Drunk driving cause 70 percent of road accidents in Vietnam

Drunk driving is the cause of 70 percent of traffic accidents in Vietnam, Office Chief of the National Traffic Safety Committee Nguyen Trong Thai said, urging drastic measures to tackle the problem.

According to statistics of the World Health Organization (WHO), as many as 70 percent of male Vietnamese drink alcohol and one in every four men use the drinks at dangerous level which is equivalent to six glasses of beer per day.

Besides strict anti-drink law, the official called for more awareness raising campaigns on the negative impacts of the excessive consumption of alcohol on health and traffic safety. He urged State agencies, organisations and companies to ban alcohol consumption during working hours.

On the global scale, the abuse of alcohol drinks results in more than 2.2 million deaths. Around 30 percent of traffic accidents are related to alcohol use. In addition, the excessive consumption of alcohol is also a main cause of non-communicable diseases in the world as well as in Vietnam.

USAID Assistant Administrator for Global Health to visit Vietnam

Dr. Ariel Pablos-Mendez, Assistant Administrator for Global Health at the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) will pay a working visit to Vietnam from October 30 to November 1.

During his time in Ho Chi Minh City, Dr. Pablos-Mendez will attend the launch of new USAID health initiative that encourages local private sector investment and an enhanced commercial market important to Vietnam’s HIV response.

He will then meet with leaders of Vietnam’s Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development and Ministry of Health in Hanoi to promote the partnership between USAID and the key ministries responsible for issues such as Avian Influenza, HIV and Global Health Security.  He will also visit related project sites.

During his visit, Dr. Pablos-Mendez will speak to and interact with leaders, lecturers and students at the Hanoi School of Public Health on the topic ‘the Future of Global Health’ from 4:30 p.m. to 6:00 p.m, on October 31, 2014.

Students come together in HCM City for programming competition

The ACM International Collegiate Programming Contest for the Ho Chi Minh City Region (ACM/ICPC) commenced on October 29.

As many as 316 Vietnamese students in 107 teams entered the competition.

The 10 top teams will represent Vietnam at the Asian qualifying round for ACM/ICPC 2014 in Thailand from November 13-15.

The best Asian representatives will compete in the final round in Morocco in 2015.

On the same day, the 23 rd Vietnam Informatics Olympic Contest for Students (OLP 2014) also started in Ho Chi Minh City , attracting nearly 400 students from 67 universities and colleges throughout the country.

The two competitions, jointly organised by the Ministry of Education and Training, the Vietnam Informatics Association and the Industrial University of HCM City, will run until October 31.

The Prime Minister has approved the allocation of VND239 billion (US$11.5 million) for urgent evacuation plans in areas threatened by natural disasters in 24 provinces nationwide.

Statistics from the Ministry of Planning and Investment showed that 7,077 households with more than 33,000 residents had to be evacuated quickly from areas at high risk of flash floods and landslides this year.

Flash floods and landslides occur frequently in mountainous areas during the rainy season. Since 2000, hundreds of such natural disasters have hit Viet Nam.

Vietnam ranks first at ASEAN Skills Competition

Vietnam won 15 gold, six silver and six bronze medals, ranking first at the 10th ASEAN Skills Competition that wrapped up in Hanoi on October 28.

It was followed by Indonesia with nine golds and Malaysia with eight gold medals, according to the organising board.

The six-day competition drew about 300 young workers, under the age of 22, from 10 ASEAN member countries competing in 23 occupational skills and two performance skills.

Vietnam first hosted the ASEAN competition in 2004, topping the medal tally with 13 of the 18 gold medals. At the 9th event in Indonesia in 2012, Vietnam came second, with 44 workers competing in 22 skills.

18 million USD raised for Mekong delta’s social welfare fund

The organising board of the 2014 Mekong Delta Economic Cooperation Forum (MDEC 2014) scheduled for early next month in Soc Trang province has raised 385 billion VND (18.1 million USD) for the region’s social welfare fund.

