The cruise ships on Ha Long Bay are equipped with GPS navigation system, ensuring the safety for tourists.

The application of IT has contributed to improving the efficiency of the operation of the Ha Long Bay Management Board as well as ensuring the order, security and traffic safety, leaving a good impression and satisfaction on tourists, towards developing Ha Long City into a smart and modern urban area.

In order to enhance the management of Ha Long Bay, since 2017, the Ha Long Bay Management Board installed the microwave data transmission system, while upgrading thecamera system at its headquarters and attractions on Ha Long Bay for phase 1. Accordingly, the cameras have been set up in several major caves, including Dau Go and Thien Cung, strengthening the supervision and management for visitors and ensuring the order, security and traffic safety. In addition, the microwave system has also been piloted in three areas: Tuan Chau, Thien Cung cave and Bai Tho mount to provide visitors with free wifi.

Vice Chairman of Ha Long City People's Committee, Nguyen Ngoc Son, said the installation of transmission systems and cameras at ports and wharves has greatly supported the assurance security as well as the control and settlement of violations on the Bay. Vessels and ticket selling points are inspected and supervised directly through the cameras, so that the issues breaking security, order and traffic safety will be detected and handled promptly .

In addition to the maintenance of the VHF system, the Ha Long Bay Management Board invested in the upgrade of the GPS navigation system in all boats in the Bay. Thanks to the GPS system, the Quang Ninh Province’s Inland Waterways Administration and the Ha Long Bay Management Board can monitor the boats’ route and the pick-up and drop-off points as well as thoroughly grasp the information and number of passengers and easily search and rescue. The installation of IT equipment has helped Ha Long Bay Management Board proactively arrange forces to strengthen patrol and control on Ha Long Bay and Bai Tu Long Bay, detecting and settling hundreds of violations with administrative sanctions of up to hundreds of millions of Vietnamese dongs. Currently, all cruise ships on Ha Long Bay were equipped with the GPS navigation system, so their routes will be updated continuously to the Management Board and the Inland Waterways Administration.

Thanks to the constant updating of data on the licensing software system, the provincial Inland Waterways Administration’s staff can shorten the licensing time with the nearly doubled number of vehicles compared to the previous time. Director of Quang Ninh provincial administration Vu Manh Long said that there is an average of hundreds of touristboats visiting and staying in Ha Long Bay per day. Especially during the holidays and summer weekends, the number of visitors to the Bay rose sharply, leading to the increase of ships departing. Therefore, the application of II advances can help authorities to manage them effectively. In the coming time, the administration will continue to supplement the licensing software’s limited parts that have not yet met the requirements in the management, while building a pilot licensing software on its website satisfying all contents of the administration. The GPS system will also be upgraded, better serving for the management and track of the cruise ships.

Ha Long City also piloted a high-speed IP connection system, with a wireless local area network (WLAN) connecting the Ha Long Bay Management Board with major islands and caves, including Tuan Chau, Ti Top, Thien Cung, Sung Sot and Dau Go. With high-speed and stable transmission of WLAN system, the city installed cameras to observe areas, count the number of people, identify images and barcodes, give warnings, and supervise traveling activities.

Besides, the WLAN transmission system was considered as an important technical infrastructure to provide free wifi, aiming to promote destinations at tourist wharves and islands on Ha Long Bay.

Vu Dinh Chung, a visitor from Hanoi, shared that wifi signal on Ha Long Bay was so good that I could quickly transfer the information and photos immediately to my family and friendswhen I was visiting the Bay.

With the WLAN transmission system, Quang Ninh province and Ha Long city continued to build and complete the electronic ticket system instead of paper tickets. As a result, the issue of revenue management will be controlled transparently and accurately. The electronic ticket system also allows the linkage of data among stakeholders.

Deputy Head of Ha Long Bay Management Board, Pham Dinh Huynh, said that thanks to the promotion of management measures through technological equipment, business activitiesand tourism services on Ha Long Bay has gradually come into order and discipline. The management of Ha Long Bay, ticket sales, security and order and traffic safety in the locality have been strengthened; meanwhile, the working awareness of employees has been raised and the loss of revenue has been prevented better. The functional agencies could closely coordinate together to promptly handle incidents. Through thefree wifi system, tourists can share photos directly with friends and relatives, contributing to promoting the image of Ha Long Bay. “We will continue to develop a synchronous wifi and camera system at many other sights on the bay, while cooperating with the banks to deploy e-ticket sales for tourists”.

With nearly 2,000 large and small islands, Ha Long Bay – a world’s heritage and wonder, was appreciated by both domestic and foreign visitors as the best in the Vietnam's tourism market.Many international organisations and forums have continuously voted Ha Long Bay among the most beautiful destinations in the world, such as one of top ten most beautiful bays in the world,one of 100 most attractive journeys in the world, and one of world's most beautiful places.

Since being recognised by UNESCO as a World’s Natural Heritage, Ha Long Bay has always been identified as the focal point and the driving force for the tourism development of Quang Ninh province. In order to manage, conserve and sustainably promote the values of the world natural heritage, the Ha Long Bay Management Board has gradually improved the mechanisms and policies to suit practical requirements, creating positive changes in the management of services and activities. The board has also renovated and embellished methodically the projects, while protecting the Ha Long Bay’s environment. Notably, the traveling spaces and new tourism products have been expanded on Ha Long Bay, meeting diverse demand of visitors.

Ha Long City is making efforts to become a smart city by 2020, of which, smart tourism will be one of the major fields. Four projects related to tourism has been approved. They will create a solid foundation for the development of smart tourism in Ha Long City in particular and Quang Ninh Province in general. The modern technological applications are aimed at improving the quality of services for visitors to Ha Long Bay. Nhan Dan