According to provincial authorities, the move is aimed to ensure the quality of local tourism services.
An unlicensed boat seized on Ha Long Bay
Ho Quang Huy, vice chairman of Ha Long City People’s Committee, most of the boats were made by people and were not licensed for operation on the bay. However, they were used to sell goods there.
The management board said that since early 2017, municipal authorities have confiscated hundreds of boats which tried to force tourists to buy their products.
In the first half of this year, around 50 boats were destroyed. Earlier, 40 others were also burnt for violations.
Huy added that these boats often co-operate with tourism cruises to sell their goods at high prices.
Ha Long authorities have asked the bay management board and police to join hands to deal with the violators.
A fishing boat transports tourists illegally on the bay
When being found by authorities, many boat owners usually jumped into the water to flee. As a result, it is quite difficult to define boat ownership in many cases. The boats were destroyed to avoid having an environmental pollution on the bay.
According to the regulations, boats which operate on Ha Long Bay are required to have the operating licence, fire prevention and control equipment, life vests and equipment for waste collection.
The boat driver must be at least 18 years old and not exceed 55 years old for women and 60 years old for men and have tourism and fire safety training certificates.
