Illustrative image (Source: VNA) Hanoi (VNA) - Vietnam has built asystem of policies and laws on seas and islands during the 10-yearimplementation of the Maritime Strategy.
The system covers laws in service of integratedmanagement and laws and planning schemes for coastal areas and sectors.
With this legal foundation, Vietnam has madebreakthroughs in natural resource exploitation and marine environment conservation,and sped up the building and implementation of coastal development projects, resultingin socio-economic changes in the coastal regions.
On March 6, 2009, the Government issuedDecree No. 25/2009/ND-CP on the integrated management of natural resources andmarine environment protection, the first legal document in this regard.
Between 2007 and now, the Government, thePrime Minister and ministries and agencies have also issued documentsencouraging investments in coastal and island economic zones.
Policies have provided support for farmers,residents in coastal and island areas, and those working at sea.
Policies that foster sea-based economicdevelopment with the protection of national sovereignty and encourage people to settle on islands todevelop economy and defend national seas and islands have also been deployed.
There have also been policies on fisherycooperation between Vietnam and countries sharing fishing grounds, and policiesencouraging aquaculture and offshore fishing. Many offshore fishing groups havebeen established during the period.
Of note, the Law on Fisheries, which wasissued in 2017, marked a new development in fishery management in Vietnam amidinternational integration.
Such preferential policies have helpedlabourers working at sea as well as those in disadvantaged coastal and islandareas.
Over the past ten years, navy, coast guardand fishery surveillance forces and border guards have developed, helping todefend national sovereignty and sovereign rights at sea, ensure security andsafety and create favourable conditions and environment for maritime economicactivities.
Deputy Minister of Natural Resources andEnvironment Tran Quy Kien said the State management of seas and islands haschanged towards integrated and united management.
He cited the establishment of the VietnamAdministration of Seas and Islands under the Ministry of Natural Resources andEnvironment in 2008, along with the formation of sea management agencies fromcentral to grassroots levels over the past ten years.
The system needs to be intensified to ensurethe efficiency of the management work, Kien said, calling for more effective coordinationbetween regions and sectors in marine management and exploitation.
In 2007, the 10th-tenureParty Central Committee adopted Vietnam’s Maritime Strategy towards 2020 toenhance a sea-based economy and protect national sovereignty over islands andseas.
The strategy set a goal that sea-based economicsectors will make up 53-55 percent of the country’s gross domestic product(GDP) while per capita income in coastal areas is expected to double theaverage of the whole country by 2020.-VNA
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