Vietnam
Capital:
Ha noi
Land Area:
310,070km²
Inland Water Area:
21,140km²
Length of Coastline:
3,260km
Viet Nam's coastal provinces and cities have been undergoing rapid economic growth over the past 10 years. Fifty percent of the major urban centers, which are inhabited by 23 percent of the country's population of about 86 million (2009), are located along the coastal areas. The country's coastal and marine waters contribute approximately 48 percent of the national GDP and about 80 percent of the total fisheries catch.
The prime minister signed Decision No. 158/2007/GD-TTg dated 9 October 2007 approving the Integrated Coastal Zone Management Program for North Central Region and Central Coastal Provinces until 2010 and Orientation towards 2020. The national ICM program is covering 14 coastal provinces in the central region of the country. In the same year, the National Strategy for Viet Nam's Seas Towards 2020 was approved requiring the establishment of a government organization to manage the seas and islands in an integrated and unified manner. In March 2008, the country established the Viet Nam Administration of Seas and Islands (VASI) under the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment to to implement this function, performing advisory and technical support for the integrated and unified state management of its seas and islands.
On 6 March 2009, Decree No. 25/2009/ND-CP on Integrated Marine Resources Management and Environmental Protection of Seas and Islands was issued by the Government. This Decree is considered a landmark instrument to advance policies and programs on ICM in Viet Nam. In 2017, a National ICM Coordinating Committee and National ICM Coordinating Office was established to oversee and coordinate the implementation of Viet Nam’s National ICM Strategy and National ICM Action Plan (NAP). The goal was to scale up ICM good practices to cover 100 percent of Viet Nam’s coastline. Da Nang City, a national ICM demonstration site and working model for ICM in Viet Nam since 2000, has provided practical experiences and lessons to support ICM scaling up .
To date, some 14 provinces under the NAP and SDS-SEA Project covers close to 70 percent of Viet Nam’s 3,260-km mainland coastline with ICM. The country has also supported various legislation to strengthen efforts for the integrated management of its seas and islands. Among them: approval of the National ICM Program in the Northern and Central Coastal Region of Viet Nam towards 2010 and Vision to 2015; approval of the National ICM Strategy to 2020 with Vision to 2030 and National ICM Action Plan to 2020; passing of the Law on Marine and Island Resources and Environment and; the approval of the Strategy for Sustainable Development of Viet Nam’s Marine Economy to 2030 and Vision to 2045 which stipulates measures for transforming Viet Nam into a strong coastal nation.
Focal Points:
Ms. Hang Pham Thu (National Focal Point)
Deputy Director-General, Viet Nam Administration of Seas and Islands (VASI), Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment (MONRE)
Dr. Nguyen My Hang (Operational Focal Point)
Deputy Director, Department of Science, Technology and International Cooperation (DSTIC), VASI, MONRE
RELATED PUBLICATIONS
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PEMSEA eBulletin - September 2024
Dear PEMSEA community,
Welcome to the September e-bulletin!
With just over a month to go until the East Asian Seas Congress, we are excited to unveil our lineup of global and regional experts who will lead various technical sessions and plenary discussions. The opening ceremony will feature Mr. Vidar Helgesen, Executive Secretary of IOC-UNESCO and Assistant Secretary-General of UNESCO, alongside Dr. Vann Monyneath, Chair of the EAS Partnership Council, Ministers and senior leaders of PEMSEA country and non-country partners.
As the EASC returns to Xiamen, discover how the Congress has evolved and thrived over three decades, paralleling the city’s own journey toward promoting sustainable and resilient blue economy.
This month, PEMSEA representatives are taking the stage at various workshops and events across the globe. PEMSEA Executive Director Aimee Gonzales participated in the Marine Spatial Planning Cooperation Workshop of Maritime Silk Road Partner Countries held in Beijing, China, on 26 September 2024 where she emphasized the importance of integrating coastal management mechanisms with area-based management tools to meet global biodiversity targets.
Ms. Nancy Bermas, Regional Project Manager of the UNDP/GEF/ASEAN Integrated River Basin Management (IRBM) Project, attended the 10th Biennial International Waters Conference (IWC10) in Punta del Este, Uruguay, from 23-26 September 2024, where she delivered a pitch on the IRBM Project’s experience in establishing governance mechanisms at both regional and basin levels.
While Ms. Gusung Lee, PEMSEA Technical Advisor was in Bangkok, Thailand to represent PEMSEA in a panel discussion on regional and subregional instruments, frameworks and bodies (IFBs) at the Workshop for North-East and South-East Asia on the Agreement on the Conservation and Sustainable Use of Marine Biological Diversity of Areas Beyond National Jurisdiction (BBNJ Agreement), held from 16-20 September 2024. She discussed PEMSEA’s experience in Integrated Coastal Management (ICM) and Marine Spatial Planning (MSP) as essential tools to manage land-sea use interaction which would be vital in extending protection and sustainable management of biodiversity in the high seas.
