Nearly two decades ago, my first visit to Ha Long Bay marked a profound homecoming. Having left Vietnam as a child in the 1990s, this was my maiden voyage back as an adult. I remember standing aboard a boat, the bay’s waters stretching before me, basking in the glory of a setting sun. It was a moment of revelation, a realization that Vietnam was not just the land of my birth but the eternal home of my soul. This connection, forged in the ethereal beauty of Ha Long Bay, ignited a lifelong commitment to my homeland. Yet today, I pen these words with a heavy heart as Ha Long Bay, a sanctuary of my deepest affections, faces an existential threat.

The decision to replace the transcendent beauty of this UNESCO World Heritage Site with a massive hotel development is nothing short of a tragedy. As the emerald waters of the bay brace for the encroachment of concrete and steel, I am left to ponder a disturbing question: Why can’t the Vietnamese government, tasked with the stewardship of our natural heritage, feel the same profound connection to this land that I and countless others do? Are we so ensnared by material gain that we would sacrifice our most iconic landscapes?