Support for the integrated management of the bays of Hai Phong, Ha Long and Bai Tu Long

The project supports the sustainable development of the famous Ha Long Bay, its less frequented and more preserved neighbor, Bai Tu Long Bay, and the Hai Phong estuary, Vietnam’s main port. It is a region experiencing strong development through three large port areas, industrial activities (mining sites), aquaculture, and an increasing population density with, in addition, a constant growth in the number of tourists visiting the area. 

The implementation of integrated coastal zone management (ICZM) is still at an experimental stage in Vietnam. Its legislative framework is in the process of being reformulated at national level. At local level, ICZM projects have been conducted in the center of the country. The project is developing this type of approach in the north, which is in line with Government priorities set for 2011-2015.  
 

The project comprises three components:

• Produce a diagnostic, based on existing quantitative data. 
  It is combined with the collection of additional data. The quality of this diagnostic and its objectivity subsequently allow it to be shared by actors.
• Establish a preliminary bay contract for Ha Long and Bai Tu Long, and a preliminary bay contract for Hai Phong, based on the French model of “bay contracts” successfully implemented in the Bay of Brest. It closely involves the provincial authorities and economic actors. Together, they develop a priority action plan for each province comprising protection and prevention measures for local coastal and island areas. Pilot actions are implemented in the context of the project.
• Develop a GIS for each province for the management of the three project areas. This component is based on an external technical operation, in particular for the data audit, the needs analysis and the deployment of tools. The two tools need to be compatible with each other and the Vietnam Administration of Seas and Islands (VASI) needs to have access to them. 
  The project has a highly innovative interprovincial dimension in Vietnam. The objective is to achieve comparable results and harmonize and improve practices for understanding environmental phenomena. 

• Build a dialogue on the theme of coastal zone management.
• Develop local ICZM strategies.
• Bring about a better understanding of the environmental milieu of the area, an exhaustive inventory of the local environmental status is unprecedented.