Socialist Republic of Vietnam

Ha Noi, July 28 (VNA) -- All-out preparations have been made to finalize a project to build an ecological museum of Ha Long Bay, that was twice recognized by UNESCO as a world cultural heritage in 1994 and also a world geological and geomorphological heritage last year.

The project, funded by the two UN agencies, UNDP and UNESCO, started working in July, 2000 to have an all-round assessment of Ha Long Bay's value before setting forth strategic and systematic measures to preserve the heritage and its ecological system.

The eco-museum building project, due to be submitted to the Prime Minister soon, is part of the effort to produce harmony between the population and natural environment by mobilizing local people's support and raising awareness of challenges and responsibility for the preservation of Ha Long Bay.

The ecological museum is to be an open one designed to have an over-all display of the Ha Long Bay area. The bay stretches about 30 km in length and covers an area of 1,553 sq.km, with 1,969 islets and islands harbouring wonderful scenery, geology, ecological diversity, and a distinct cultural and historical identity.

However, the Ha Long Bay heritage is facing a series of challenges as a result of fast urbanization and heavy population pressure as well as the unplanned development of transport, tourism, sea port, coal mining and other industries.

In addition, almost 2,000 local people make a living on daily fishing operations and aquaculture in the Bay, while others have used explosives to exploit the stones and timber on the mountains. These operations have unintentionally destroyed the ecology of the Bay

Any violation, big or small, of Ha Long's natural environment, will leave a scar for this world heritage, according to a senior official of Quang Ninh province, about 150 km northeast of Ha Noi.

The official said that much has been done by the province to preserve Ha Long Bay, including a Japanese government-funded project to manage the Bay's environment up to the year 2010, and a Danish government-sponsored project to provide water supply and drainage for the Ha Long City and Cam Pha provincial town.

Local authorities have already moved coal production and coal rail transportation out of the central city, as well as reorganized fishing villages and fishing unities. They have also restored grottoes and upgraded caves to make them more attractive to tourists.

To date, a series of symposiums and workshops have been organised to increase understanding of the Bay's value in terms of geology, ecological diversity and cutural history, according to the local official.

He stressed that apart from its value as both world cultural and geological heritage, Ha Long Bay should be tapped as a famous ourist destination and also be zoned off with other landscapes and historical and cultural sites in the province into a larger group of tourist destinations of Quang Ninh province.

These local cultural and historical places include Yen Tu mountain; Truc Lam Buddhist sect composed of pagodas, temples and towers built in the Tran Dynasty of the 13th century; royal tombs and towers of the Tran Dynasty located in An Sinh and Dong Trieu areas; a group of historical relics relating to the Bach Dang river victory in 1288 in Yen Hung district; famous temples of Cua Ong and Tra Co areas, according to the official.

By building an ecological museum in Ha Long, Viet Nam will become the first country in Asia to apply a method of identical and comprehensive management of a world heritage, according to the chief of the UNESCO Office in Ha Noi.--VNA