On October 7, the Government issued Decision No. 1117/QĐ-TTg approving the master plan for the sustainable exploitation and use of coastal resources for 2021-2023, with a vision toward 2050.
According to the plan, the scope of the coastal planning area includes the nearshore waters and coastal land, specifically the following areas. The coastal waters' boundary starts from the mean low water line averaged over many years (18.6 years) and extends outward 6 nautical miles from this line. The coastal land area comprises communes, wards, and towns with coastlines in the 28 provinces and centrally managed cities with coastal regions.
The goal of the plan is to protect, maintain, and restore ecosystems, biodiversity, and other values of coastal areas; to increase the area of conservation and protect the natural and ecological values of coastal marine areas and mangrove forests, contributing to achieving the goal of having at least 6% of the national marine area protected.
The plan aims to ensure public access to the sea, improve livelihoods, and raise the living standards of coastal communities to eliminate particularly disadvantaged communes in coastal areas. It also aims to increase the per capita income in coastal provinces and cities to at least 1.2 times the national average. Additionally, the plan seeks to protect and preserve cultural heritage, promote historical traditions, and enhance maritime cultural identity, contributing to developing a comprehensive Vietnamese culture in line with modern trends.
The Government has identified six solutions to implement the plan: Management, Environmental, scientific, and technological solutions, Awareness-raising and communication solutions, Training and capacity-building solutions, Financial investment solutions, and International cooperation solutions.
The Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment is tasked with leading and coordinating with other ministries, equivalent agencies, and provincial-level People's Committees of coastal cities and provinces to organize and monitor the plan's implementation. They will periodically evaluate, review, and adjust the plan as required and publish the plan by the Planning Law. Additionally, the ministry will build and manage the database system for the plan's implementation and provide information on the plan to the national planning information system and database as required.