A senior official from Vietnam’s Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Tourism has refuted claims suggesting that Ha Long Bay could be removed from the UNESCO World Heritage List.
In a recent interview with VTC News, the official dismissed the rumors, providing clarity on the actual purpose of UNESCO’s upcoming visit.
Additionally, a representative from the expert group representing Vietnam at the World Heritage Committee also refuted the misinformation in an interview with Tuoi Tre newspaper on Monday.
The representative clarified that Vietnam has invited a team of UNESCO experts to assess the implementation of eight new recommendations provided by UNESCO and to discuss conservation risks to Ha Long Bay.
According to the Department of Cultural Heritage, the expert team is expected to arrive in Vietnam in January.
Reuters recently reported on UNESCO’s plans to send a team of experts to evaluate potential risks to the conservation of Ha Long Bay due to concerns over development projects. They quoted UNESCO as saying, “If threats are identified which jeopardize the integrity of the property and the reasons for its inscription on the World Heritage List, the committee may request corrective measures to strengthen the protection of the site.”
However, some Facebook pages have misrepresented this information, suggesting that UNESCO might consider removing Ha Long Bay from the World Heritage List.
The representative emphasized that, during the 46th session of the UNESCO World Heritage Committee in New Delhi, India, in July, more than 130 reports were submitted for consideration, including one on the conservation of Ha Long Bay and the Thang Long Imperial Citadel in Vietnam.
Following the report’s review, UNESCO provided eight recommendations to guide the conservation efforts of the Ha Long Bay-Cat Ba Archipelago World Natural Heritage Site.
Ha Long Bay has been recognized as a UNESCO World Natural Heritage site on three occasions: in 1994, 2000, and most recently in 2023, when the site was expanded to include the archipelago.
In their recommendations, UNESCO calls for stringent oversight of development projects within the bay and archipelago area. They also request comprehensive assessments of the impacts on the heritage site, following their instructions.
While UNESCO acknowledges the efforts of Quang Ninh Province in addressing waste and environmental pollution to maintain air and water quality, they urge continued vigilance to prevent possible water resource pollution.
Additionally, UNESCO has requested that Vietnam submit a detailed zoning map of the Ha Long Bay-Cat Ba Archipelago area to the World Heritage Center and invite a UNESCO expert team to assess heritage conservation efforts, including the efficiency of administration and management.
Both the expert group representative and the Department of Cultural Heritage underscored that removing a site from the World Heritage List is an extreme measure, only considered when all attempts to mitigate conservation threats have been exhausted.
Currently, none of Vietnam’s heritage sites are included in UNESCO’s List of World Heritage in Danger, which comprises 56 sites globally.
As Ha Long Bay approaches the 30th anniversary of its inclusion on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2024, it stands as one of 1,223 properties worldwide recognized for their cultural, natural, or mixed significance.
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