The donation includes 50 billion VND (2.1 million USD) for a project to build a hospital in Duyen Hai district, Soc Trang province, the organising said on October 27.

The MDEC 2013 held in Vinh Long attracted a total capital of 4 trillion VND (188 million USD), while capital raised for social welfare activities in the region hit nearly 600 billion VND (28.2 million USD).

This year’ annual event, the eighth of its kind in the region, will take place from November 5 -11with focus on restructuring the agricultural sector and building new rural areas in the region.

It aims to draw and propose measures, mechanisms and policies to boost trade promotion as well as introduce the region’s potential to domestic and foreign investors, especially those operating in agriculture and rural development related-sectors.

The forum will also analyse and discuss orientations and plans to foster economic links between the regional localities and others across the country.

A series of workshops and conferences on how to promote the restructuring of the agricultural sector and the construction of new-style areas in response to climate change, and what are roles of banks in these works, will be organised during the event, according to the organising board.

The Mekong Delta comprises of 12 provinces and one centrally-run city with a total area of 40,000 square kilometres and a population of 18 million. It is the country’s rice producer.

Hai Phong port customs discovers smuggled elephant tusks

Customs officers at the northern port city of Hai Phong detected on October 27 elephant tusks weighing nearly one tonne smuggled into Vietnam.

They said the contraband was hidden in sacks of rubber gloves inside a container transported by ship Ability V.0011S, which entered the city’s GreenPort Terminal on October 23.

Nguyen Sy Trang, Deputy Director of the department, said the freight was imported into Vietnam temporarily so that it can be delivered to another country later.

The customs department and wildlife protection organisations will examine the confiscated tusks to clarify their origin, he added.

Over the last three years, the Hai Phong Customs Department uncovered more than 10 tonnes of elephant tusks smuggled into Vietnam with an aim of being re-exported to a third country.

Ivory trade is banned under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) as well as Vietnamese law.

Cows donated to ethnic minority households in Dak Nong

As many as 1,000 breeding cows were handed over to ethnic minority households in seven districts and towns in the Central Highlands province of Dak Nong from October 17-27.

This is part of VinGroup’s corporate social responsibility programme to donate 5,000 breeding cows to poor ethnic households in the five Central Highland provinces of Dak Lak, Dak Nong, Kon Tum, Gia Lai and Lam Dong

Accordingly, each province will be gifted 1,000 breeding cows and provided training on how to look after them.

The programme is expected to improve living conditions in poor rural areas, helping residents develop production, generate income, eliminate hunger and reduce poverty.

Riverbank erosion forces evacuations

The erosion of the Tien River bank in Thanh Binh district forced the local government to evacuate 1,258 families.

Climate change, strong flooding and illegal sand mining changed the river flow and eroded the riverbank, a process that was likely to continue, local authorities said.

People living beside the river in five affected communes had to move to safe areas after 13.46 km of riverside land were eroded, including a road, said Thanh Binh People's Committee deputy president Nguyen Thi Phien.

The district authority moved the road to a new position 100-200m from the eroded area and proposed that the provincial government allow the construction of an embankment to protect 500 houses in Binh Thanh commune from the riverbank erosion. The 666m embankment would be made of reinforced concrete and cost the local government VND 75billion (US$3.5 million).

The district government also proposed the province finish constructing new residential areas to provide accommodations for people from the affected communes.

The Kien Giang Province People's Committee has approved construction of a sea dyke along the Rach Gia city coast at an estimated cost of VND390 billion (US$18.6 million).

To be carried out in 2016-20, the work, beside a 3.9km embankment, will also see an arterial road elevated to run on top of the dyke, construction of two bridges, and installation of sewer and water supply systems.

The work, a response to the threat of climate change, will be undertaken by the city People's Committee.

