Foreign military ships are allowed to visit Vietnam more often.

Subjects of application include foreign military ships coming to Vietnam, Vietnamese military ships going abroad and crew members on board; Vietnamese state management agencies, organizations and individuals related to the activities of foreign military ships coming to Vietnam and Vietnamese military ships going abroad; official vessels equipped with military weapons of a country or territory; vessels of an international military organization coming to Vietnam to conduct visits, carry out other cooperation activities or repair.

The Decree clearly states that foreign military ships coming to Vietnam for visits are allowed to anchor and operate at licensed seaports and military ports; must comply with the provisions of the Decree, other provisions of Vietnamese law and the guidance of specialized state management agencies at the port.

Indian Navy ship docked at Tien Sa port, Da Nang city in July. Photo: Ho Giap

Military ships of the same country visiting Vietnam shall not make more than 3 visits in 1 year; no more than 3 ships may anchor at the same port at the same time, and the anchorage period shall not exceed 7 days. In special cases, the Minister of National Defense shall report to the Prime Minister for consideration and decision.

The new regulation has expanded the number of times foreign military ships can visit Vietnam in a year, from once to three times. This is to create conditions for military ships of one country to be able to carry out exchange plans and visit many forces under the Ministry of National Defense in a year, overcoming the situation where the Ministry of National Defense has to regularly report and ask for permission from the Government when in practice there are exceptions that exceed the provisions in the decree.

The Minister of National Defense shall decide and prescribe the procedures for granting licenses to foreign military ships to Vietnam.

The new decree also stipulates that foreign military vessels are not allowed to conduct activities when arriving in Vietnam, such as: violating independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity; collecting intelligence, filming, taking photos, drawing maps in prohibited areas; propagating, disseminating documents, books, newspapers, films, and cultural products without permission.

Foreign military vessels are not allowed to transport weapons of mass destruction, radioactive substances, toxic chemicals, biological toxins, narcotics; are not allowed to launch, receive or load onto the vessel any aircraft or military equipment without permission from the competent state management agency; are not allowed to use divers or other underwater diving equipment without permission; are not allowed to automatically move alongside other vessels, enter restricted areas; are not allowed to train, practice, perform and demonstrate with weapons, aircraft, military equipment without permission from the Ministry of National Defense of Vietnam...

The Ministry of National Defense grants licenses to foreign military vessels coming to Vietnam to use infantry weapons or model guns for ceremonial purposes, to organize flag-raising ceremonies or to welcome them when they arrive at or leave ports, and to use aircraft.

Foreign military vessels coming to Vietnam to use infantry weapons for ceremonial purposes when anchoring at ports, using model guns for organizing ceremonies, using aircraft must include them in the official program of activities, send an official notice requesting permission to visit Vietnam and receive approval from the Vietnamese Ministry of National Defense; ensure that when performing ceremonies, infantry weapons are not loaded with ammunition.

The Decree also stipulates that foreign military ships coming to Vietnam that need to dive, launch boats, robots, vehicles, and other diving equipment for technical inspection and periodic maintenance must include them in the official program of activities sent together with the official notice requesting permission to visit Vietnam. When diving, launching boats, robots, vehicles, and other diving equipment, they must be subject to inspection and supervision by the Border Guard at the port and the maritime port authority where the ship is anchored.

Vietnamnet.vn

Source: https://vietnamnet.vn/foreign-military-tau-duoc-ngoai-duoc-noi-so-lan-den-tham-viet-nam-2437863.html