The coral reefs in Ha Long Bay have suffered from several sources of damage such as coral bleaching and destructive fishing practices. To address some of these problems, PTES has partly funded a project covering an area measuring 400m2. The project focuses on trial coral transplantation using various artificial substrates on different degraded reef sites. In addition, the project also increases public awareness by teaching the local communities the importance of protecting their coral reefs for future generations.
Trang 1The coral reefs in Ha Long Bay have
suffered from several sources of damage
such as coral bleaching and destructive
fishing practices To address some of
these problems, PTES has partly funded
a project covering an area measuring
400m2 The project focuses on trial coral
transplantation using various artificial
substrates on different degraded reef sites
In addition, the project also increases
public awareness by teaching the local
communities the importance of protecting
their coral reefs for future generations.
Nguyen Van Quan has had a huge role in
this project and will therefore be your guide
during your stay in Vietnam You will also
be accompanied by a representative from
PTES.
with thick jungle vegetation, which rise spectacularly from the ocean Several of the islands are hollow, with enormous caves
Day 5 Cat Ba Island
In the morning you will visit the floating village at Cua Van in Ha Long Bay The floating villages of fishermen ply the shallow waters for 200 species of fish and
450 different kinds of mollusks
You will then move onto the Cat Ba Islands The islands lie on a main migration route for many species of waterfowl The beaches and mangrove forests provide feeding and roosting sites for a large number of birds during the migration season, including several species of ducks, geese and shorebirds Resident and migrant species include the little grebe, spotbill duck and the white-breasted water-hen
After checking into the Princess Hotel, you can take part in some snorkeling around the local coral reef sites
Day 6 Cat Ba National Park Today, you will explore the tropical rainforest at the Cat Ba National Park,
as well as visiting a centre for the conservation of the white headed Langur
- a unique and endangered species The fauna in Cat Ba National Park has not been studied in detail but the island does not appear to support the large mammals or carnivores found on the mainland However, preliminary surveys have revealed that the fauna is distinctive with unique elements adapted to
Day 2 Institute of Marine Environment
and Resources
In the morning you will visit the Institute
of Marine Environment and Resources
to learn about the work currently being carried out on coral reefs in Vietnam
You will be given an insight into what is involved in preserving coral reefs You will then travel to Do Son town to see the mangrove forests and to view the beatiful landscape of this coastal town Here you will have lunch
After lunch, you will travel onto Ha Long Bay, which is located in Northeast Vietnam Here the coral reefs maintain the highest biodiversity in north Vietnam
You will spend this evening in Ha Long Bay Hotel
Day 3 Ha Long Bay Today you will have a short visit to the
Ha Long Bay Management board as well
as exploring the coral restoration site at Cong Do
In the afternoon, you will have some time
to go swimming off Titof Island, which
is close to Ha Long Bay The afternoon will be spent relaxing and taking in your amazing surroundings
Day 4 Limestone cave systems
After breakfast, you will spend the whole day exploring the breathtaking limestone cave system in Ha Long Bay, also known as
“the amazing paradise on earth”
The bay consists of a dense cluster of 1,969 limestone monolithic islands, each topped
Coral reefs in Vietnam
Day-by-Day Itinerary
Day 1 The Adventure Begins
Meet your PTES representative at
Heathrow airport for your flight to Noi
Bai International Airport in Vietnam On
arrival, you will be greeted by Nguyen Van
Quan You will then check into the Bach
Dang Hotel in Hai Phong City
Trang 2island conditions One such endemic
is a subspecies of Francois’ monkey
Other mammals known to occur include
leopards, bears and the European otter
Day 7 Viet Hai eco-village
For your last full day in Vietnam, you will
visit the Viet Hai eco-village
A pilot project has been carried out
to raise awareness of eco-tourism
opportunities and to demonstrate that
sustainable tourism practices can provide
higher-yield, lower-impact benefits
Activities have included training
hotels in eco-certification standards
for energy and water use, building the
capacity of a local hotel association,
promoting traditional architecture and
performances to attract eco-tourists,
