore of Ha Long Bay. (Photo by C. Berruyer - France, taken in 1938

Right after Ha Long Bay was recognized as a World Natural Heritage site, and in response to the urgent task of preserving the Heritage according to the 1972 UNESCO Convention for the Protection of Cultural and Natural Heritage, the first mechanisms and policies for Heritage management were quickly developed. The Quang Ninh Provincial People's Committee established the Ha Long Bay Management Department and issued the temporary regulations for Ha Long Bay management in 1995. These regulations were the first legal document aimed at addressing specific issues related to the Bay, and they also translated the state’s Law on Cultural Heritage (formerly the Ordinance) and the international Convention for the Protection of Heritage into local legal language. These regulations were later adjusted and supplemented to meet the evolving needs of Heritage management.

Mr. Thái and about 10 colleagues at the time were given this new responsibility with much uncertainty. The survey team, tasked with exploring some caves to build infrastructure for welcoming visitors, had to wade through flooded forests, climb steep cliffs, and use torches to find their way. The team was unsure how to build infrastructure while still ensuring conservation of the site.

Mr. Nguyễn Công Thái, former Deputy Director of Ha Long Bay Management Department.

Mr. Nguyễn Công Thái shared that protecting the heritage required both financial and technical resources, as well as international expertise. In the early days, the task was difficult, and they were uncertain about how to both preserve and develop the site. As part of their learning process, the team visited Guilin in China to learn how to conserve and restore landscapes, such as the famous caves in Ha Long Bay, including Thiên Cung, Đầu Gỗ, and Sửng Sốt caves. They also invited international experts to help design and implement effective solutions, including how to arrange spaces to harmonize with the natural surroundings and establish lighting systems to highlight the natural beauty of the caves.

Financial resources and specialized expertise were crucial, and the team’s human resources for conservation and heritage development were very limited and inexperienced. Yet, they had to undertake a monumental task: not only conserving the site but also turning it into a destination that could bring economic value through tourism.

Despite learning on the job and overcoming numerous challenges, Ha Long's landmarks began to transform. The development of tourist tours became more convenient, and the infrastructure was built to accommodate an increasing number of domestic and international visitors.

In 2002, the Prime Minister approved the Ha Long Bay Heritage Conservation and Development Plan, which guided the preservation and sustainable use of the heritage. Since then, policies and mechanisms for managing and preserving the site have gradually been enhanced, with more attention from both central and local authorities. The government enacted numerous legal documents to protect the heritage, including the Cultural Heritage Law and regulations on managing and protecting cultural and natural world heritage sites in Vietnam. Ha Long Bay’s management model has been constantly researched and adjusted to optimize conservation and heritage value maximization. The Ha Long Bay Management Department was established under the province's People's Committee to oversee all activities related to conservation, restoration, and promotion of Ha Long Bay's heritage value. Local authorities and other relevant departments also cooperate in managing the site.

In 2016, Ha Long Bay once again faced the risk of being stripped of its World Heritage status when the province began developing several industrial zones, including a cement factory. The Ha Long Bay Management Department took on the heavy responsibility of addressing this issue and preparing a detailed report for the World Heritage Committee's experts. “Many journalists were waiting for us after the report presentation. However, we carefully invited experts to Vietnam early to assess the potential risks to the heritage. We skillfully explained the situation in two ways: first, the province is blessed with natural resources that can support industrial development; second, the factory was located deep inland, far from the heritage buffer zone, so industrial production and port facilities would not significantly affect the heritage values of Ha Long Bay,” said Mr. Thái.

The Covid-19 pandemic also posed a challenge to Ha Long Bay, especially in terms of attracting tourists back to the site. Additionally, Typhoon Yagi caused significant damage, destroying 60% of the pristine forest and partially impacting the area’s landscape. Despite these challenges, Ha Long Bay has continued to work hard every day to restore the green cover of its primary forests. It is also developing many new and unique tourism products that cater to various market segments, aiming to enhance visitors' experiences. The goal is to ensure that each return visit to Ha Long feels fresh and revitalized.

Looking back at 30 years since Ha Long Bay was recognized as a World Heritage site, Mr. Thái described it as a dream come true, as he witnessed a remarkable transformation in the Bay's infrastructure while still ensuring the principles of heritage conservation. Over the years, Ha Long Bay has always been recognized as a key entity in the policies and strategies for the economic and social development of Quảng Ninh Province.

