sourcebook

Management history

Cac Dao Vinh Ha Long [islands in Ha Long bay] was designated as a cultural and historical relic and national scenic spot on 28 April 1962, by Decision No. 313/VH-VP of the Ministry of Culture and Information (ADB 1999). Subsequently, on 9 August 1986, the site was included on Decision No. 194/CT of the Chairman of the Council of Ministers as a 1,000 ha cultural and historical site (MARD 1997). To date, an investment plan for the cultural and historical site has not been prepared and the exact boundary has not been defined.

In 1993, the government of Vietnam proposed that Ha Long bay should be designated as a World Heritage Site, and in 1994, the site was inscribed as a Natural World Heritage Site by the UNESCO World Heritage Commission. The World Heritage Site covers an area of 43,400 ha, including around 700 islands (ADB 1999).

In 1995, Ha Long bay, together with Cat Ba island, was included on a proposed list of marine protected areas prepared by Hai Phong Institute of Oceanography (Nguyen Huy Yet and Vo Si Tuan 1995).

In 1999, the Asian Development Bank (ADB 1999) proposed establishing a 155,300 ha protected area called Ha Long Bay Natural Landscape. It is not clear how this proposed management category relates to the Vietnamese protected areas system.

According to ADB (1999), the site is managed by Quang Ninh Provincial People's Committee through the Ha Long bay management board, under Quang Ninh Provincial People's Committee, which is responsible for the World Heritage Site, and is not a Special-use Forest management board. Cac Dao Vinh Ha Long is included on a list of Special-use Forests to be established by the year 2010, prepared by the FPD of MARD, as a 1,000 ha cultural and historical site (FPD 2003); this list has not yet been approved by the government.

Topography and hydrology

A total of 1,969 islands and islets lie in Ha Long bay (ADB 1999). The geology of these islands is characterised by limestone karst, of which there are two major landforms: fengcong and fenglin karst (Waltham 1998). Several of the larger islands reach elevations of over 200 m. The waters of the bay itself, however, are shallow, and reach depths of only 6 to 10 m. None of the islands appear to have permanent surface water features.

Biodiversity values

Only a limited amount of biological research has been conducted in Ha Long bay to date, and information on its biodiversity values is limited. The islands in the bay support limestone forest, although the vegetation cover is often sparse and low, as a result of human disturbance and the precipitous nature of the topography. The islands support a diverse flora, which includes a number of endemic species. For instance, during a recent botanical survey by the Institute of Ecology and Biological Resources and IUCN, seven plant species new to science were discovered: Livistona halongensis, Impatiens halongensis, Chirita halongensis, C. hiepii, C. modesta, Paraboea halongensis and Alpinia calcicola (Vietnam News 2000a).

The islands in Ha Long bay support a high diversity of snail species, including 60 that are endemic to the site. Of particular note is the high diversity of true cave-dwelling snail species that occur at the site (Vermeulen and Whitten 1998).

Conservation issues

Ha Long, Hai Phong and Hanoi cities are the major centres of economic growth in northern Vietnam. Economic development in these cities, together with the growing affluence of southern China, is leading to increased human pressure on the Ha Long bay area. The coastal zone of Quang Ninh province and Hai Phong city is currently experiencing rapid growth in infrastructure development, particularly in the transport, shipping, coal mining and tourism sectors.

ADB (1999) consider the development of a new port in Ha Long bay, which could lead to an increase in shipping traffic through the site, and development of tourism infrastructure, to be major threats to the site. Industrial waste and fisheries management have also been cited as threats. Waltham (1998) notes that there is a continuing need for careful control of development within Ha Long bay by a management structure that gives due respect to the important environmental values of the site.

Other documented values

Ha Long bay is one of the most visited sites by both domestic and foreign tourists in Vietnam. In 1998, 186,328 domestic tourists and 113,869 foreign tourists visited Ha Long bay (ADB 1999). The main attraction is the unparalleled landscape of limestone karst islands. The name Ha Long means dragon descending, and refers to a local legend that the islands were formed by a celestial dragon and her children, who spat out great quantities of pearls to place a chain of razor-sharp mountains across the path of an invading enemy fleet (Dodd and Lewis 1997). The fact that Ha Long bay has been designated as a World Heritage Site enhances its appeal to tourists.

Related projects

The government of Vietnam and the Japanese International Co-operation Agency commissioned a comprehensive environmental study of pollution at the World Heritage Site and the coastal area adjacent to Ha Long city. This study, which investigated a range of pollution sources and indicators, was completed in 1999.

In 2000, with funding from the Royal Netherlands Embassy, an illustrated guide to selected plant species of the islands in Ha Long bay was compiled and published by IUCN, in collaboration with the Ha Long Bay Management Board. The aim of the project was to raise awareness among domestic and foreign tourists of the interesting and unique plants found in the area (Vietnam News 2000a).

