Questions raised over decision to paint Ha Long’s junks white
Following the decision by provincial authorities to paint all overnight tourist boats on Ha Long Bay white, many of Vietnam’s social media channels lit up with healthy discussion and debate. Footprint Vietnam Travel was one of many stakeholders to facilitate such conversations on their Facebook and Twitter pages.
From those discussions, a number of questions have been raised relating to the decision to the paint the tourist junks white. The burning question is: why white? Arguments against white include not blending in with Ha Long Bay’s natural surroundings, not being part of the traditional image of the blacks, browns, and wood stain, as well as not being culturally appropriate (white is sometimes associated with funerals in Vietnam). And, how will this impact the image of Ha Long Bay, especially after its recent designation as one of the Seven Wonders of Nature?
Other questions that have been raised by Footprints’ clients, partners and competitors, have been: who is going to have to pay for the painting of the boats, and will these costs be passed on to the tourist? Could the efforts and money being put into this decision be better spent on other sustainable community initiatives or environmental projects?
Finally, questions whether the local communities, in particular the floating fishing villages, have been engaged in the decision. The World Heritage Site is home to many floating fishing communities; a characteristic of Ha Long bay that has become very important to the management of the region, as well as to the tourist product.
Nevertheless, there does seem to be some that support the idea, but they seem to be few and (very) far between.
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January 11th, 2012 Leave a comment