HA LONG BAY
VIETNAM
SOCIAL
For much of Vietnamese history, Mahayana Buddhism, Taoism and Confucianism have been the dominant religions, strongly influencing the national culture. About 85% of Vietnamese identify with Buddhism, though not all practice on a regular basis.
Vietnam has a plethora of festivals based on the lunar calendar, the most important being the Tet New Year celebration. Traditional Vietnamese weddings remain widely popular, and are often celebrated by expatriate Vietnamese in Western countries.
HOW & WHY THE LANDSCAPE BECAME HOW IT IS TODAY?
People have not inhabited Ha Long Bay for many centuries as it remains almost untouched to how what it resembled when it was first created at the beginning of time. As years have progresses more Vietnamese have flocked to Ha Long Bay for work purposes to make the most of the excellent fishing conditions.
WHAT IF......................
SEA LEVELS RISE DUE TO CLIMATE CHANGE?
If sea levels would rise dur to climate change then the tourism sector of Ha Long Bay would be diminished due to the floods that would occur and beaches that would be lost. Less people would then come to visit the sites and the economic sector would be in a bad place.
THERE ARE OTHER EFFECTS SUCH AS MORE OR LESS RAINFALL?
If there were more or less rainfall in the Ha Long Bay region, then just as with climate change, the environment would change and there would be less boat tours around the bay, as bad weather conditions would postpone trips. with less rain, then the lush vegetation on the rock faces and cliff would die and the area would lose its beauty.
IT IS THREATENED, WHAT CAN BE DONE TO SAVE IT OR PROVIDE ALTERNATIVE SOURCES OF EMPLOYMENT FOR THE LOCAL PEOPLE?
If the land was to be threatened, those who worked in the tourism industry could simply move into the fishing and agriculture industry as much of the land is filled with vast greeneries and plantations, as well as huge sections of fish farms. To save the land, the government would need to delve into environmental issues to save the area first, before jobs could be returned to workers.
ECONOMIC
HOW & WHY THE LANDSCAPE BECAME HOW IT IS TODAY?
Ha Long Bay became what it is today with a community of around 1,600 people living on Hạ Long Bay in four fishing villages: Cửa Vạn, Ba Hang, Cống Tàu and Vông Viêng in Hùng Thắng commune, Hạ Long city. They live on floating houses and are sustained through fishing and marine aquaculture (cultivating marine biota), plying the shallow waters for 200 species of fish and 450 different kinds of molluscs. Most of the people who live in Ha Long Bay are fishermen. They became fishermen due to the fact that they are surrounded by shallow water with many fish catch.
WHY IS IT? (A popular tourist destination)
Vietnam has become a major tourist destination since the 1990s, assisted by significant state and private investment, particularly in coastal regions. About 3.77 million international tourists visited Vietnam in 2009 alone. Its limestone pillars are an unique natural feature of great scenic beauty and biological interest. The great extent and the richness of its forms sets it apart from other sites.The property retains a high level of naturalness, and despite its long history of human use, is not seriously degraded. Outstanding features of the property include the magnificent towering limestone pillars and associated notches, arches and caves, which are exceptionally well-developed and among the best presented of their type in the world.
WHAT IF......................
SEA LEVELS RISE DUE TO CLIMATE CHANGE?
If the sea levels were to rise then the Vietnamese could face the consequence of losing Ha Long Bay as a World Heritage listed travel destination. Losing that listing would deal a major blow to the Vietnamese economy as tourism is a key economic sector in the country.
THERE ARE OTHER EFFECTS SUCH AS MORE OR LESS RAINFALL?
If there were effects of more or less rainfall, then that too could play a role in a decrease in the interest in the travel spot, and could lead to it being removed from the World Heritage listing. With the removal of the listing, the Vietnamese would have to turn their economical interests more into trade, with their neighbouring countries and foreign ones across the globe, to boost their economic status.
IT IS THREATENED, WHAT CAN BE DONE TO SAVE IT OR PROVIDE ALTERNATIVE SOURCES OF EMPLOYMENT FOR THE LOCAL PEOPLE?
If the land was threatened, then the government would have to result to fixing the problem at hand, and then once this is completed, the workers jobs are not at risk, and the Vietnamese can live to prosper from their growing tourism interest in the land. Workers could move to other sectors on the land and around the water as there are many jobs for those who are willing to take them.
ENVIRONMENTAL
WHERE IS IT?
Hạ Long Bay is located in northeastern Vietnam, from E106°56' to E107°37' and from N20°43' to N21°09'. The bay stretches from Yên Hưng district, past Ha Long City, Cam Pha town to Van Don district, bordered on the south and southeast by the Gulf of Tonkin, on the north by China, and on the west and southwest by Cat Ba Island The bay has a 120 km long coastline and is approximately 1,553 km² in size with about 2,000 islets. The area designated by UNESCO as the World Natural Heritage Site incorporates 434 km² with 775 islets
With an increasing tourist trade, mangroves and seagrass beds have been cleared and jetties and wharves have been built for tourist boats. Game fishing, often near coral reefs, is threatening many endangered species of fish.