From the field, we share the latest updates on the UNDP/GEF/ASEAN IRBM project which held a dialogue with indigenous leaders in the Province of Pampanga on 17 September 2024. The Marine Plastics Project local partners in Dipolog City and Bulan, Sorsogon in the Philippines participated in the International Coastal Cleanup on 21 September 2024.
In other news, PEMSEA and the ASEAN Centre for Biodiversity (ACB) have renewed their partnership on biodiversity conservation and marine habitat protection and restoration through a five-year Letter of Cooperation, signed on 20 September 2024, by their respective Executive Directors Aimee Gonzales and Dr. Theresa Mundita S. Lim.
From the ATSEA-2 Project, check out the recent publication of six key scientific studies focused on marine conservation and sustainable development in the Arafura and Timor Seas.
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PEMSEA eBulletin - August 2024
Dear PEMSEA community,
Welcome to the August e-bulletin!
We have a little over 60 days before EAS Congress 2024 kicks off! Do check out the messages from Dr. Vann Monyneath, Chair of the EAS Partnership Council, alongside key officials Sun Shuxian, Vice Minister of Natural Resources, and Huang Wenhui, Mayor of Xiamen, inviting the global ocean community to join us in this triennial event to foster stronger regional collaboration in ocean governance and management.
This month’s bulletin also features the winners of the “Humans of East Asian Seas” challenge which we launched last year to commemorate PEMSEA’s 30th anniversary. Thirty local champions of coastal and marine conservation across the region were selected, with the top three profiled in this bulletin in recognition of their contributions in promoting sustainable coastal development, namely: Ms. Masako Bannai Otsuka of Japan, Mr. Prak Visal of Cambodia, and Dr. Wang Jinhe of China.
We also want to inform you about the new features on the SEA Knowledge Bank platform. The revamped platform now includes an e-library of scientific publications, an interactive map of Integrated Coastal Management (ICM) sites, and new resources from ongoing projects.
Local government officials from Tangerang Regency, Indonesia, recently completed an ICM study tour in Batangas City, Philippines. The visit, held from 30 July to 1 August 2024, facilitated LGU to LGU knowledge exchange on sustainable coastal practices and management strategies.
The GEF/UNDP/ASEAN River Basin Project organized a Regional Gender Equality and Social Inclusion (GESI) Workshop in Bogor City, Indonesia, on 6-7 August 2024. The workshop brought together participants from seven river basins in ASEAN member states to discuss regional GESI analysis, develop stakeholder maps, and improve capacity for mainstreaming GESI principles in river basin management programs.
In other updates, a recent PEMSEA study reveals growing interest in Blue Carbon Ecosystems (BCEs) across the East Asian Seas region. BCE projects, focusing on mangroves, seagrasses, and other critical habitats, are advancing efforts in conservation, research, and restoration.
From the ATSEA-2 Project, global experts convened in Bali, Indonesia for the Global Dialogue on Sustainable Ocean Development with ATSEA-2 Regional Project Manager, Dr. Handoko Adi Susanto representing ATSEA/PEMSEA in the dialogue.
The 2024 EAS Congress will be hosted by China in Xiamen from 6-8 November 2024. It is organized through a partnership between the Ministry of Natural Resources of China, the Xiamen Municipal People’s Government, and PEMSEA.
The event will take place in conjunction with Xiamen World Ocean Week, featuring the city's commitment to sustainable ocean management and regional collaboration.
For more information, visit the 2024 EAS Congress website.
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PEMSEA NETWORK OF LEARNING CENTERS (PNLC) 2024 Executive Committee Meeting Proceedings
The document contains the proceedings from the PNLC Executive Committee (EC) held 22 July 2024 in Puerto Princesa, Palawan, Philippines.
The meeting was participated in by the President and Vice-President of the PNLC, the PEMSEA Executive Director the PNLC Secretariat from IPB and the PEMSEA Resource Facility. The agenda included:
· Review of the PNLC Workplan
· PNLC Secretariat Turnover MOA to CCMRS-IPB
· Updates and plans on PNLC Financial Sustainability Efforts
· New PNLC Membership Applications
· PNLG-PNLC Joint Session at the EAS Congress 2024
· 4th PNLC General Assembly AgendaThe meeting was organized jointly by the PEMSEA Resource Facility (PRF) and the Center for Coastal and Marine Resources Studies (CCMRS) of the IPB University, Indonesia with support from the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) of the Philippines.