On December 20, Reuters reported that UNESCO will deploy a team of experts to conduct a field survey in Ha Long Bay to further strengthen protection measures for this site.
Reuters quoted a UNESCO representative: "If threats are found to harm 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."
However, some news channels quoted the article, affirming that Ha Long Bay is at risk of being removed from the list of World Natural Heritage by UNESCO.
Responding to this information, the Department of Cultural Heritage (Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism) affirmed that UNESCO's sending of a field monitoring delegation to Ha Long was one of the contents that the Vietnamese delegation attending the 46th Session of the World Heritage Committee from July 21 to 31, 2024 discussed and agreed upon with the UNESCO World Heritage Center and the World Conservation Union (IUCN), the International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS).
Accordingly, at the 46th Session in 2024, the World Heritage Committee made 8 recommendations on the conservation of the World Heritage Site of Ha Long Bay - Cat Ba Archipelago.
With the first four recommendations, UNESCO affirmed that it had reviewed and approved Vietnam's report on Ha Long Bay - Cat Ba Archipelago, including the report on the conservation status and the establishment of an effective coordination mechanism between Quang Ninh province and Hai Phong city to ensure the comprehensive management of the heritage.
UNESCO's fifth recommendation is to note the control of the implementation of projects in heritage protection areas that require heritage impact assessment according to the guidelines of the 1972 UNESCO Convention...
Specifically, construction projects must be assessed for their suitability for impacting the outstanding universal value of the heritage according to UNESCO's World Heritage Impact Assessment Guidelines.
Recommendation 6: UNESCO acknowledges and appreciates Quang Ninh province for implementing comprehensive measures to address waste and environmental pollution to maintain air and water quality within acceptable limits. However, attention should still be paid to controlling water pollution.
In the 7th recommendation, UNESCO requested to submit to the World Heritage Center a detailed zoning map of the World Natural Heritage Area of Ha Long Bay - Cat Ba Archipelago, after the World Heritage Area of Ha Long Bay is expanded to include Cat Ba Archipelago.
Recommendation 8 is to invite a UNESCO feedback monitoring mission to assess the overall status of heritage conservation, especially heritage management and the effectiveness of heritage protection management organizations.
"We need to closely follow the recommendations of the Field Inspection Team to explain and accept the advice and comments of the UNESCO Expert Team on the protection of Ha Long Bay, as well as Vietnam's wishes to continue researching and supplementing cultural values, especially the potential cultural and historical values of Ha Long Bay with the archaeological cultures of Soi Nhu - Cai Beo - Ha Long", said a representative of the Department of Cultural Heritage and Information.
In addition, at its 46th Session in 2024, the World Heritage Committee examined reports on the state of conservation of 123 World Heritage properties, including 56 World Heritage properties on the List of World Heritage in Danger.
Currently, Vietnam has no world heritages included in this List.
