Situation Analysis on

the Water Quality of Ha Long Bay

A social study from tourism businesses ’
perspectives

Le Tuan Anh PhD.

1
 Agenda
• Overview of Ha Long Bay
• Research Objectives
• Methods
• Findings
• Recommendations
• Questions & Answers

2
 Overview of Ha Long Bay
• Dual role as a tourist destination and an industrial
and shipping centre
• Over development of tourism
• Limited authority and decision making power
-> water contamination, solid waste accumulation,
and large-scale damage to both species and
ecosystems.
-> ‘Save the Bay program’
3
 Research Objectives
• Relevance of program objectives
• Situation analysis on water quality with focus
on impacts from tourism
• Public Private relationship and willingness
• Recommendations for project interventions
(2015-2017)

4
 Methods
• Qualitative approach
– Review of relevant projects, plans and reports
– Interviews relevant stakeholders
• Quantitative approach
– Survey of 4 tourism supplier groups of 208
• 29 cruise managers
• 114 captains
• 49 accommodation managers, and
• 16 restaurant managers

5
 Qualitative Findings
• Improvement on environment quality (IUCN 2013)
• 2013: 2.55 million tourists (35% domestic, 65% international)
(HLBM report, 2014)

• Revenue from entrance tickets of about US$10 millions

• Environment quality is crucial factors (ERST, 2014)
• Master plan in tourism to 2020 with vision 2030
• Master plan in environment -> Europe water quality standard
by 2020
• Quarterly water quality monitoring
• Local authority support to protect environment

6
 Qualitative Findings
• Over carrying capacity e.g. 5,500/day at Thien Cung and Dau
Go (HLBM, 2009)
• Increasing negative environmental impacts on coastal area
and on the bay (JICA, 2013)
• Tourist discharges about 0.5 kg of solid waste and 100 liters of
wastewater per trip (JICA, 2013)
• Boats increased 1.6 time from 329 (2006) to 527 (2014); 30%
(167 overnight boats)
• Tourism pressure as a major factor affecting the universal
value of the site in addition to industrial development,
population growth, aquaculture and fishing (IUCN, 2013)

7
 Qualitative Findings
• Ha Long Bay rated lowest on the criteria of environmental
friendly destination (M=4.4) and on overall evaluation (M=4.8)
among 5 destinations (Sa Pa, Ha Long, Hue, Da Nang and Hoi
An) (ESRT, 2014)
• 17% of international and 15% of national showed their serious
concern about the environment in the destinations of Ha Long
• Of the total 2,373 reviews of Ha Long Bay as an attraction
from Jan 01 to July 16, 2014, a total of 51 (2.15%) reviews
classified the attraction as ‘terrible’ while 80 (3.37%) classified
their experience as ‘poor’. (Tripadvisor 2014)

8
 Qualitative Findings
• Sources of pollution mainly from coastal areas and buffer
zone e.g. state- owned enterprises and socio-economic
organizations
• Low local awareness on environment protection
• Ha Long waste treatment capacity does not meet the growth -
> discharge in to the sea
• Sewage discharge into the sea without treatment
• No collection points and treatment of sewage and black water
• Oil pollution at Bai Chay harbor (0.23mg/l in 4/2013) (HLBM 2013)

9
 Quantitative findings
• General information
• Perception on water quality
• Environmental impacts
• Public private relationship

10
 General information
• Expected guests in 2015 vs. 2014: Increase
• Average guest night: cruise/hotel (1.36/1.34)
• Average occupancy rate: cruise/hotel (66%/ 44%)
• Main markets: Europe, NEA, SEA and Domestic

11
 Perception on water quality
• Impression of the water quality over the past 5 years
• Observation of current water quality
• Describe the physical evidence
• The most polluted areas (on map)
• Main sources of pollutions
• Influence of water quality on tourist experience
• Responsibility on water quality protection
• Involvement in environmental protection initiative

12
45.0%
Impression of the water quality over
40.4%
40.0% the past 5 years
35.0%
30.0%
24.0%
25.0%
20.0% 18.3%

15.0%
10.6%
10.0% 6.7%
5.0%
0.0%
Much Improved Unchanged Worse Much worse
improved

70.0%
63.0% Observation of current water quality
60.0%

50.0%

40.0%
30.8%
30.0%

20.0%

10.0% 5.8%
0.5%
0.0%
Heavily polluted Some pollution Good Very good

13
50%
45%
Impression of the water quality over
40% the past 5 years
35%
30%
25%
20%
15%
10%
5%
0%
Much Improved Unchanged Worse Much worse
improved

Owner Captain Accomodation Restaurant

80%
Observation of current water quality
70%
60%
50%
40%
30%
20%
10%
0%
Heavily polluted Some pollution Good Very good

Owner Captain Accomodation Restaurant

14
70.0%
63.5%
Physial evidence
60.0%

50.0%

40.0%
33.7%
30.0%

20.0% 14.4%

10.0% 5.3%

0.0%
Change of color Dead fish Rubbish floating Unpleasant smell

80%
68%
70%
62% 61%
60%
50% 44%
40%
30%
20%
10%
0%
Owner Captain Accomodation Restaurant