Local government and businesses are aware of problems and many measures have been taken to minimize tourism affect to the bay environment for sustainable economic growth.
HOW & WHY THE LANDSCAPE BECAME HOW IT IS TODAY?
People have not inhabited Ha Long Bay for many centuries as it remains almost untouched to how what it resembled when it was first created at the beginning of time. Ha Long translates as ‘where the dragon descends into the sea’, and legend claims the islands of Ha Long were created by a great dragon from the mountains. As it charged towards the coast, its flailing tail gouged out valleys and crevasses. When it finally plunged into the sea, the area filled with water, leaving only the pinnacles visible.
WHAT IF......................
SEA LEVELS RISE DUE TO CLIMATE CHANGE?
If sea levels were to rise, then that would dramatically devastate the beautiful landscape of leafy - speckled cliffs and crystal green water. The famous white - sandy beaches would flood and a significant amount of boating docks could be destroyed. This would provide the problem of people being stranded on small individual islands, if they can't reach their boats in a safe and precautionary matter. The environment would be ravaged and that would lead to a massive decline in visitors to the immensely popular holiday destination.
THERE ARE OTHER EFFECTS SUCH AS MORE OR LESS RAINFALL?
If there were effects of more or less rainfall, then that could ruin the environment of Ha Long Bay. That would then occur from the chance of floods and raining weather, meaning that boat tours would stop being booked, and not enough rain, could lead to some of the lush green vegetation dying.
IT IS THREATENED, WHAT CAN BE DONE TO SAVE IT OR PROVIDE ALTERNATIVE SOURCES OF EMPLOYMENT FOR THE LOCAL PEOPLE?
If the land was threatened, then the people living in the area of Ha Long Bay as well as the government would need to pull together and work collaboratively in their country's best interests to prevent the problems, for example corrosion. Once a solution is found and the area is restored, then life can continue normally for locals.
HISTORICAL
Historical research surveys have shown the presence of prehistorical human beings in this area tens of thousands years ago. The successive ancient cultures are the Soi Nhụ culture around 18,000–7000 BC, the Cái Bèo culture 7000–5000 BC and the Hạ Long culture 5,000–3,500 years ago Hạ Long Bay also marked important events in the history of Vietnam with many artifacts found in Bài Thơ Mout, Đầu Gỗ Cave, Bãi Cháy.
HOW & WHY THE LANDSCAPE BECAME HOW IT IS TODAY?
For hundreds of years, Ha Long Bay has been an important part of the culture and history of Vietnam. At least three times in history this bay has helped stop the Chinese navy from invading northern Vietnam. This bay was also mined by the United States Navy during the Vietnam war. Many of the mines are still unexploded in the bay, which poses a threat to local fishermen. The area first became popular for tourists in the 19th Century, when French visitors explored the area. It now serves as the most popular tourist attraction and resort community in Vietnam.
WHAT IF......................
SEA LEVELS RISE DUE TO CLIMATE CHANGE?
If sea levels were to rise then that would change, what has typically been an untouched land, for many hundreds of years. Ha Long Bay is known for its natural wonders, not its manmade, and with sea levels rising, that could ruin the land. Sea levels rising sound like something associated with nature, but it is a man-made problem as humans have undoubtedly contributed to climate change.
THERE ARE OTHER EFFECTS SUCH AS MORE OR LESS RAINFALL?
If there were other effects such as more or less rainfall, then that in the long term if it persists, could damage the environment. This problem though, is not created by man, so man can't solve it. This would become a catastrophic disaster if it got out of hand and tours would have to be postponed, until the point where they would rarely be used.
IT IS THREATENED, WHAT CAN BE DONE TO SAVE IT OR PROVIDE ALTERNATIVE SOURCES OF EMPLOYMENT FOR THE LOCAL PEOPLE?
If the land was threatened, everyone from the country and everyone who has visited the beautiful travel destination, should unite to save the spot, for the sake of the people who have lived on the land and neighbouring sea previously, and those who will miss out if it is lost in the future.
CONCLUSION
Through researching about Ha Long Bay, I have discovered what a great and fascinating place it is. Originally I had never heard of Ha Long Bay, and as I delved further into the assignment I found out things that I didn't know about the Vietnamese, for example that their main religion is Buddhism, as well confronting things that Vietnamese try to rip off Westerners. I found the place to be breathtaking, but I was surprised that overcast weather and frequent rain is pretty common in the bay. Using SHEEPT, I have utilized the tools that geographers use when making geographical enquiries.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
I used the following websites and resources to help me find information about Ha Long Bay:
http://www.wmf.org/journal/overview-ha-long-bay%E2%80%99s-fishing-villages
http://www.worldheritagesite.org/sites/halongbay.html
http://www.halongphoenixcruise.com/the-name-ha-long-through-the-historical-period/