and developing a community-based
cooperative in Viet Hai, a village in Cat Ba
National Park
Residents involved in tourism
development have visited other areas
of Vietnam and Thailand to learn best
practices in developing tourism that
helps the poor
Day 8 Goodbye
Having spent your last night in the Princess
Hotel, today you will transfer back to Ha
Long Bay before returning to Noi Bai
International Airport
the distinguishing feature of the region Most of the bigger islands are covered by evergreen tropical monsoon forest The largest island of the archipelago has a surface of 285 km2 and includes the Cat Ba National Park
Cat Ba encompasses a mosaic of land types derived from human uses such as bushes and woodland, limestone karst, limestone forest, agricultural areas, bamboo forest, mangrove and sea grass beds The archipelago is of global importance due to the high number of endemic species The golden-headed langur
(Trachypithecus poliocephalus) is a species endemic to the Cat Ba Island and is listed
as one of the rarest primates in the world due to its restricted range and small population size
History
The history of Vietnam begins around 2,700 years ago Successive dynasties based in China ruled Vietnam directly for most of the period from 111 BC until 938 when Vietnam regained its independence Vietnam remained a tributary state to its larger neighbour China for much of its history but repelled invasions by the Chinese as well as three invasions by the Mongols between 1255 and 1285 King Trần Nhân Tông later diplomatically submitted Vietnam to a tributary of the Yuan to avoid further conflicts The
Please note, this itinerary is a GUIDE ONLY
Due to circumstances beyond our control,
as well as to maximise opportunities for seeing animals, the following itinerary may
be subject to change
No sightings of species are guaranteed
as they are wild animals and we cannot restrict their natural movements, nor indeed would we wish to
The region
Geography
Ha Long Bay is located in Northeast Vietnam and belongs to the Quang Ninh Province Ha Long Bay stretches from the Yen Hung District, and includes large urban areas of Halong City and Cam Pha Town, as well as the Van Don Island District The area has been recognised as a home of ancient Viet people Ha Long Bay maintains an extremely rich biodiversity
The Cat Ba Biosphere Reserve, which is
in northern Vietnam, is internationally important for its limestone karst geomorphology It also has one of the best examples in the world of a fengcong and fenglin karst landscape
The 366 limestone islands have numberous cave deposits that provide evidence of a long history of erosion and landscape evolution Many of the small islands rise steeply or vertically from the shallow marine waters and are
Trang 3Coral reef transplantation project
The transplantation of the coral colonies in order to boost the recovery of the coral reef at the degraded reef sites can be carried out feasibly by using artificial substrate with coral fragments After 3 months (April to July 2005), the coral survival rate was relatively high (85-90%) Many coral colonies have attached to the surface of the substrate, with only a few of them falling out of the substrate The coral colonies have kept developing which will contribute to the coral larval sources in the future The lessons learned through the project include:
The selection of site: it is necessary
to do the transplant work on the high embankment to avoid direct strong wave movements The tropical storms that normally occur during August and September in Ha Long Bay have a huge influence on the site
The selection of the substrate model: this contributes to the success of any coral rehabilitation project The suitable substrate has
to be the right balance between effective conservation value (high coral survival rate) and economic value (low cost technique) In this project, the low cost technique has been applied and has received positive feedback
Public education awareness program: ideally this program would involve the fishermen
Continued overleaf
Food
Vietnamese cuisine is known for its common use of fish sauce, soy sauce, rice, fresh herbs, fruits and vegetables
Vietnamese recipes use many vegetables, herbs and spices, including lemon grass, lime, and kaffir lime leaves Throughout all regions of Vietnam, the emphasis is always
on serving fresh vegetables and/or fresh herbs as side dishes along with dipping sauce
The Vietnamese also have a number of Buddhist vegetarian dishes The most common meats used in Vietnamese cuisine are pork, beef, chicken, shrimp, cockles and various kinds of seafood Duck and goat are used less widely
A typical meal for the average Vietnamese family would include:
- Individual bowls of rice