As part of the European-Union-funded project Capacity Building for Environmental Management in Vietnam, the Free University of Brussels, Belgium, and the Institute of Geography and the University of Natural Sciences, Vietnam, have developed a Geographical Information System database for Quang Ninh province, which includes Ha Long bay.

Since 2002, the Fauna & Flora International Vietnam Programme have been implementing an environmental education programme at Ha Long bay, with funding from BP. The focus of the programme is primary school pupils.

Conservation needs assessment

A conservation needs assessment has not been conducted for the site.

Operational management plan

An operational management plan has not been prepared for the site.

Eligibility against VCF criteria

The site is ineligible for VCF funding because it does not meet the criteria for supporting forest biodiversity of international importance. In addition, the site is a cultural and historical site, and it is not under appropriate conservation management.

Criterion	Eligibility
A_I
A_II
B_I	Decision No. 194/CT, dated 09/08/86
B_II
B_III	Under provincial management
C_I
C_II

Social screening requirements

A social screening report has not been prepared for the site.

Criterion	Eligibility
A
B
C
D

Literature sources

ADB (1999) Draft coastal and marine protected areas plan. Hanoi: Asian Development Bank.

Anon. (1997) [Report on the seminar on development planning for the Ha Long-Cat Ba tourism area, 28-30 April 1997]. Ha Long: Quang Ninh Provincial People's Committee and Hai Phong City People's Committee. In Vietnamese.

Anon. (1999) Ha Long bay: between myth and reality. Vietnam Cultural Window 13.

Anon. (1999) Ha Long bay (Vietnam). Unpublished extract from draft report of the rapporteur, twenty-third session of the Bureau of the World Heritage Committee, 5-10 July 1999.

Cheung, C.P.S. (1992) Report on a visit to the coasts of Vietnam. Unpublished report to WWF Asian Region.

Deharveng, L. (1998) Ha Long bay biodiversity survey, Cave fauna. Unpublished report.

Dodd, J. and Lewis, M. (1996) Vietnam: the rough guide. London: Rough Guides.

Glover, I. C. and Ha Huu Nga (1998) Assessment of the archaeological resources of the World Heritage Site at Ha Long Bay, Quang Ninh province, Vietnam. Unpublished report to the Institute of Archaeology, University College London and the Institute of Archaeology, Hanoi.

IUCN (2000) [Seven new plants discovered in Halong Bay World Heritage Site]. Press release by IUCN Vietnam Office, 31 July 2000. In Vietnamese.

IUCN (2000) Seven new plants discovered in Halong Bay, World Heritage Site. Press release by IUCN Vietnam Office, 31 July 2000.

KNCCN, IEBR and HNU (1997) Ecosystem and biodiversity of Cat Ba National Park and Ha Long bay, Vietnam. Seoul: The Korean National Council for Conservation of Nature, the Institute of Ecology and Biological Resources, Hanoi, and Hanoi National University.

Nguyen Chu Hoi, Nguyen Huy Yet and Dang Ngoc Thanh (1998) [Scientific basis for marine protected areas planning]. Hai Phong: Hai Phong Institute of Oceanography. In Vietnamese.

Nguyen Huy Yet and Vo Si Tuan (1995) [Information on proposed marine protected areas on the coast of Vietnam]. Hai Phong: Hai Phong Institute of Oceanography. In Vietnamese.

Nguyen Tien Hiep, Kiew, R. and Gibbs, W. (2000) Wild plants of Ha Long bay. Hanoi: Thanh Nhien Publishing House. In English and Vietnamese.

Storey, R. and Robinson, D. (1995) Lonely planet travel survival kit: Vietnam. Third edition. Hawthorn: Lonely Planet Publications.

Vermeulen, J. J. and Whitten, A. J. (1998) Land and freshwater molluscs of the karst regions ENE of Haiphong and the Cuc Phuong National Park, northern Vietnam. Unpublished report to IUCN Vietnam, Fauna and Flora International Indochina Programme and the Management Authorities of Ha Long Bay World Heritage Site and Cat Ba and Cuc Phuong National Parks.

Vietnam News (2000a) Seven new species mark Ha Long's botanic bounty. Vietnam News 1 August 2000.

Vietnam News (2000b) Ha Long eco-museum to involve public. Vietnam News 1 September 2000.

Vietnam News (2002) Ecology museum will reveal the secrets of Ha Long bay's magic. Vietnam News 10 April 2002.

Vietnam News (2002) Government launches plan to conserve Ha Long Bay. Vietnam News 26 October 2002.

Vietnam News (2002) Ha Long bay to have ecological museum. Vietnam News 10 August 2002.

Vietnam News Agency (2000) Ha Long bay listed UNESCO's world geological heritage. Press release by Vietnam News Agency, December 2000.

Vietnam News Agency (2000) Vietnam's Ha Long bay applies for geological heritage listing. Press release by Vietnam News Agency, 6 September 2000.

Waltham, T. (1998) Limestone karst of Ha Long Bay, Vietnam: an assessment of the karst geomorphology of the World Heritage Site. Unpublished report to Nottingham Trent University.

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