The government has assigned the Natural Resources and Environment Ministry to lead the development of National Marine Spatial Planning for 2021-2030. — Vietnam News
HANOI: Vietnam’s territorial waters are rich in natural resources and hold an important economic, geopolitical, national defence and security position.
However, Vietnam’s seas and islands are facing a series of problems relating to degradation of landscapes, marine and coastal ecosystems, coastal environmental pollution and increasing negative impacts from natural disasters, climate change and rising sea levels.
Therefore, a national marine plan is needed to create support for sustainable exploitation and use of marine and island resources and harmonise any socio-economic developments with national defence and security.
Vietnam has a coastline of over 3,260km. Its 28 coastal provinces and cities have a population that accounts for more than half of the country’s total population, with most of the workforce employed in marine-related industries.
Vietnam has huge potential to develop a marine economy such as shipping, mineral exploration and processing, fishing, aquaculture and seafood processing and tourism.
Recognising the role and the significance of seas and islands for the country’s development, the eighth meeting of the 12th Party Central Committee issued a resolution dated Oct 22, 2018 on Vietnam’s Sustainable Marine Economic Development Strategy until 2030, setting the goal of making Vietnam a strong coastal nation by 2030.
Within the objectives and policies outlined in the resolution, the government assigned the Natural Resources and Environment Ministry to lead the development of National Marine Spatial Planning for 2021-2030.
On June 28 this year, the 15th National Assembly approved a resolution on the plan.
The National Marine Spatial Planning for 2021-2030 project is for the first time being developed based on reference to international experience, with adjustments to make it suitable to Vietnam’s actual situation.
According to Nguyen Duc Toan, director of the Vietnam Agency of Seas and Islands under the Natural Resources and Environment Ministry, the main objective of the plan is to create a foundation for rapid and sustainable development of the marine economy, contributing to the formation and development of strong marine economic sectors and creating effective livelihoods for people.
It aims to ensure national defence, security, foreign affairs and international cooperation, firmly maintain independence, sovereignty, sovereign rights and national jurisdiction at sea, efficiently manage and exploit marine resources, protect the marine environment, conserve biodiversity, preserve marine cultural values and gradually turn Vietnam into a strong prosperous maritime nation.
Toan said that to turn Vietnam into a strong coastal nation, there are development orientations for marine economic sectors, especially new ones.
Comprehensive studies and assessments on potential of marine minerals and clean energy will be conducted, outlining development directions for the exploitation and use of marine minerals and clean energy. — Viet Nam News/ANN