Change of color Dead fish Rubbish floating Unpleasant smell

15
Polluted areas

21% Bai Chay coastal area

14% Bai Chay habour

7% Thien Cung - Dau Go caves
7% Amazing cave
5% Three caves
5% Fishing village
4% Titop
3% Luon cave
2% Cai Lan Industrial Area
2% Doan habour
30% Other areas

16
 Main sources of pollutions
50%

45%
43%
40%
38%
35% 35%

30%
27% 27%
25%
23%
22%
20%

15%
13%
10% 10%

5%

0%
Coal mining Fishing activities Commercial Hotels and Residents on Residents on Tourist activities Tourist Other
ship route restaurants on floating villages shore on islands/caves boats/cruise
shore

17
 Main sources of pollutions
60%

50%

40%

30%

20%

10%

0%
Coal mining Fishing activities Commercial Hotels and Residents on Residents on Tourist activities Tourist Other
ship route restaurants on floating villages shore on islands/caves boats/cruise
shore

Owner Captain Accomodation Restaurant

18
 Water quality and tourist experience

Restaurant

Accomodation

Captain

Owner

All

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80%

Not important Neutral Important Very important

19
 Responsibility on water quality protection
70%

60%

50%

40% All
Owner
Captain
30%
Accomodation
Restaurant
20%

10%

0%
Boat owners Hotels and Provincial and local Residents in floating Tourists Other (everyone)
restaurants on shore authorities villages

20
 Involvement in environmental protection

• Participate JICA project

No, 39% • Environment monitoring
Yes, 61% • Collect rubbish with tourists
• For a green Ha Long
N= 94
• Installed oil separator
100% • Awareness raising
90%
80% • Water saving in hotel
70%
60%
• Waste collection at coastal
50% No swimming area
40% Yes

30% • Etc…
20%
10%
0%
Owner Accomodation Restaurant 21
 Environmental Impacts
(114 Cruise Boat Captains)
• Average volume of solid waste produced per night
• Measures use to reduce solid waste production
• Average water consumption per night
• Usage of water saving devices/ practices
• Average oiled water production per night
• Management of oily water
• Installed oily water separator and its functioning
• Average sewage production per day-only trip
• Management of sewage
• Management of grey water

22
 Solid waste production and reduction

• Average volume of
Other 11.3 kg of solid waste
produced per night
Selling or donating left-over food

Recycling paper, cooking oil, etc. • Measures use to

reduce solid waste
Replacing single with multiple-use bottles
production
Replacing individual with bulk dispensers

Waste segregation bins

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%

23
 Water consumption and reduction

Other
• Average water
Waterless urinals consumption of 6.4
m3 per night
Low flow taps in sinks

Flow restrictors in showers

Linen and towel re-use cards • Usage of water

saving devices/
Double flush toilets
practices
Auto detect in sinks/urinals

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90%

24
 Oiled water production and
management
3% • Average oiled water
Oil separation and
19%
discharge into the Bay production of 1.05
Dump into the Bay
without treatment
m3per trip
3%
Carry back to shore

75%
Other • 100% installed oily
water separator
(82%/18%)

18%

0% 34%
• Installed oily water
Very effectively
Effectively
separator and its
Not effectively functioning
Do not use

48%

25
 Sewage production and management

0%
• Average sewage
20% production of 12.2
Separation and discharge into the
m3 per day-only trip
Bay
3% Dump into the Bay without
treatment
Carry back to shore
• Management of
sewage
Other

77%

26
Management of grey water

2%

9%
10%

Dump into the Bay

Processed and dump into the Bay

Carry back to shore

Other

79%

27
 Public Private Relationship
(Cruise, Accommodations, Restaurant)

• Current relationship
• Willingness to engage in the Alliance
• Factors hindering involvement in the Alliance
• Contribution toward water quality
improvement

28
 Current relationship
2% 1%

• Together with
10%

Excellent
Good
enterprises (2014)
38%
Neutral
Bad • Monthly and quarterly
49% Terrible
Public Private Dialogues
• Limited participation
Terrible
from tourism sector
Bad
• Empowered tourism
Restaurant association
Neutral
Accomodation
Owner
Good

Excellent

0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 29

 Willingness to engage in the Alliance
90%

80%

70%

60%

50%

40%

30%

20%

10%

0%
Highly likely Somewhat likely Indifferent Unlikely Very unlikely

All Owner Accomodation Restaurant

30
 Possible hindering factors
60%

50%

40%

30%

20%

10%

0%
Investment Negative experiences Resources Time Unwilling to collaborate Other

All Owner Accomodation Restaurant

31
 Contribution toward water quality
improvement

Other Other

Encouragement of employees Encouragement of employees

Donation in EP fund
Donation in EP fund

Certification program
Certification program
0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%
0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100% Restaurant Accomodation Owner

32
 Suggestions
• A Ha Long – Cat Ba Alliance as an advisory
board for Ha Long/Quang Ninh authority
• Public awareness raising program through
engagement of media
• Environment protection fee/fund
• Synergy/facilitation of joint activities
• Pilot public-private initiatives/activities

33
Thank you for your attention

Questions & Answers

34