The task of managing, preserving, and promoting the value of this natural World Heritage site has been carried out in full accordance with Vietnamese laws and international conventions on the protection of cultural and natural heritage. With the support and attention from the Vietnamese government, ministries, experts, scientists, organizations, and individuals both domestically and internationally, especially from the UNESCO World Heritage Centre and the IUCN, Ha Long Bay has been effectively managed and protected according to the set requirements.

Solutions for Integrated Conservation and Sustainable Development Exploitation

Over the past 30 years, from 1994 to the end of September 2024, Ha Long Bay has welcomed more than 56.3 million visitors (including 25.8 million domestic visitors from Vietnam and 30.5 million international tourists), with revenue from entrance fees exceeding 8.472 billion VND. This is a significant figure that demonstrates, in addition to preserving the heritage site according to UNESCO regulations, the effectiveness of utilizing the heritage to generate socio-economic benefits for Ha Long in particular and Vietnam in general. This revenue has become a major driving force for the staff involved in conservation efforts. From this income, the Ha Long Bay Management Department has contributed to the city’s budget for reinvestment into the scenic areas and even invested in the tourism infrastructure along the coastal areas of the province.

To effectively protect and promote the heritage, Ha Long City has implemented systematic steps with long-term strategies for both local tourism development and the preservation of the area's scenic, archaeological, and indigenous cultural values.

Fish farming rafts at Cửa Vạn fishing village.

To clarify the values of Ha Long Bay and provide a basis for proposing effective management and conservation solutions, as well as to better promote and exploit the heritage values, over the years, the Ha Long Bay Management Department has independently conducted research and proactively collaborated with universities, research institutes, and scientists both domestically and internationally. They have developed and implemented more than 20 scientific research projects on the outstanding values of Ha Long Bay, including studies and assessments of Karst terrain, biodiversity monitoring, zoning to protect high biodiversity areas, and preserving and promoting the cultural and historical values of Ha Long Bay (such as fishing village culture and archaeological heritage).

Additionally, the heritage values are regularly monitored and assessed for environmental, climate changes, and impacts from socio-economic activities. Every year, the Department conducts dozens of regular monitoring campaigns on heritage values. Furthermore, at tourist sites, these values are frequently checked, with staff members assigned to monitor daily, record data, and identify potential risks or signs of abnormal conditions (if any).

Other research and conservation tasks have also been implemented, such as the establishment of a special-use forest to protect the landscape of Ha Long Bay; zoning for the protection of areas with high biodiversity value; conserving rare plant species; creating dossiers for some geological-geomorphological heritage sites; preserving and promoting some cultural values of the fishing villages; and researching, surveying, and excavating some archaeological sites on Ha Long Bay. Many pioneering and breakthrough solutions have been implemented, demonstrating a strong commitment to prioritizing the complete conservation of heritage values and biodiversity protection. These include relocating fishing village households on the Bay to live on the mainland starting from 2014, ensuring social security and welfare for the residents; banning fishing activities in the strictly protected heritage areas since 2018, with violations being strictly penalized; planning new aquaculture zones outside the strictly protected heritage areas; and halting the activities of loading and unloading clinker, cement, and wood chips on Ha Long Bay... Director of Ha Long Bay Management Department In particular, environmental protection, pollution prevention, and control of environmental pollution in the heritage site have always been prioritized, with many efforts aimed at improving and ensuring the environment of Ha Long Bay and creating new breakthroughs. This has attracted many environmental protection projects for Ha Long Bay, such as the Green Growth Project and the Ha Long Bay Environmental Protection Project funded by JICA. To control pollution at its source, especially from coastal discharges, border areas, and activities related to coal mining and transportation, the leaders of Quang Ninh Province have decisively relocated coal transportation and handling activities on Ha Long Bay. They have moved polluting facilities out of the buffer zone (such as coal washing plants and coal ports) and implemented solutions to improve the environment. The province has determined not to establish new industrial facilities, not to issue permits for plants that pose risks to Ha Long Bay's environment, and to stop the activities of loading and unloading clinker, cement, wood chips, limestone, and other goods.

To ensure that water sources are not polluted, foam buoys have been replaced with more durable floating materials at floating structures on the Bay. Regular quarterly monitoring of the water environment is conducted at 41 monitoring points across the Bay, and two automatic wastewater monitoring stations have been installed and are now operational.

