To highlight and to preserve various
valuable natural and the cultural areas environments throughout the
world, UNESCO initiated the International Convention on Protecting the
world Natural and Cultural and set up a World Heritage List, on which
Ha Long’ name now appears twice.
In 1987, the Vietnam’s Government approved the Convention. In the early
1991, the Council of Ministers allowed Vietnam ‘s UNESCO Committee and
the Ministry of Culture and Information to co-operate with some local
authorities in drawing up the necessary scientific documents to
introduce five natural and the cultural heritage sites, including Ha
Long bay and submit them to UNESCO for its consideration.
The Ha Long dossier was set up in accordance with UNESCO’s general
procedures, presenting many aspects, especially the global values of
the heritage. By October 1993, it was complete and submitted to the
World Heritage Council. Upon receipt of the dossier, the World Heritage
Council dispatched a team of experts from ICOM (the International
Council of Museums) and the IUCN (the International Union for the
Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources) to Ha Long to assess the
information that it contained.
From February to October 1994, the fine details in the Ha Long dossier
relating to boundaries, management, protection, and similar issues,
were satisfactorily resolved and submitted to the World Heritage
Council.
On 17th December 1994, at the 18th Congress of the World Heritage
Council in Thailand, Ha Long bay was officially designated as a World
Heritage on conformity with Criterion for aesthetic value.
In 1962, Ha Long’s other values, and particularly its geomorphologic
and geological features, had been recognized at a national level.
Following the successful nomination of Ha Long Bay for its aesthetic
value, the attention of international experts turned to these other
characteristics. In September 1998, in the suggestion of UNESCO, Dr.
Tony Waltham, a famous professor of geology from the University of
Nottingham in the UK, came to Ha Long to conduct research into its
remarkable Karst limestone. Hic report was completed in July 1999 and a
dossier in Ha Long’s geological values was submitted to the World
Heritage Council held in Cairns, Queensland, Australia, from 27th
November to 2nd December 2000, UNESCO again recognized Ha Long bay in
conformity with the criterion for special geological and geomorphologic
values.
HANOI - HALONG - HUE - DANANG - HOIAN - MY SON - HOCHIMINH
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