More than 385km of land along rivers, canals, and the coast have been eroded in the Cuu Long (Mekong) Delta province of Kien Giang, affecting agriculture, according to the local Department of Natural Resources and Environment.

Submerged coastal forests that help prevent erosion have seen their areas decline. In many places they have disappeared altogether, according to the department.

Lam Hoang Sa, deputy chairman of the Kien Giang People's Committee, said the province was drafting a plan to revive and enlarge the forests, possibly by next year.

The People's Committee has instructed competent agencies to study the eroded spots, consolidate river banks and carry out afforestation to prevent further erosion.

It is also encouraging farmers to develop production models in which trees are planted to check erosion.

Ultra-running fad reaches Vietnam

Lately, young Vietnamese people have taken to the trend of ultra-running, which has recently swept across Europe.

Describing the appeal of this pass time, one student of the Foreign Trade University in HCM City, said, "I just came across the sport on the internet one day. I found it interesting, so I started a group."

Another student said that it is a cheap and interesting new way of travel, which can be done on a regular basis. He added that the groups that travel together have a chance to learn about culture and can travel as far as 100 kilometres.

Before each excursion, members of the group scout their route, carefully planning an itinerary. "Usually we start to walk after running for around 5km. After that, we intersperse 15-30-minute rests after each 10km so that no one will be too tired when we reach the destination point," Hoan said.

Many young people see this activity as a way to stay in shape and experience the country. Recently, several active members of groups have joined charity work with ultra-running, convincing donors to sponsor each kilometre with charity funds.

Nguyen Gia Minh, a member of VietRunners&Friend Club, said that their club was able to donate VND7 million (USD333) to VND10 million each month.

ODA Capital poured in fire prevention & fighting field

The Ministry of Public Security in conjunction with Ministry of Planning & Investment organized the conference on October 24 to mobilize foreign investors, aiming to attract official development assistance (ODA) capital for Public Security Industry’s development.

The ministry of public security targets that it will call for the total investment capital of VND 70,000 to 80,000 (US$ 3.8billion), from now till 2020. The ministry will mobilize around US$ 200million from ODA capital to equip the science technology means, aiming to serve community.

The ministry carried out 29 ODA programs with US$ 156 million from four donors worldwide including France, Austria, Japan and Korea in 2013. To date, the disbursement has reached US$ 132 million.

The ODA capital has contributed to modernize equipments for the fire prevention and fighting & rescuing sectors and managing residents as well as supervising traffic.

Of these, the fire prevention & fighting and rescuing sectors have received around US$ 100million from ODA capital.

Medical workers disciplined for death of 10 year old girl

A medical council comprising of leading experts in infection, pediatrics and intensive resuscitation and the city' Department of Health yesterday discussed to verify the cause of death of 10 year old girl Nguyen Thi Hong Nhung in Hanoi

The medical council concluded that the girl died from septicemia and shock, neurotoxicity and  supraventricular tachycardia.

From the conclusion, the medical council asked the General Hospital to learn from experience when diagnosing a patient to detect the disease development.

Nurses who took care the girl were criticized for not informing doctors of the patient’s health condition.

From the medical council’s conclusion, the hospital management board decided to issue discipline to some medical workers involved in the death.

Accordingly 4 doctors and one nurse were criticized in a meeting with all the hospital’ staffs. All members of Surgical Ward are cut down from the emulation prize. Earlier, the hospital managers have suspended medical workers from work and asked them to write reports on the incident.

Vietnam strives more HIV-infections to access to antiiretroviral treatment

One of the targets that Vietnam is striving for is 90 percent of HIV-infected people to access to the antiiretroviral treatment.

Deputy Prime Minister Vu Duc Dam said that it is a big challenge for the country; however, the government will determind to complete for people’s health and the country’s development & stability.

The Deputy PM asked the Ministry of Health to preside meetings with related agencies to adopt plan to carry out the target.

