Hạ Long Bay – Cát Bà Archipelago recognised as World Geological Heritage

Hạ long Bay in the northern province of Quảng Ninh. VNA Photo

HÀ NỘI – The International Union of Geological Sciences (IUGS) has recognised Hạ Long Bay – Cát Bà Archipelago in the northern province of Quảng Ninh and neighbouring Hải Phòng City as a world geological heritage site, Associate Professor Dr Trần Tân Văn, former Director of the Vietnam Institute of Geosciences and Mineral Resources under the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment (MoNRE), said on August 25.

According to Văn, who has participated in compiling two world heritage dossiers related to outstanding global geological values, and directly prepared documents for the regonistion of the Hạ Long Bay – Cát Bà Archipelago by the IUGS, the site, together with 99 others in 53 countries in world, is included on the IUGS’s world geological heritage list thanks to the outstanding global values of geological history and karst geomorphology.

The IUGS is scheduled to announced a list of 100 newly-recognised geological heritage sites at the 37th International Geological Congress 2024 in Busan Republic of Korea, from August 25 to 31.

Hạ Long Bay – Cát Bà Archipelago includes all stages of the marine submergence of tropical karst as well as three main types of caves – ancient marine frog-jaw caves, ancient karst caves and frog-jaw caves. The Hạ Long Bay represents the later stages of the marine subduction while the Cát Bà Archipelago adds important geological values to the heritage through its patterns of the terrestrial and intertidal stages.

In 1994, Hạ Long Bay in Quảng Ninh province was recognised by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) as a world natural heritage site with outstanding universal aesthetic value. In 2000, Hạ Long Bay was recognised by UNESCO as a world natural heritage site for the second time with outstanding universal geological and geomorphological value.

On September 16, 2023, at the 45th Session of the World Natural Heritage Committee, the UNESCO recognised Hạ Long Bay – Cát Bà Archipelago as the first Vietnamese inter-provincial site as as a world natural heritage site.

The recognition of Hạ Long Bay – Cát Bà Archipelago as an international geological heritage by the IUGS affirms the value of this heritage.

The appearance of Hạ Long Bay – Cát Bà Archipelago and its unique and famous geological and geomorphological values today are the result of a regional tectonic movement that lasted more than 500 million years. – VNA/VNS