Ha Long Bay-Cat Ba Archipelago to seek world heritage recognition
Deputy Prime Minister Vu Duc Dam has assigned the Vietnam National Commission for UNESCO to work with the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism to take necessary steps in submitting dossiers seeking UNESCO’s recognition of “Ha Long Bay-Cat Ba Archipelago” as a World Heritage site.
Hanoi (VNA) – Deputy Prime Minister Vu Duc Dam has assigned the VietnamNational Commission for UNESCO to work with the Ministry of Culture, Sports andTourism to take necessary steps in submitting dossiers seeking UNESCO’srecognition of “Ha Long Bay-Cat Ba Archipelago” as a World Heritage site.
Ha Long Bay in Quang Ninh province has been recognized byUNESCO as a World Heritage Site twice due to its aesthetic values, geology andcaves.
Meanwhile, a dossier seeking a world heritage title for CatBa Archipelago was sent to the UNESCO World Heritage Centre in September 2013.
After the evaluation process, the International Union forConservation of Nature (IUCN) submitted a decision to the centre at its 38th meeting in Qatar in 2014, recommending Vietnam to consider the extension of HaLong Bay’s status as a UNESCO World Heritage Site to Cat Ba Archipelago innearby Hai Phong city.
The IUCN in Vietnam also issued an official dispatchaffirming the necessity of the extension.
Cat Ba Archipelago includes over 360 islands, including CatBa island in the south of Ha Long Bay. It was previously recognized as a worldbiosphere by UNESCO.
Seeking the world heritage status aims to maintain andconserve the endemic value of biodiversity of Cat Ba Archipelago, so as toboost socio-economic development of the locality and promote the image of thecountry./.
The Ha Long-Cat Ba Alliance Initiative is one of several important projects helping the Management Board of Ha Long Bay manage the heritage better with a multidimensional and multi-sectoral approach, according to vice chairman of the board Pham Dinh Huynh
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Cat Ba Archipelago seen from above (Photo: VNA) 
