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EN
The Ha Long Bay Management Board issued document No. 598/BQLVHL-NVNC dated July 17, 2019, to businesses, organizations, and individuals operating in tourism, services, and aquaculture in Ha Long Bay regarding coordination in implementing the "Anti-Plastic Waste" movement in Ha Long Bay.
Single-use plastic products such as bottles, cups, and straws will be replaced with recyclable, reusable, and environmentally friendly materials. This is one of the proposals from the Ha Long Bay Management Board (Quang Ninh province) sent to businesses, organizations, and individuals operating in tourism, services, and aquaculture in the bay, to be implemented starting this month.
Accordingly, waste needs to be sorted at the facility and then collected and brought ashore for processing according to regulations; units should limit the use of and gradually replace plastic products in daily life and business activities in the bay, and communicate this action to tourists.
Currently, some businesses providing services in Ha Long have switched to preparing large water dispensers and requiring customers to fill their water bottles, reusing the old ones. In addition, disposable plastic items such as cups and straws are being replaced with materials like paper, stainless steel, and bamboo.
Previously, the Ha Long Bay Management Board held a meeting with businesses and cooperatives operating there to seek solutions for environmental protection and tourism product development. Mr. Pham Dinh Huynh, Deputy Head of the Bay Management Board, called on businesses to uphold a sense of responsibility among their crew members, staff, and tourists in protecting the environment, preserving, and promoting the heritage value of Ha Long Bay.
According to the bay management board, the average amount of waste collected in the bay annually is over 1,000 tons. In the first half of 2019, the unit collected and processed more than 573 tons of waste from coastal and offshore areas of the bay, mostly plastic items such as bottles, plastic bags, and styrofoam buoys.
The "Anti-Plastic Waste" movement to protect the environment has recently spread strongly throughout society and received much positive feedback. Reducing plastic waste and plastic bags is an urgent requirement not only in Vietnam but also in countries around the world.
Additional information:
According to statistics from the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), in 2018, Vietnam discharged more than 1.8 million tons of untreated plastic waste, accounting for nearly 6% of the world's plastic waste. Specifically, Vietnam ranked fourth in the world last year for plastic waste entering the sea, at 0.28 – 0.73 million tons, highlighting the increasingly critical pollution situation in Vietnam. The World Economic Forum (WEF) ranked Vietnam 129th out of 136 countries in terms of environmental sustainability in its tourism competitiveness index.