The Ministry of Health’s statistics showed that over 2,000 HIV-infected are being treated with antiretroviral in the country; the number of AIDS patients and mortality has decreased dramatically within seven recent years.

However, the country is facing difficulties in fighting against HIV/AIDS prevention.

The country has around 12,000 new HIV –infected cases every year. The fund for supporting HIV fighting is mainly on sponsors. It is estimated that Vietnam has around 260,000 infected people however only 56 percent of them are tested.

Therefore, it should expand the testing networks in local medical clinics to make these vulnerable people access to the antiretroviral treatment as well as increase providing information to residents and fight discrimination to people living HIV.

 New treatment to improve COPD patients

Vietnamese doctors have applied new treatment called ‘endoscopic lung volume reduction’ - a minimally invasive non-surgical procedure that involves the insertion of ‘endobronchial valves’- which can significantly improve lung function measures and quality of life for patients with emphysema and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).

Medical workers are performing a minimally invasive non-surgical procedure to insert an ‘endobronchial valves’- which can significantly improve lung function measures and quality of life for patients with emphysema and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (Photo: SGGP)

Around 4.2 percent of Vietnamese people aged over 40 reported having been told by a doctor or other health professional that they had COPD, a progressive disease that makes them hard to breathe.

Especially, more inhabitants in major cities such as Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City are suffering the disease. The chronic disease is a heavy burden for sufferers as treatment fee is very expensive and it takes long time to treat. Moreover, sufferers have various complications.

Worse, the number of COPD patients in the country as well as in the world is on upward trend because of polluted environment. Moreover, smokers are vulnerable to the disease.

According to the World Health Organization, over 600 million are COPD sufferers and more than 3 million of them die every year.  COPD is the fourth leading cause of death after heart disease, cancer and cerebrovascular accident

To improve COPD patients’ living quality, physicians of the Army Hospital No.103 have performed a minimally invasive non-surgical procedure to insert an ‘endobronchial valves’. With the valve/s in place, when a patient exhales, air and secretions are able to move through the valve and out of the lung compartment that is fed by that airway. But when the patient inhales, the valve closes and blocks air from entering that lung compartment.

Professor Hoang Manh An, the hospital’s director, said that the new treatment has been applied in many countries in the world. The hospital is the first to carry out the treatment on many patients in the country.

The hospital will transfer the treatment technique to other hospitals including Pham Ngoc Thach in Ho Chi Minh City which is specialized in treating people suffering lung disease to reduce treatment cost.

Vietnam, Germany step up environmental cooperation

The Vietnamese Ministry of Natural Resources and the Environment (MONRE) and the German Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Building and Nuclear Safety (BMUB) reviewed their cooperation over the past decade and set out guidelines for working together in the future on October 21.

MONRE Deputy Minister Bui Cach Tuyen spoke highly of Germany ’s assistance for Vietnam since the two ministries’ cooperation agreement on natural resources and environmental protection was signed in 2004. German assistance helped Vietnam use its natural resources more effectively, reduce pollution in urban areas, industrial parks and craft villages, conserve biodiversity, and adapt to climate change.

Over the past ten years, the two sides jointly implemented a number of measures, such as sharing experience in dioxin monitoring, land pollution management, and personnel training; surveying the state of water reservoirs in Vietnamese cities; and developing sustainable water exploitation technologies in mountainous areas, he said.

German Ambassador Jutta Frasch said both countries’ environments were affected by war, and their cooperation on environmental issues helped strengthen bilateral ties and mutual understanding.

BMUB State Secretary Gunther Adler said Germany provided Vietnam with 19 million EUR so far to clear unexploded ordnances, and pledged further support to address the consequences of war.

To enhance their affiliation between 2015 and 2025, the Vietnamese ministry proposed cooperation focus on water and natural resources, hydrometeorology, geology, and minerals.

It also asked Germany to help Vietnam develop environmentally friendly products, set up a financial mechanism that stimulates the production and use of the products, and run reforestation programmes in contaminated areas.