In addition, Ha Long City has implemented projects such as: a smart city initiative; developing the environmental technical standards for Quang Ninh Province, incorporating specific environmental criteria tailored to the ecosystem and unique activities in the province and Ha Long Bay. The roles and responsibilities for inspection, monitoring, and coordination between localities and sectors have been strengthened to control discharge sources. Most industrial zones now have systems for collecting and treating wastewater before releasing it into the environment.

The province has also carried out the Ha Long City wastewater drainage and treatment project, investing in upgrading wastewater collection and treatment systems in coastal areas around Ha Long Bay. This has gradually increased the rate of wastewater collection and treatment in urban areas along the coast (Ha Long, Cam Pha, Van Don, Quang Yen), which currently stands at 48%, with a goal to reach 65% by 2025. All urban areas within the heritage buffer zone will have wastewater treatment systems in place to ensure the discharge into the environment is controlled.

100% of the tourist boats operating on Ha Long Bay have been equipped with oil-water separation devices, and all newly built tourist boats on the Bay are fitted with wastewater treatment systems that meet the required standards. The project to treat and reduce wastewater pollution at the tourist sites on Ha Long Bay is being implemented, utilizing Jokaso and Uniship technologies.

Implementing measures to reduce plastic waste at the heritage site, Ha Long Bay has effectively launched the "Ha Long Bay without Plastic Waste" Program since September 1^st, 2019. The program focuses on eliminating the use of single-use plastic products in tourism and service activities on the Bay. As a result, the amount of single-use plastic waste collected at tourist sites on the Bay has decreased by 90%, and 94% of foam buoys on floating structures in the Bay have been replaced.

The fish farming area at the Cửa Vạn fishing village

The entire city has formed a synchronous infrastructure system, creating a new look for Ha Long tourism, enhancing the appeal of Ha Long Bay as a World Heritage destination, providing the best experiences, and extending tourists' stay when visiting the area.

Currently, Ha Long Bay has 502 registered tourist boats, including 323 sightseeing boats, 177 overnight boats, 4 restaurant boats, and 7 exploration yachts. Additionally, there are 590 kayaks, 100 rowboats, 31 speedboats, and 134 tenders for transporting tourists. The operation of tourist boats and services is strictly managed. In 2018, Ha Long applied the "Green Sail" Ecotourism Label for tourist boats on the Bay to encourage compliance with environmental protection criteria and sustainable development practices.

As for business activities on the Bay, services, which were once fragmented, small-scale, and lacking the necessary legal procedures, with low service quality, were thoroughly reviewed and checked in 2016. The service quality of tourist boats and those operating tourism services on the Bay has been significantly improved.

Ti Top beach

Constantly expanding unique tourism products, Ha Long Bay now offers 8 sightseeing routes and 5 clusters of overnight stay points. The tourism products and services on the Bay include cave exploration, sightseeing, overnight stays, entertainment, beach swimming, kayaking, and boat rowing. The tourism services on Ha Long Bay are becoming increasingly diversified, aiming at sustainable tourism development. In addition to enhancing the quality of traditional tourism products such as cave exploration, beach swimming, kayaking, and overnight stays on cruise ships, new services and products are being developed.

Mr. Vu Kien Cuong, Director of Ha Long Bay Management Department, mentioned that new routes, spots, and tourism services are being developed, such as the trial operation of exploration cruises with three separate sightseeing routes, the Night Cruise Street product, and expanding tourism products based on the preservation and promotion of the historical and cultural values of fishing villages, archaeological culture, and biodiversity.

"Currently, some world natural and cultural heritage sites like Italy and Spain have had to close due to the risk of damaging the heritage. We also recognize this challenge for Ha Long Bay. Therefore, we have learned from other countries not to focus solely on increasing the number of tourists to avoid over-exploiting the heritage. Instead, we must assess the carrying capacity of the heritage, determine how much it can withstand, and from there create efficient tourist routes that don’t create pressure on the heritage or damage the natural landscape or archaeological relics," Mr. Cuong explained.

In addition to the tangible cultural values, the Ha Long Bay region also contains unique intangible cultural values of the communities of fishing people who once lived on the Bay. With a life connected to the sea for generations, these simple fishermen have adapted to and found ways to live harmoniously with nature through their rich folk knowledge. Today, even though they have been relocated to the mainland, the unique cultural features of the fishing communities on Ha Long Bay, such as customs, beliefs, festivals, and livelihood methods, are still preserved, restored, and promoted. These cultural values have become unique tourism products, contributing to the distinctiveness of this world natural heritage.

