Vietnam battles plastic blight in idyllic Ha Long Bay

Since the beginning of March, 10,000 cubic metres of rubbish -- enough to fill four Olympic swimming pools -- have been collected from the water, according to the Ha Long Bay management board. Do Tien Thanh, a conservationist at the Ha Long Bay Management Department, said the buoys were a short-term issue but admitted: "Ha Long Bay... is under pressure". Human wasteMore than seven million visitors came to visit the spectacular limestone karsts of Ha Long Bay, on Vietnam's northeastern coast, in 2022. "There are so many big residential areas near Ha Long Bay," said conservationist Thanh. Single-use plastic is now banned on tourist boats, and the Ha Long Bay management board says general plastic use on board is down 90 percent from its peak.