Accordingly, the Ha Long Bay - Yen Tu World Heritage Management Board is responsible and has powers in managing the Co To - Tran Island Marine Conservation Area according to the provisions of Circular No. 88/2025/TT-BNNMT dated December 31, 2025 of the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment guiding the protection and development of aquatic resources; legal regulations related to marine conservation areas and other tasks assigned by the Provincial People's Committee and the Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee.
The Ha Long Bay - Yen Tu World Heritage Management Board coordinates with relevant agencies and units to advise and propose relevant contents to the Provincial People's Committee, ensuring the effective organization of assigned tasks in accordance with the law.
The Co To - Tran Island Marine Protected Area was established to preserve natural, unique and important ecosystems, such as: coral reefs in Co To Con, Thanh Lan, Hon Ngua island cluster, Tran island, Bac Bo Cat island; mangrove forests, tidal flats, rocky reefs and aquatic populations; protect, restore and develop populations of precious and rare marine species, especially migratory species such as lizards, doi moi, doi moi dua, skin turtles, unbiased dolphins...
At the same time, preserving the unique natural landscape of Co To - Tran Island to serve scientific research, education and exploitation of non-consuming values of marine ecosystems and island landscapes for ecotourism, adventure tourism, and resort tourism.
Co To - Tran Island Marine Protected Area has a total area of 18,414.92ha, including 13,230.5ha of functional sub-areas (strict protection sub-area; ecological restoration sub-area; service - administrative sub-area) and 5,184.42ha of buffer zone.
The assignment of the Ha Long Bay - Yen Tu World Heritage Management Board to manage the Co To - Tran Island marine protected area is considered a step in line with the direction of strengthening the management efficiency of marine protected areas in the province.
The Ha Long Bay - Yen Tu World Heritage Management Board is an unit with experience in managing large-scale heritage and natural resources, especially marine ecosystem conservation, ecotourism management and inter-sectoral coordination. The unification of management focal points will create favorable conditions in building a comprehensive management mechanism, connecting marine conservation with ecotourism development, scientific research and environmental education.
In addition, linking the management of marine protected areas with the world heritage management system also opens up opportunities to improve the value of marine and island resources, promote international cooperation, and attract resources for conservation and sustainable development of the northeastern sea and island area of the province.
However, the Co To - Tran Island Marine Protected Area is located far from the mainland, with a wide scope, including many unique marine ecosystems, while the conditions of facilities and vehicles for patrolling and monitoring at sea are still limited. This requires synchronous investment in human resources, equipment and inter-sectoral coordination mechanisms.
In addition, the Co To - Tran Island Conservation Area is an area with quite active seafood exploitation, tourism and marine transport activities, potentially posing a risk of impacting the ecosystem if not strictly managed. Harmonizing conservation and livelihoods of local people is also a problem that needs to be solved through community management models and sustainable livelihood development.
