The oceanography sector should active join the country’s internationalintegration process, said Dr. Vo Si Tuan, Director of the Institute ofOceanography under the Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology,adding that the sector has engaged in international cooperation sinceits early days.
Vietnam’s oceanography sector came intobeing with the establishment of the “Indochina Department ofOceanographic Fishery” in September 1922 under the decision of theGovernor-general of Indochina.
The department was the predecessor of theOceanographic Institute of Indochina (established in 1930) and theNha Trang Institute of Oceanography (founded in 1952), which iscurrently the “Oceanography Institute.”
Immediately afterits formation, the department organised research trips on the ship DeLanessan to the Gulf of Thailand in 1925, the Gulf of Tonkin in 1925,and Hoang Sa and Truong Sa archipelagos in 1926 and 1927. It also set up572 stations for periodical survey, including a permanent station inHoang Sa archipelago.
From 1925 to 1953, seven survey trips toHoang Sa and Truong Sa were organised, focusing on geography, geology,hydrodynamics, sea creatures and maritime resources potential.
Vietnam also teamed up with other countries to carry out multilateralscientific research in the Gulf of Thailand and the southern waters inthe framework of the NAGA (1959-1960) and the CSK (1965-1977)programmes. The NAGA programme resulted in 17 research works onhydrological physics, geology and biology, while the CSK issued sevenatlases, and more than 400 reports on surveyed data, among others.
In addition, during the 1960s, the country cooperated with China andthe Soviet Union to conduct surveys in the Gulf of Tonkin, collecting alarge volume of data on hydrometeorology, environment and naturalresources.
From 1981-1985, Vietnamese experts were joined bytheir Soviet Union counterparts in survey trips on board the Berill andKallisto ships of the Soviet Union to waters offshore the southerncentral, southeastern and western regions, and Truong Sa archipelago.
Between1986 and 1990, more trips were organised on board the Shirshow andOcean ships of the Soviet Union to collect oceanographic data onVietnam’s continental shelf and offshore waters in the East Sea.
Vietnam started a bilateral cooperation on marine research withGermany in 2003 which lasted until 2009. During the period, a total of17 survey trips were organised, focusing on research on upwelling andrelated phenomena in Vietnam’s southern waters.
As part of thepolicy on regional integration, Vietnam has also worked with thePhilippines to carry out the Joint Oceanographic and MarineScientific Research Expedition in the East Sea ( JOMSRE) since 1996.Under the programme, the two countries’ scientists, diplomats andmilitary officers conducted four joint surveys in 1996, 2000, 2005 and2007 in waters surrounding islands in the Truong Sa archipelago.
Cooperation with Russia has resumed, with several joint surveys made in 2005, 2009, 2010 and 2011.
The country has also joined Cambodia, China, Indonesia, Malaysia,the Philippines and Thailand in a project funded by the United NationsDevelopment Programme’s Global Environment Facility (GEF). The projectaimed to avert the environmental degradation in the East Sea and theThailand Gulf and build action plans for each of the involved countriesand a regional strategic action plan.-VNA
Vietnam’s oceanography sector came intobeing with the establishment of the “Indochina Department ofOceanographic Fishery” in September 1922 under the decision of theGovernor-general of Indochina.
The department was the predecessor of theOceanographic Institute of Indochina (established in 1930) and theNha Trang Institute of Oceanography (founded in 1952), which iscurrently the “Oceanography Institute.”
Immediately afterits formation, the department organised research trips on the ship DeLanessan to the Gulf of Thailand in 1925, the Gulf of Tonkin in 1925,and Hoang Sa and Truong Sa archipelagos in 1926 and 1927. It also set up572 stations for periodical survey, including a permanent station inHoang Sa archipelago.
From 1925 to 1953, seven survey trips toHoang Sa and Truong Sa were organised, focusing on geography, geology,hydrodynamics, sea creatures and maritime resources potential.
Vietnam also teamed up with other countries to carry out multilateralscientific research in the Gulf of Thailand and the southern waters inthe framework of the NAGA (1959-1960) and the CSK (1965-1977)programmes. The NAGA programme resulted in 17 research works onhydrological physics, geology and biology, while the CSK issued sevenatlases, and more than 400 reports on surveyed data, among others.
In addition, during the 1960s, the country cooperated with China andthe Soviet Union to conduct surveys in the Gulf of Tonkin, collecting alarge volume of data on hydrometeorology, environment and naturalresources.
From 1981-1985, Vietnamese experts were joined bytheir Soviet Union counterparts in survey trips on board the Berill andKallisto ships of the Soviet Union to waters offshore the southerncentral, southeastern and western regions, and Truong Sa archipelago.
Between1986 and 1990, more trips were organised on board the Shirshow andOcean ships of the Soviet Union to collect oceanographic data onVietnam’s continental shelf and offshore waters in the East Sea.
Vietnam started a bilateral cooperation on marine research withGermany in 2003 which lasted until 2009. During the period, a total of17 survey trips were organised, focusing on research on upwelling andrelated phenomena in Vietnam’s southern waters.
As part of thepolicy on regional integration, Vietnam has also worked with thePhilippines to carry out the Joint Oceanographic and MarineScientific Research Expedition in the East Sea ( JOMSRE) since 1996.Under the programme, the two countries’ scientists, diplomats andmilitary officers conducted four joint surveys in 1996, 2000, 2005 and2007 in waters surrounding islands in the Truong Sa archipelago.
Cooperation with Russia has resumed, with several joint surveys made in 2005, 2009, 2010 and 2011.
The country has also joined Cambodia, China, Indonesia, Malaysia,the Philippines and Thailand in a project funded by the United NationsDevelopment Programme’s Global Environment Facility (GEF). The projectaimed to avert the environmental degradation in the East Sea and theThailand Gulf and build action plans for each of the involved countriesand a regional strategic action plan.-VNA
