Promoting sustainable blue economy: From data to action

Promoting a blue economy, sustainable development

On the morning of November 30, the National Assembly's Supervisory Delegation, in coordination with the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment and the Hai Phong City People's Committee, organized a Specialized seminar on "Implementing policies and laws on environmental protection in the sustainable development of the marine economy and circular economy."

The seminar was chaired by National Assembly Vice Chairman Le Minh Hoan and attended by leaders from various ministries, sectors, and coastal localities, along with representatives from major corporations and research institutes.

At the seminar on policies and laws for sustainable marine economic development, experts, managers, and businesses analyzed the achievements, limitations, and strategic directions necessary to help Vietnam's marine economy make a breakthrough toward a green and sustainable approach. Among the topics discussed, the task of basic investigation of marine resources and the environment was reaffirmed as a crucial foundation that determines the quality of all planning, strategies, and implementation actions.

Mr. Truong Duc Tri, Deputy Director General of the Viet Nam Agency of Seas and Islands, emphasized that basic investigation is a key task to realize the Central Resolution No. 36 and the key program for basic investigation of marine resources and environment until 2030 under the Prime Minister's Decision 28/2020.

With a sea area of over 1 million km², three times the area of the mainland, and a coastline stretching 3,260 km, Viet Nam possesses exceptionally large natural advantages for developing its marine economy.

In recent times, many investigation results have been deployed, effectively serving integrated coastal planning, functional zoning, and marine ecosystem assessment. Specialized agencies have developed seafloor topographic mapsfor 182,000 km² at a scale of 1:50,000 and 12,500 km² at a scale of 1:25,000. Geological and mineral investigation work has reached 37.8% at a scale of 1:500,000; 7.5% at 1:100,000; and 0.3% at 1:50,000.

Furthermore, the reserves of construction materials from sea sand are forecasted to be about 500 billion m³; 62 metallic placer zones with a total reserve of 164 million tons have been identified; and 14 gas hydrate zones and 6 prospective iron-manganese crust ore zones have also been discovered.

Viet Nam is currently among the top 16 countries with the highest marine biodiversity in the world, featuring a widespread system of mangrove forests, seagrass beds, and coral reefs. These ecosystems play a crucial role in coastal protection and in creating sustainable livelihoods for coastal communities. The results of renewable energy assessments also show significant offshore wind power potential in the Gulf of Tonkin, South Central Coast, and Southern regions.

Nevertheless, basic investigation work still faces many challenges such as a lack of financial resources, limited technical standards, asynchronous investigation technology, and international cooperation that is not commensurate with practical requirements. In the coming time, Viet Nam aims to prioritize deep-sea investigation, build a unified national database, and accelerate the application of modern technologies such as remote sensing, AI, modeling, and digitalization.

In the fisheries sector, representatives from the Department of Fisheries and Surveillance, Viet Nam, stated that the industry is implementing a comprehensive set of aquaculture development policies, particularly the Marine Aquaculture Development Scheme under Decision 1664. The goal is to reach 7 million tons of aquaculture output by 2030, including 1.45 million tons from marine farming.

Viet Nam currently has more than 2,800 seafood processing facilities; however, by-products remain abundant and are not being effectively utilized. Several countries have adopted integrated farming models to reduce pollution, in which seaweed can absorb large amounts of nitrogen and phosphorus. The Department of Fisheries and Surveillance proposes prioritizing IMTA models, promoting by-product processing technologies, and strengthening research on bioactive compounds derived from seaweed.

At the local level, Quang Ninh has been recognized for implementing several effective models in marine and island environmental protection. Mr. Nguyen Nhu Hanh, Deputy Director of the Quang Ninh Department of Agriculture and Environment, noted that the province has replaced 6.85 million styrofoam buoys with environmentally friendly materials, planted and restored 1,290 hectares of mangrove forests, and implemented coral reef regeneration models with a recovery rate of over 83%.

The province aims to reduce marine plastic waste by at least 75% by 2030, complete its marine and island spatial planning, and promote livelihoods linked to eco-tourism.

