MWRP Vietnam: Raising Public Engagement in Coastal Heritage Areas

Vietnam’s tourism sector, a powerful coastal industry, relies largely on Ha Long Bay, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Every year, millions of people visit this area, which features emerald green water. Unfortunately, plastic pollution from fisheries, tour boats, and shore-based activities litters the site’s water and shores.

Targeting Fish Farms and Boat-Based Tourism Businesses

The Centre for Supporting Green Development (GreenHub) fosters sustainable solid waste management (SWM) practices among fish farms and ocean tourism businesses. With a grant from USAID’s Municipal Waste Recycling Program, GreenHub tested innovative fishing technology to mitigate polystyrene (styrofoam) waste leakage from fish farms into Ha Long Bay and Bai Tu Long Bay. This new technology coats “Line-X Paint” onto styrofoam buoys used in floating aquaculture farms to slow the process of buoys disintegrating. GreenHub presented the technology to the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development of Quang Ninh province and is in talks to create infrastructure for long-term use. GreenHub’s advocacy campaign raised awareness of plastic waste’s impact on the marine environment among boat tour operators. As part of the campaign, GreenHub led waste audits for the tour operators and shared the results with them. GreenHub also collaborated with the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) to organize informational workshops on zero waste business models for the boat operators.

Engaging an Array of Stakeholders

GreenHub helped local governments, the private sector, and communities to streamline their SWM efforts. More than 650 individuals from universities, government, tourism businesses, and women’s groups attended a GreenHub/IUCN-led workshop on plastic waste. As a result of the workshop and GreenHub’s support, hotels and other tourism businesses reduced single-use plastics in their operations. Coca-Cola helped Greenhub build a “Plastic Action Network” that engaged more than 30 members from local government and businesses, as well as youth and women’s groups. The “Plastic Action Network” introduced initiatives on repurposing and recycling plastics, including reusing plastic waste for crafts and eco-bricks, and created linkages with waste reduction alliances, such as the National Plastic Action Partnership. GreenHub partnered with the Women’s Union of Ha Long and the Women’s Union of Cat Hai to raise coastal community residents’ and private boat owners’ awareness of the importance of reducing single-use plastics and recycling plastic waste to limit ocean plastic pollution. GreenHub also shared waste reports and survey data with Ha Long Bay and Cat Ba Island environmental authorities, which resulted in strengthened local laws and regulations and improved enforcement of existing laws.