In response to MONRE’s proposals, Jutta Frasch said her country will continue its cooperation with Vietnam for the benefit of the global environment and the interests of the Vietnamese people.

Explosion uncovers overlapping management

The HCMC authorities have discovered the inconsistency of relevant regulations and overlapping administration of chemicals after a massive explosion destroyed the fertilizer workshop of Dang Huynh Co. in District 12 last week.

Speaking at a meeting here in the city on Wednesday, Phan Anh Minh, deputy director of the HCMC Police Department, attributed the overlapping management to the fact that the trading and storage of chemicals are regulated by different laws and regulations on chemicals, drug prevention, fire prevention and fighting and environmental protection.

Chemicals are overseen by the Ministry of Industry and Trade and the local departments of industry-trade. However, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development manages some types of the chemicals which are precursors and used to produce fertilizer like materials at Dang Huynh Company’s workshop.

According to Minh, police do not have the right to deal with violations in the fields under the management of the HCMC Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, and cannot distinguish hazardous and normal chemicals as it does not have special testing equipment.

Tet train tickets for groups available next month

Saigon Railway Station will allow groups of passengers to make bookings for the coming Lunar Year holiday, known as Tet, between November 1 and 15.

Thai Van Truyen, deputy chief of the railway station, said the station is scheduled to sell tickets from November 21, and ticket bookings for groups can be made in advance from early next month.

The station will receive bookings at 8-11:30 a.m. and 1:30-4:30 p.m. on weekdays.

To be eligible for group bookings, people must be traveling in groups of over 20, and they must be working in same companies and register for the same train, at the same time, same departure and arrival stations. Other cases will be considered later by the chief of the station.

The groups will have to send member lists, letters of reference and business registration certificates of their companies to the station. The registration form can be downloaded from the website www.gasaigon.com.vn.

HCM City limits karaoke business in populous areas

The HCMC government will restrict the number of karaoke lounges and dancing clubs in populous areas, but will seek to gather such facilities in cultural centers and public entertainment parks.

Under a scheme on management of karaoke lounges and dancing clubs approved by the city government, authorities will encourage operational facilities in densely-populated areas to move to public centers and cultural houses.

Some 420 karaoke lounges and 11 dancing clubs have been licensed to operate in the city so far.

The city has not licensed any new karaoke facilities since 2005 in an effort to tighten sensitive sectors’ operation to avoid disguised prostitution since 2005.

According to the scheme, new karaoke lounges will only be licensed upon the consultation and consensus from relevant State agencies in the city.

‘Uncultured families’ to be suspended from running homestays in Hoi An

The tourism city of Hoi An in the central province of Quang Nam will suspend local hosts from running their homestays if they are not recognized as a “cultured family” in an effort to improve the quality of homestay services in the city.

According to a temporary regulation issued by the Hoi An People’s Committee on October 20, local households in the city will not be able to continue operating their homestays if they are not recognized as “cultured families” for two straight years.

A “cultured family” is a family recognized annually by local functional authorities for obeying the country’s regulations and standards of family unity and equality as well as cultural values.

According to the regulation, the Hoi An People’s Committee also has the right to suspend hosts who violate environmental sanitation rules; do not have certificates proving their attendance in classes on local culture, communication skills and homestay operations within 12 months since opening; or only provide accommodation without cultural activities.

The committee’s temporary regulation said hosts are required to offer tourists the chance to experience local culture during their homestay by organizing cultural activities.

Moreover, eligible hosts for homestay services include households consisting of at least two generations who have been recognized as “cultured families” by the city’s People Committee and have at least one member who can speak English. The family must have obeyed the country’s laws as well.

Each household running a homestay can have a maximum of five rooms, each of which have to be registered and managed by local authorities.

According to the committee, the temporary regulation aims at guiding local homestay services in order to preserve and improve local traditional cultural values, as well as to ensure the sustainable development of local ecological and cultural community tourism services.