Promoting the role of the local community

Conservation efforts will truly become a burden for management authorities when they have to balance preservation with ensuring the livelihoods of local people without putting pressure on the heritage. The shift in public awareness and the involvement of the local community in the journey of protecting the heritage has been increasingly positive over time.

The activities of promoting and publicizing Ha Long Bay have diversified in terms of form, enriched in content, and enhanced in effectiveness: starting a heritage section in local newspapers and radio stations since 1999, installing large promotional billboards at important traffic intersections, and fully utilizing the effective promotional role of social media. Ha Long has set up a dedicated website for the Bay in six languages, created a Facebook page and fan page for Ha Long Bay, and expanded its promotional materials with dozens of publications.

Through tourism, trade promotion programs, exhibitions, and conferences both domestically and internationally, as well as media coverage in the press, Ha Long City has expanded its promotional activities to advertise Ha Long Bay tourism in key domestic and international markets. Notably, the city has cooperated with media agencies and filmmakers both in Vietnam and internationally to promote the magnificent natural landscapes of Ha Long Bay to the world. The city also regularly compiles, edits, and publishes promotional materials about the Bay in various languages (such as English, Chinese, etc.) and strengthens cooperation with the World Heritage Club in Vietnam to connect information and promote the potential values of the Bay.

Public awareness campaigns and community education on heritage protection have been widely promoted to various groups, including students (both domestic and international), residents in coastal areas, tourists, and organizations or individuals engaged in socio-economic activities on the Bay. These efforts are integrated with educational activities, extracurricular programs, and hands-on experiences focused on protecting the landscape, environment, and heritage values.

Since the 2000-2001 school year, the province has incorporated heritage protection education into schools, which has been positively received and expanded to all local schools. In 2005, the province successfully launched the Ecoboat program—an extracurricular activity promoting environmental protection on Ha Long Bay, based on the principle of "learning through play, playing through learning." The province also developed educational materials on environmental protection for the Bay, established a network of heritage protection volunteers, and implemented codes of conduct such as "Tourism Civility" and "Ha Long Smile." Additionally, activities like "Green Sundays," environmental clean-up campaigns, and on-site environmental education programs on the Bay have been organized. As a result, public awareness and community participation in protecting and preserving the heritage have shown significant positive changes.

Ha Long Bay Management Department has established and strengthened direct relationships with international organizations, leading to numerous exchanges with countries both within and outside the region on economic, cultural, and particularly heritage management and conservation. Many programs and projects have been funded and implemented, gradually integrating Ha Long Bay into international activities related to world heritage protection. These initiatives have led to several projects in Ha Long Bay in areas such as heritage research and conservation, environmental protection, community education, and improving heritage management capacity.

Additionally, Ha Long Bay Management Department regularly receives support and advice from IUCN and UNESCO experts in heritage management, especially in areas like environmental protection, carrying capacity assessment, and sustainable tourism management. During several terms of the World Bays Club, the leadership of the Ha Long Bay Management Department was elected Vice President of the Club, helping to enhance the image and status of Ha Long Bay globally.

Mr. Vũ Kiên Cường proudly expressed that each person in Quảng Ninh in particular, and in Vietnam in general, is fully aware of their responsibility to preserve, restore, protect, and promote the values of the world natural heritage. Ha Long Bay Management Department always has its own strategy for building a dedicated, capable, and professional workforce to carry out tasks related to protecting and enhancing the values of the heritage site. The Authority emphasizes the use of knowledge from experts, scientists, and researchers both domestically and internationally in the field of heritage protection and promotion, to properly assess the value of the heritage and identify what needs to be done to conserve, preserve, and enhance it.

Currently, the tourism resources in Ha Long Bay have only been exploited to 20%. The remaining 80% is still under research by the Ha Long Bay Management Department, which is working to develop new and distinctive tourism products. These will be proposed to the leadership of Quảng Ninh Province for implementation. The goal is to develop new tourism products while preserving the pristine natural beauty gifted to Ha Long Bay, safeguarding the cultural heritage of the local indigenous people, and protecting archaeological sites. This approach will help avoid the waste of tourism resources, ensuring that Ha Long remains green and continues to be a friendly destination for tourists.

Translated by Thuy Ha