From a science and technology perspective, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Nguyen Van Quan, Deputy Director of the Institute of Science and Technology for Energy and Environment, noted that Hai Phong has significant opportunities for breakthrough growth thanks to modern marine technologies such as underwater robots, remote sensing, AI, underwater sensors, and offshore wind power. He proposed establishing a marine data and monitoring center, developing green and smart ports, enhancing applications of marine biotechnology, and setting up an Ocean Decade coordination office in Hai Phong.

From a business perspective, Ms. Do Thi Thu Phuong, Deputy Head of the Environmental Safety and Sustainable Development Department at the Viet Nam National Industry-Energy Group, recommended that the National Assembly consider adding specific environmental regulations for offshore oil and gas activities. She also emphasized the need to complete the legal framework for renewable and new energy projects, areas that the Group plans to focus on in the coming period.

An ocean cannot be allowed to be harmed

At the workshop, Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Environment Le Cong Thanh highlighted the message that “an ocean cannot be allowed to be harmed.” He affirmed that protecting the marine environment is not only a legal responsibility but also a “national discipline,” reflecting Viet Nam’s commitment to its people and the international community in the journey to build a strong maritime nation.

According to the Deputy Minister, this workshop highlighted many major challenges, ranging from marine plastic waste to the need to protect the environment across six maritime economic sectors. The presentations provided important insights for a sustainable marine economic development strategy. He also emphasized that Viet Nam is among the leading ASEAN countries in integrating a circular economy into its socio-economic development strategy. However, “even a correct policy will struggle to take effect if it lacks monitoring, supervision, and strict enforcement against violations.”

Drawing from practical experience, the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment proposed three key task groups. First, marine environmental protection must be a central factor in developing the maritime economy, and the circular economy should be regarded as a new growth model. The Ministry recommends including a dedicated chapter on the circular economy in the amended Environmental Protection Law. Second, the circular economy must be quantified through concrete results, not just slogans. Local authorities and businesses need to report clearly on the reduction of plastic waste, recycled materials, and production transformation models. Third, basic research, monitoring, and marine surveillance must become the foundation for modern governance, with a unified data system updated in real time as a mandatory requirement.

The Ministry expects that the supervision and support of the National Assembly will create momentum to advance marine environmental protection and promote circular economy development.

Fishermen, businesses, and scientists share a common “frequency” to protect the sea

Concluding the workshop, Vice Chairman of the National Assembly Le Minh Hoan emphasized that the discussions must be translated into action, rather than remaining at the reporting stage. Issues raised concerning the management of marine plastic waste, circular economy in fisheries, marine spatial planning, and marine data surveys still have significant gaps that need to be addressed.

He pointed out a series of limitations, such as the lack of mandatory mechanisms for sorting, collecting, and reusing waste in industrial marine aquaculture; insufficiently detailed national marine spatial planning; basic survey data not meeting management needs; absence of strong incentives and enforcement for controlling plastic waste; no circular economy models in fisheries; and traceability systems that do not meet international standards.

The Vice Chairman stressed that without proper environmental control from production to traceability, even increased output will not guarantee added value and may risk export markets. He proposed promoting the application of science and technology, testing sandbox mechanisms to establish green marine economy models, advancing recycling of aquaculture and seafood by-products, and strengthening basic surveys and regional linkages.

In particular, he emphasized that protecting the marine environment is the responsibility of all stakeholders: fishermen, businesses, scientists, authorities, and legislators. Fishermen, who “understand the sea through intuition and generations of experience,” should be placed at the center of sustainable marine governance. With better livelihoods, destructive fishing practices and littering will naturally decrease. “The law must be strict but humane,” he said.

He highlighted the synergy among all stakeholders: fishermen, businesses, authorities, scientists, and legislators. When they operate on the same “frequency,” policy implementation capacity is enhanced, driving the development of a modern and sustainable marine economy. This contributes to successfully achieving the objectives of Resolution 36 on Vietnam’s Sustainable Marine Economy Development Strategy by 2030, with a vision toward 2045.