The Hoi An People’s Committee also requested that related agencies put an effort into managing the homestay industry.

Long An strives to protect Lang Sen Wetlands Reserve

The southern province of Long An is undertaking efforts to protect its Lang Sen Wetlands Reserve, which lie in the pristine Dong Thap Muoi (Plain of Reeds) in the Mekong Delta.

Lang Sen literally means wetlands with many lotus flowers. Located in Vinh Loi and Vinh Dai communes in Tan Hung district, the reserve covers approximately 5,030ha, including a 1,500-hectare island and 50 ha of lotus plants.

According to studies conducted by the Institute of Tropical Biology from 1989-2011, the Lang Sen Wetlands Reserve is rich in biodiversity.

It is home to 156 kinds of plants, over 160 species of animals and 114 plankton species, with 20 species listed in the Red Book of Vietnam and several included in the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s Red List of Threatened Species.

In addition, Lang Sen provides an ideal habitat for migratory and non-migratory birds, like storks, cranes, and cormorants.

However, agricultural production is reducing the area of natural wetlands, thus impacting on the populations of flora and fauna.

The rapid development of alien species such as pistia stratiotes and water hyacinth is also negatively affecting the reserve’s ecosystem.

Besides, timber exploitation, fishing and illegal hunting are pushing several animal and plant species into the brink of extinction, including pythons, grass snakes, cobras, and yellow turtles.

To protect the reserve, the provincial People’s Committee instructed the management board to restore the natural landscape and ecosystem, and promote scientific research and tourism.

The province encouraged local residents and communities to participate in conservation by providing housing and land for cultivation.

It also invested in upgrading infrastructure to support the development of ecotourism.

In the near future, the Lang Sen Wetland Reserve management board will continue its sound management of plant and animal species, improve the capacity of the reserve’s staff, and prohibit production and exploitation methods that harm the sustainability of the reserve and the integrity of the ecosystem and biodiversity.

The province also pledged to accelerate education and communication efforts in the local community, to intensify international cooperation and to use foreign assistance in effective environmental protection.

Project successfully promotes participation in environmental protection

A Danish-funded project in the central province Thua Thien-Hue has successfully increased the participation of local fishermen in protecting Tam Giang lagoon.

The 600 million VND (nearly 28,600 USD) project, funded by the Danish Government’s Public Participation and Accountability Facilitation Fund, has been implemented in Quang Thai and Quang Loi communes since early 2014.

Quang Thai and Quang Loi are home to more than 890 households who earn their living on fishing and aquaculture on 1,500ha of the lagoon.

So far, the project has run seven training courses to improve local residents’ techniques in fishing, aquaculture, and the protection of fisheries resources.

It has also provided local residents with financial support to make 20 fish cages and five fish sanctuaries which serve as habitats for aquatic species to settle and reproduce.

Nguyen Bon, a fisherman in Quang Loi, said on the same water surface area he can now earn more than 10 million VND (over 476 USD) in two fishing seasons each year, which has tripled compared to traditional methods.

Project Director Tran Giai, Vice Chairman of the Thua Thien-Hue Union of Science and Technology Associations, said fish cages and sanctuaries could triple residents’ income and minimise the negative impacts on the environment.

The success of this project is a model for a sustainable development in the area.

Tam Giang lagoon is part of the Tam Giang-Cau Hai lagoon system, the largest of its kind in Southeast Asia, stretching nearly 70km with more than 22,000ha of water surface. 30 percent of the province’s population rely on the lagoon for their livelihoods.

Son La exerts more efforts to protect biodiversity

The northern mountainous province of Son La has approved a plan on biodiversity protection between 2014 and 2020 in an effort to protect the eco-environment, cope with climate change and ensure security and defence.