- A grilled, boiled,steamed, stir fried (with vegetable) or stewed, meat or fish or other seafood dish
-A stir-fried steamed vegetable dish
- Canh (a clear broth with vegetables and often meat or seafood) or other Vietnamese-style soup
- Prepared fish sauce and/or soy sauce for dipping
All dishes are communal and to be shared apart from the individual bowls of rice
independent period temporarily ended in
the middle to late 19th century, when the
country was colonized by France
During World War II, Imperial Japan
expelled the French to occupy
Vietnam, though they retained French
administrators during their occupation
After the war, France attempted to
re-establish its colonial rule but ultimately
failed The Geneva Accords partitioned
the country in two with a promise of
democratic election to reunite the country
However, rather than peaceful
reunification, partition led to the Vietnam
War, a civil war and a major part of the
Cold War During this time, the People’s
Republic of China and the Soviet Union
supported the North while the United
States supported the South After millions
of Vietnamese deaths and the American
withdrawal from Vietnam in March 1973,
the war ended with the fall of Saigon to
the North in April 1975
The reunified Vietnam suffered further
internal repression and was isolated
internationally due to the continuing
Cold War and the Vietnamese invasion of
Cambodia In 1986, the Communist Party
of Vietnam changed its economic policy
and began reforms of the private sector
similar to those in China
Since the mid-1980s, Vietnam has enjoyed
substantial economic growth and some
reduction in political repression
Trang 4to participate in the coral restoration work From experience,
a lot of support has come from the local fishermen
The technical transferring process has been carried out by involvement of the staff at the Ha Long Bay Management
Department through an agreement with the Institute
of Marine Environment and Resources The enforcement team of Ha Long Bay Management Department have played a vital role in the project
The initial success of the coral transplantation at the degraded reef sites has been illustrated by the coral survival rate of 85-90% after a year These planted coral colonies will contribute to the future coral larvae source at the reef sites
The project has shown that low cost techniques and following simple procedures by
the local people in Ha Long Bay makes a huge impact on increaseing the conservation activity in the area
The initial results of coral transplantation at these vulerable sites brings hope that coral recovery through physical transplantation is possible and should be something which continues into the future, to ensure these amazing habitats are still around for future generations The Ha Long Bay Management Department has decided to continue with the coral rehabilitation work in following years
Essential traveller’s information
DATES Wednesday 13th - Wednesday 20th May
GROUP SIZE 10
ACCOMMODATION Your accommodation will be in comfortable staying in hotels
throughout your trip, with ensuite rooms whenever possible
FOOD Breakfast and dinner will be served in your hotel or a local restaurant
Lunches will either be picnics or in a local restaurant
FITNESS You will get the most enjoyment out of the trip if you are able to walk for
reasonably long distances at an unhurried pace You are more likely to see wildlife
if you leave the main roads and take to trails and paths but there is no reason why
you can not take a day to rest if you prefer
CLIMATE In May the tempretaure ranges from 25-30 degree Celsius It may
occasionally rain so please bring an umbrella
TOUR COST £700 per person based on two sharing Price includes
accommodation, all meals, ground transportation and excursions, services of local
guides Not included are flights, travel insurance, drinks and spirits, souvenirs etc
SINGLE ROOM SUPPLEMENT £100 Please note, we will try to find single travellers
who would prefer to share a room
FLIGHT COST £600 including taxes Prices are not guaranteed until all deposits
have been paid and are correct at time of printing (September 2008)
TRAVEL INSURANCE Travel insurance is compulsory You must have adequate
travel and medical/rescue insurance to cover the whole of your journey Please see
our optional travel insurance offer for details
PASSPORT & VISAS Please ensure that you have a full 10 year passport, which is
valid for at least six months after your return date A short term tourist visa is
necessary for your visit
RESERVATION & INFORMATION To reserve your place please fill in the enclosed
booking form and return with the necessary deposits to PTES If you have any
questions, please call 020 7498 4533 or e-mail zoe@ptes.org