“Greener Together, Clean Halong Bay” Campaign
Halong Bay, a UNESCO World Heritage site and an iconic symbol of Vietnam’s maritime heritage, represents a delicate marine ecosystem facing constant environmental pressures from aquaculture, coastal navigation, and severe weather phenomena. In September 2024, the natural equilibrium of the Gulf of Tonkin was severely disrupted by Typhoon Yagi, one of the most powerful storms to hit northern Vietnam in decades. Beyond widespread structural devastation onshore, the storm deposited massive volumes of marine debris across critical coastal and island sanctuaries. Nearly two kilometers of Tuan Chau beach and key navigational channels were inundated with broken aquaculture cages, plastic waste, industrial nylon, and polystyrene floats from damaged fish farms and sunken vessels, threatening delicate coral reefs and maritime safety ahead of the peak international travel season.
In direct response to this ecological crisis, LuxGroup and Lux Travel DMC mobilized the corporate-led “Greener Together, Clean Halong Bay” environmental remediation initiative on September 21, 2024. A task force of nearly 100 individuals – including executive leadership, Hanoi office staff, shipboard crew members, and local community volunteers – executed a coordinated, two-shift cleanup operation. Morning efforts focused on shoreline restoration across Tuan Chau beach and the berths of Tuan Chau International Marina, untangling embedded netting and clearing docking areas. During the afternoon, operations expanded onto open water as support tenders and speedboats navigated into remote island coves to intercept floating debris before it could sink into fragile benthic habitats.
The intensive single-day operation successfully retrieved and processed over two metric tons – approximately five truckloads – of synthetic debris, polystyrene foam, and plastic waste. Recovered refuse was systematically sorted onshore according to Quang Ninh provincial environmental standards to maximize material recycling. To ensure long-term ecological stewardship, LuxGroup formalized the campaign into an institutionalized annual initiative, complemented by routine daily on-water cleanups conducted by Lux Cruises across Halong Bay and Lan Ha Bay in alignment with Travelife Europe sustainability benchmarks.
