A project on environmental protection in Ha Long Bay was officially put into operation on Oct. 7.

The project started in April and will be implemented for three years, with a budget of approximately 3.8 million USD borne by Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) under its technical cooperation scheme.
Inscribed into the World Heritage List by UNESCO in 1994, the aesthetically-endowed Halong Bay of Quang Ninh province has recently welcomed almost 5 million domestic and international visitors annually.

However, the World Heritage Committee of UNESCO has recently identified five main issues potentially threatening the World Heritage value of Ha Long Bay including population growth, increased tourism pressure and development, urban and industrial development, lack of financial and technical resources, and absence of an integrated planning approach.
The project aims to enhance capacity for environmental management of the Ha Long area for related provincial organisations in environmental monitoring and inspection, land use management, sustainable tourism planning and environmental education./.