Ha Long Bay 30 years of having earned UNESCO title

Located in the northeastern part of Vietnam, about 165 km from Hanoi, Ha Long Bay covers an area of 1,553 km² and consists of 1,969 islands, of which 980 have names.

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Ha Long Bay is the 448th site on the World Heritage List and is the first natural heritage of Vietnam to be included on the list.

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The area of Ha Long Bay listed by UNESCO covers 434 km² and includes 775 islands, 411 of which have been named. The area is home to numerous limestone islands, caves, and beautiful beaches. Currently, around 10 caves are being developed for tourism.

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Among them, Thien Cung Cave is one of the most beautiful caves in Ha Long Bay. The cave spans approximately 10,000 m² and features stalactites and stalagmites made of limestone, in bizarre and unique shapes.

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Entering the cave, visitors are awestruck by the mesmerizing and delicate beauty of the stalactite clusters, resulting from natural formations over millions of years.

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“This is the first time I have visited Vietnam and Ha Long Bay. Before coming here, I heard that Ha Long Bay is a popular destination, one of the must-visit tourist spots in the world. And indeed, it is undeniable that Ha Long Bay is very beautiful. I am truly impressed with this cave,” says a German visitor.

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Thanks to leveraging the strengths of its World Heritage status, combined promotion campaigns, tourism in Quang Ninh in general and in Ha Long in particular has seen impressive growth.

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The number of visitors to Ha Long Bay has increased significantly, from around 2.5 million during the period of 1995-2000 to over 54.8 million from 2000 to the present.

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Over the past 30 years, the total revenue from entrance fees to Ha Long Bay has reached over VND8,500 billion, contributing 3.6% to 4% annually to the local coffers.

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A key highlight in the socio-economic, and tourism development of Quang Ninh, Ha Long Bay has been invested in by the local authorities to become one of the best, highest-quality, sustainable, effective, and visitor-friendly tourist destinations.

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After its first listing in 1994, Ha Long Bay was subsequently recognized by UNESCO for the second time for its geological and geomorphological value in 2000.

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In 2023, the World Heritage Committee approved the extension of the Ha Long Bay World Heritage Site to include the Cat Ba Archipelago of Hai Phong City due to their similar natural landscapes and geological features. This expansion has made Ha Long Bay and Cat Ba Archipelago - a trans-provincial World Heritage Site.

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After the boundary expansion, Ha Long Bay - Cat Ba Archipelago is expected to attract more international tourists and help drive economic growth in both Quang Ninh and Hai Phong, making tourism a key economic sector in the region.

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Both Quang Ninh and Hai Phong are working together to develop a spatial planning for the heritage site and establish a coordination mechanism for management to foster socio-economic development. The conservation of the values of the bay area is given a top priority.

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Three decades after being designated a World Heritage Site, Ha Long Bay has been fully preserved while maintaining a balance between development and heritage conservation.