Continue to effectively implement the strategy for sustainable development of the marine economy.

Deputy Prime Minister Tran Hong Ha, Chairman of the National Steering Committee chaired the meeting. The meeting was connected online with 28 coastal provinces and cities. Attending the conference at the Ninh Binh bridge were Mr. Pham Quang Ngoc, Deputy Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee, Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee; leaders of relevant departments, branches and localities.

In order for Vietnam to become a strong maritime nation, at the 8th Conference, the Central Executive Committee of the Party (12th tenure) issued Resolution No. 36-NQ/TW dated October 22, 2018 on "Strategy for sustainable development of Vietnam's marine economy to 2030, with a vision to 2045".

After 5 years of implementing the Resolution, ministries, branches and localities have made efforts to organize the implementation of assigned tasks, initially achieving some remarkable results. Technical infrastructure in coastal areas has been significantly improved. Coastal routes have been formed to help connect tourist areas, services, and urban areas along the coast, creating conditions for exploiting and effectively using marine resources. National grid projects connecting to large islands, seaports, and fishing centers serving offshore fishing, associated with ensuring national defense, security, and responding to climate change have been focused on construction, renovation, etc.

Basic investigation of marine resources and environment; environmental protection activities, response to climate change, conservation, sustainable development, and marine biodiversity are focused on. To date, 12 marine protected areas have been established nationwide with a total area of over 206 thousand hectares.

Some marine economic sectors and fields have developed strongly, especially tourism, with the formation of modern marine tourism centers of international stature. The number of tourists to coastal localities in the period of 2018-2023 has an average growth rate of over 13%/year. Aquaculture and seafood exploitation activities also have a high growth rate, with total seafood export turnover increasing from 8.8 billion USD in 2018 to more than 10.9 billion USD in 2022. The country has 18/19 coastal economic zones in the planning that have been established, attracting more than 2,000 investment projects. In parallel, there is a chain of nearly 600 coastal urban areas, accounting for about 8% of the total number of urban areas in the country with a population of about 19 million people.

In addition to the achieved results, some of the main goals and targets of the Resolution have not been achieved as expected. Specifically: The proportion of GRDP of 28 coastal provinces and cities contributing to the total GRDP of the country only reached about 50%, while the target was 65-70%. The average growth of coastal provinces and cities in the period 2011-2022 was lower than that of the whole country (7.15%); the human development index (HDI) has not reached the target; the average income per capita in some coastal provinces and cities is lower than the national average. The scale of the marine economy is still small, not commensurate with its potential and advantages; the structure of industries and occupations is not reasonable. The work of conserving natural resources and protecting the environment in tourism activities is not synchronous and unsustainable...

For Ninh Binh province, implementing Resolution No. 36-NQ/TW, the Provincial Party Committee, People's Council and People's Committee have focused on leadership and direction, along with the efforts of all levels, sectors and people in coastal areas to promote the development of the province's marine economic zone. The socio-economic infrastructure system has received investment attention, especially in transport infrastructure, irrigation, industrial zones and clusters, of which a number of large projects have been completed or are being implemented, contributing to improving the economic position, creating a new look for coastal areas; the material and spiritual life of coastal people has been significantly improved. The management, exploitation, use and protection of marine environmental resources, and response to climate change have been focused on; national defense and security have been ensured. Up to now, the marine economy and coastal areas are gradually becoming the driving force for the province's socio-economic development. Ninh Binh is one of the few coastal localities with a growth rate higher than the national average.

At the meeting, ministries, branches and localities focused on discussing and proposing the following contents: Developing the potential and advantages of the sea in the orientation of local marine economic development; strengthening the capacity of sea and island management; promoting participation in marine environmental protection; developing marine tourism; logistics; attracting investment in developing marine economic sectors; marine spatial planning...

Concluding the first session, Deputy Prime Minister Tran Hong Ha requested ministries, branches and localities to continue to focus on leading and directing the effective implementation of policies and solutions in Resolution No. 36-NQ/TW on the Strategy for sustainable development of Vietnam's marine economy to 2030, with a vision to 2045.

Deputy Prime Minister Tran Hong Ha suggested a number of orientations for implementing the marine economic development strategy, such as: Perfecting institutions, policies, strategies, planning, and plans for sustainable marine economic development; modernizing the coastal urban system; developing synchronous and modern transport infrastructure; encouraging investment, forming renewable energy centers, etc.

In the immediate future, the Deputy Prime Minister requested the standing agency to coordinate with the Government Office to report to the Prime Minister to reorganize the Steering Committee members; draft working regulations, and organize activities in a more scientific manner. In particular, establish specialized task groups, chaired by ministries and branches to advise and propose to the National Steering Committee solutions to create stronger breakthroughs in implementing the strategy for sustainable development of the marine economy.

The Ministry of Planning and Investment shall preside over and coordinate with the Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment and relevant agencies to complete the development of a set of criteria for a strong and rich maritime nation and integrate them into relevant institutions and policies; identify tasks for using investment capital from the state budget and tasks for attracting other domestic and foreign capital sources.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs strengthens foreign affairs activities, seeks international support to promote and soon complete maritime boundary demarcation; the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment urgently implements the National Marine Spatial Planning.

Coastal localities should strengthen local steering committees and coordinate with central ministries and branches to effectively implement programs, projects, and tasks for sustainable development of the marine economy...

Nguyen Luu-Anh Tuan

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