Solving the challenge of making Cat Ba truly green

PV: In your opinion, what is Cat Ba lacking to move in the right direction to become a green island with zero carbon emissions, thereby positioning itself as a global destination?

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Tran Dinh Thien: Cat Ba aims to become a green tourism island as a way to affirm its own values ​​in a leading and motivating manner. “Green” is a requirement of the times, and also an effort to make the island a representative of Vietnam to fulfill its commitment to the world about Net Zero.

Cat Ba has many favorable conditions to develop green tourism island. Because this place owns a rare natural ecological resource system and is being well preserved. It is the uniqueness of the natural ecosystem that has brought Cat Ba 6 national and international titles. These titles force the government, community, and businesses to be more responsible to maintain that advantage - an action with long-term significance to build a green ecological Cat Ba island.

Associate Professor, Dr. Tran Dinh Thien, former Director of Vietnam Economic Institute.

Another advantage of Cat Ba comes from the island’s isolated location. Thanks to its isolation, policies established for Cat Ba, such as policies to limit carbon-emitting vehicles, are easier to implement. Hai Phong is currently rising very strongly and is expected to become a pioneering city in green transformation and sustainable development at the regional and world level. This creates conditions for Cat Ba to be able to pioneer green-oriented development, based on the requirements of Hai Phong and the country.

However, it is not without challenges. There are many things that we must start solving immediately, for Cat Ba to become a truly green tourist island. The two key factors are the clean energy system, renewable energy and the green transportation system for Cat Ba. The third factor is waste treatment, or more broadly, environmental sanitation issues in general. Cat Ba needs to take advantage of favorable conditions, promote existing strengths and systematically handle key issues from the beginning.

To do this, Cat Ba - Hai Phong must have a methodical strategy, with the participation and leadership from the government and business community.

PV: Cat Ba tourism has not developed commensurate with its potential. How can Cat Ba become a four-season tourist destination and fully promote its value?

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Tran Dinh Thien: Recently, there has been a very good concept - that is "expanding development space" to create sustainable explosive development. One of the most mentioned issues is that Cat Ba has just developed seasonal tourism, only 5-6 months a year at most. The question that has been pondered for a long time but has not found a solution is: how to expand development space over time? What is limiting the development space of the island?

Coming to Cat Ba is not only about swimming and eating seafood. When tourism activities are promoted and diversified, tourism goals are expanded, visitors to Cat Ba will increase their experiences and extend their stay. Visitors come to enjoy the larger dimensions of the environment and climate of the entire Lan Ha Bay, of the World Natural Heritage Ha Long Bay - Cat Ba Archipelago, in different seasons, so the travel time can last all year round.

Cat Ba is strongly growing to become a "four-season destination" (Photo: Anh Duong).

That is only part of the story. Expanding the development space for Cat Ba tourism means that the tourism structure layers also change. But this change is necessary and in a positive direction, raising Cat Ba tourism to a new level. For example, adding seaplane and helicopter sightseeing experiences, adding paragliding and scuba diving experiences, large-scale art shows...

With such an approach, Cat Ba has the opportunity to expand its width (space), length (time), and depth (tourism products), to be worthy of being a national and international tourism center, linked to Lan Ha, Ha Long, and Bai Tu Long Bays. By doing so, tourism will not stagnate, but will develop rapidly.

Cat Ba becomes an international tourist destination

PV: The appeal of art shows has been proven in many famous tourist cities. What do you think about the potential for tourism growth when Cat Ba is about to add such new experiences?

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Tran Dinh Thien: Vietnam's practical experience shows that such shows create great appeal. The appeal does not come from just enjoying the spectacle, but from letting visitors enjoy the artistic performance, enhancing their understanding and bringing a feeling of ultimate satisfaction.

Typical is the art show combined with fireworks display in Phu Quoc, Da Nang - extremely impressive success. This is a group of high-level customers who are willing to pay to enjoy the good and beautiful things, worthy of their level.

Green Island Central Bay City project invested by Sun Group in Cat Ba (Photo: Sun Property)

In the North, there is no place with such a grand scale art show, fireworks display combined with art performance. Cat Ba has the opportunity to become a classy and unique tourist destination in the North when it is about to launch the show Symphony of The Green Island.

Cat Ba has the advantage of being the center of the Northern Coastal Region, where the economy is concentrated, with a fairly high income. In addition, the advantage of the sea and islands, heritage values, and biosphere reserves bring different and unique values ​​to the entire large geographical area. Therefore, when the Jetski adventure sports show combined with large-scale fireworks is created, it will create a special attraction.

Symphony of The Green Island show is set to debut in the 2025 summer tourist season (Photo: Sun Property)

In addition, the show's investors will certainly update technology, adding more unique things to Cat Ba. That is the cultural factor, the identity of the land. This will make tourists who have enjoyed shows in Phu Quoc or Da Nang still want to go to Cat Ba.

