The World Heritage Centre (WHC) of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) said there were concerns that "many projects to develop new tourist areas and urban areas along the coast in Ha Long city have been approved and implemented" without proper assessment of their long-term impacts.
Therefore, a team of experts from UNESCO and the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) will carry out a mission to assess the impact of these projects in the coming months.
"If threats are found to the integrity of Ha Long Bay and the values that contribute to its inclusion in the World Heritage List, the Committee may request remedial measures to enhance the protection of the site," UNESCO informed.
Nuno Ribeiro, a senior lecturer in tourism at RMIT University Vietnam, told Reuters that over-construction "threatens the unique natural beauty, biodiversity and ecological balance that have earned Ha Long Bay its UNESCO status."
Ha Long Bay has been recognized twice by UNESCO as a World Natural Heritage. The first time, in 1994, Ha Long Bay received the title of Natural Heritage for its outstanding global landscape value criteria and the second time it was recognized for its geological and geomorphological criteria in 2000.
Ha Long Bay has just celebrated the 30th anniversary of its recognition by UNESCO as a World Natural Heritage Site (December 17, 1994 - December 17, 2024). This is an attractive destination, attracting domestic and foreign tourists, contributing to boosting tourism revenue.