Under the plan, the province will protect four existing nature reserves namely the 6,311ha Copia in Thuan Chau district, the 18,020ha Sop Cop Forest in Sop Cop and Song Ma districts, the 16,553ha Ta Xua Forest in Bac Yen district, and the 18,116ha Xuan Nha Forest in Van Ho district.

It will also build a new reserve on an area of 20,000ha in Muong La district and a 247ha culture-tourism-environment preservation zone in Phu Yen district.

The Muong La forest boasts its high biodiversity with many endangered species, notably black gibbons that are now only found in Vietnam and China , Phayre’s langur, rufous-necked hornbill and Asian golden cat. They are under threat mainly due to increasing deforestation and illegal hunting.

Son La is now home to nearly 634,000 of forest, including 610,000ha of natural forest. The province expects to increase its forest coverage to 55 percent (779,600ha) by 2020.

Careful conservation protects Ha Long Bay’s timeless beauty

The authorities and people of the northern province of Quang Ninh have spared no efforts in protecting Ha Long Bay and its valuable biological and geographical assets since being recognised as a World Heritage site two decades ago.

On December 17, 1994, UNESCO designated the bay a World Heritage site of globally outstanding value in terms of natural landscape. The recognition was extended in 2000, and in 2011 Ha Long Bay outranked 261 other landscapes from all over the world and was voted one of the seven new natural wonders of the world.

The recognition acknowledges the bay’s exceptional rock cave and limestone mountain system which took millions of years to form, as well as its outstanding biodiversity.

Scientists identified more than 500 species of high-level plants in the bay, which spans 1,553km2 and includes 1,969 islands of various sizes. Half of the plants have medicinal properties and could potentially be used as medicine. Experts also observed 66 species of amphibians and reptiles, 77 species of bird and 22 species of mammals.

Over 570 species of seabed creatures, around 180 coral species, over 150 species of fish, nearly 150 species of seaweed and sea grass, and 19 species of aquatic plants were identified in the bay and neighbouring Bai Tu Long Bay and Cat Ba Bay.

The preservation of the rich ecosystem is considered urgent since the rapid socio-economic development of modern life has left behind the first signs of damage.

Therefore, environmentally harmful activities have been prohibited, including the shipping of used coal, cement, woodchips and rocks. In addition, mining, sorting and transporting coal in the core area of the bay is no longer allowed.

Hundreds of households that lived on the bay have been resettled to onshore locations, while age-old fishing villages were rearranged to ensure no ugly scars are left behind.

To ensure the bay’s ecosystem is healthy, coastal water is regularly tested, while rubbish floating on the bay is gathered for onshore treatment.

The application of cutting-edge science and technology, like the global positioning technology GPS, the wimax system, and geographical information systems are widely used. Equipment is used to filter oil discharged by ships operating on the bay with a view to keeping the ecosystem healthy.

In August 2014, the provincial People’s Committee approved plans on Ha Long Bay’s environment with a vision towards 2030.

It laid a special emphasis on the protection of the environment and the application of environmental standards certified by Vietnam and developed countries.

By 2020, Ha Long Bay and Ha Long City aim to take the lead in environmental protection and green growth efforts.

By 2030, they both strive to become an ASEAN-standard green growth centre, with Ha Long Bay becoming a leader in sustainable natural resources and environmental management.

The province has cooperated with local and international nature conservation agencies, research institutes, universities, and scientists to research and enhance the bay’s values in terms of biodiversity, culture, history, geography and geomorphology.

Since becoming the world heritage site, Ha Long Bay has welcomed nearly 25 million visitors, contributing to turning Quang Ninh province into a tourism magnet.

According to Pham Thuy Duong, Head of the Ha Long Bay Management Board, tourism aims to generate resources for conservation.

Nature has bestowed priceless values upon Ha Long Bay, and with appropriate conservation efforts the bay can live up to UNESCO’s recognition, Duong said.

VNN/VNA/VNS/VOV/SGT/SGGP/ND