PV: What do you think about the participation of famous, potential and experienced investors in Cat Ba?

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Tran Dinh Thien: What big businesses can do - create high-level, world-class tourism products - is not only about stimulating high spending, but also about the cultural aspect, providing life values ​​from the product itself. Among these businesses, I consider Sun Group to be the group that always creates top values. The practical examples we have seen so far confirm that. As far as I know, Sun Group is investing systematically in Cat Ba tourism from the transportation system, the tourism - commercial service complex in the center of the island, to world-class art shows.

At the end of March, when attending the conference celebrating the 50th anniversary of Da Nang's liberation, I mentioned the story of Da Nang creating an unusual and different portrait after 50 years of liberation, of which Sun Group was the main creator.

Projects invested by Sun Group help beautify and elevate the land.

In many localities, besides Da Nang, Phu Quoc, Sa Pa (Lao Cai), Ba Den Mountain (Tay Ninh), Quang Ninh... are all coordinates where Sun Group has left its mark, shaping a modern portrait, raising the level of development, in which tourism stands out. Not only attracting investment, increasing tourism revenue, but Sun Group also develops cultural values, raising the status of the land, contributing to helping these localities benefit greatly.

As I have shared many times, localities need to make efforts to attract businesses that know how to increase the value of the land. Sun Group has a very good slogan: “Beautifying the land”. I think it is more than that - that way of doing things also contributes to increasing the value of the land, and more broadly, raising the value of the country.

Thus, we can completely trust and must know how to pose new problems for Sun Group, because this enterprise never wants to stop at the heights it has registered but always wants to create a difference. And setting new problems is the responsibility of the locality, including Hai Phong and Cat Ba.

PV: Right in the center of Cat Ba Island, Sun Group is investing in the Green Island Central Bay City tourism project. How do you evaluate the role and contribution of major projects to the sustainable development of the island?

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Tran Dinh Thien: I think the project to establish a green city in the center of Cat Ba island is a great idea.

Because based on the natural foundation, we also have to know how to develop, make it more beautiful, and elevate the island. This requires intelligence, huge investment resources, and at the same time, we must know how to accept creative ideas, different from conventional thinking. In the language of economics, we must know how to trade off to have benefits, outstanding added values. That is the way to put the problem when implementing the Green Island Central Bay City.

The design of the Green Island project respects nature and indigenous culture (Photo: Sun Property)

Next is to consider how to implement that idea, whether it is feasible, whether it satisfies the conditions, meets the standards of the times, and follows the direction of developing Cat Ba into an ecological island. With such a beautiful Cat Ba, will the investor implement the project with equally beautiful works?

According to my understanding, after reading the opposing opinions, even the opinions against the land reclamation to build a new beach in Cat Ba, I think that the approach of Sun Group accepted by Hai Phong city, the competent Ministries, Departments and Branches is basically in accordance with the spirit of beautification and respect for and protection of heritage values. That project shows respect, protection and upgrading of the central area of ​​Cat Ba island, bringing added value to the development and new enjoyment for people.

PV: To achieve the goal of turning Cat Ba into a green ecological island with zero carbon emissions, what do the government, investors, and community need to do, sir?

Associate Professor, Dr. Tran Dinh Thien: For a long time, tourism activities in Cat Ba town have developed spontaneously, without any connection. Now, we need to look at the problem at a higher level, in the direction of upgrading the town to a green island urban city.

As Sun Group plans to build a cable car system connecting to the center of Cat Ba island, this will ensure green transportation and create convenience for the tourist journey. Right now, tourists can park their cars on Cat Hai island, take the cable car, electric bus, and in the future the cable car will connect directly to the center of the island.

Cat Ba new beach is ready to welcome visitors on the occasion of April 30 holiday (Photo: Sun Property)

Even the new beach built by Sun Group in the center of Cat Ba Island, there are opinions on the internet, but I think that the shape of the beach is being completed, with thousands of coconut trees planted green, beautifying the land, creating new added value. The entire beach nearly a kilometer long will help residents and tourists connect to tourism right in the center of the island, with full facilities of beaches, resorts, restaurants... Also here, high-class tourism services and products, for example the Symphony of The Green Island show , are established to create a high-class tourism and service complex, bringing Cat Ba to develop to its full potential as a unique tourist coordinate in Lan Ha Bay, and becoming a national tourism center. I think that this way of posing the issue has been thoroughly considered.

Green development is a difficult “career”. Therefore, more than ever, destinations and tourist coordinates that are looking forward to making “model” progress like Cat Ba need close coordination, as well as companionship and synchronization between the government, investors and the community.

Thank you very much!

Tung Duong

Source: https://baothanhhoa.vn/pgs-ts-tran-dinh-thien-cat-ba-thanh-hon-dao-du-lich-xanh-la-yeu-cau-cua-thoi-dai-246012.htm