Gửi bình luận
Inspired by President Ho Chi Minh’s guidance during his visits to Cat Ba and Con Son, Hai Phong is working to conserve nature and promote the sustainable values of its heritage.
“Our golden forests and silver seas belong to our people”
On March 31, 1959, President Ho Chi Minh visited Cat Ba Island. At a time when the country was still facing difficulties, his visit to the remote island became a special historical event, leaving a deep impression on generations of local residents.
He encouraged the people to unite, work diligently, promote the strengths of their islands and seas, and produce more wealth. In particular, his words, “Our golden forests and silver seas belong to our people,” conveyed a profound message about ownership and the responsibility to preserve and make the most of marine resources.
More than six decades later, his words remain a source of inspiration for Cat Ba as it develops its economy alongside protection of forests, seas, and the ecological environment.
Once a remote and isolated island area, Cat Ba has emerged as a prominent tourist destination in northern Vietnam, with distinctive landscape, geological, geomorphological, and biodiversity values. Cat Ba National Park, limestone mountain forests, marine bays, sandy beaches, and marine ecosystems give the island its unique appeal and provide an important foundation for a green economic development strategy.
An international milestone came on September 16, 2023, when UNESCO officially approved the extension of Ha Long Bay World Natural Heritage Site to include the Cat Ba Archipelago, creating the heritage site known as Ha Long Bay–Cat Ba Archipelago.
The heritage designation brings greater responsibility for conserving the natural values that make the island so attractive. UNESCO has also continued to emphasize this requirement in heritage management, particularly the need to strengthen coordination between Hai Phong and Quang Ninh, establish a unified management mechanism, and develop sustainable tourism. The world heritage designation is therefore both a source of pride and a commitment to long-term conservation.
Con Son - A green and beautiful destination as Uncle Ho’s wishes
President Ho Chi Minh visited Con Son on February 15, 1965, which became a special milestone in the history of the heritage site.
After offering incense at Con Son Pagoda, he visited Con Son Stream and rested at Thach Ban. There, he reminded local people to preserve and protect the historical site and plant more trees so that Con Son would become “a beautiful forest retreat.” For him, preserving a heritage site meant more than protecting buildings or traces of the past, it also meant caring for the surrounding landscape, environment, and cultural setting.
More than six decades later, his words continue to serve as a guiding principle in the conservation, restoration, and promotion of the site's values. The image of President Ho Chi Minh resting beside Con Son Stream, meeting schoolchildren, and urging efforts to keep Con Son green and beautiful has become a sacred historical memory, reminding everyone of their responsibility to safeguard the legacy of previous generations.
On July 12, 2025, UNESCO officially inscribed the Yen Tu – Vinh Nghiem – Con Son, Kiep Bac Complex of Monuments and Landscapes on the World Heritage List.
The inscription represents international recognition of the complex's distinctive historical, cultural, and spiritual values. Among its most prominent features is the formation, development, and spread of the Truc Lam Zen sect, a distinctly Vietnamese Buddhist tradition associated with King-Monk Tran Nhan Tong and shaped by the contributions of generations of monks, nuns, Buddhists, and local communities.
From Cat Ba to Con Son, President Ho Chi Minh's words from decades ago continue to inspire new achievements. Today, Cat Ba and Con Son not only affirm the outstanding value of their natural, historical, and cultural heritage but also remind us of our responsibility to follow his guidance: development must go hand in hand with conservation, and exploitation must be accompanied by preservation to ensure that these heritage sites will be vibrant, enduring and passed on intact to future generations.
CAM GIANG
