Viet Nam, ADB propose new marine cooperation

On the morning of April 20, in Hanoi, the Viet Nam Agency of Seas and Islands (Ministry of Agriculture and Environment) held a working session with a delegation from the Asian Development Bank (ADB) to discuss and orient cooperation for 2026 and the 2026-2030 period.

Attending the meeting, on behalf of the Viet Nam Agency of Seas and Islands, were Deputy Director General Truong Duc Tri and representatives of specialized units. The ADB side included Mr. Lance William Gore, Acting Director of the Agriculture, Food, Nature and Rural Development (AFNR) Sector Office, along with program and project officers.

Speaking at the meeting, Deputy Director General Truong Duc Tri stated that recently, the Agency has been focusing on implementing key tasks such as amending the Law on Marine and Island Resources and Environment; summarizing Resolution No. 36-NQ/TW on the strategy for sustainable development of Vietnam's marine economy; and reviewing and adjusting the National Marine Spatial Master Plan and the Master Plan for sustainable exploitation and use of coastal resources.

On this basis, the Viet Nam Agency of Seas and Islands proposed ADB to pay attention to and mobilize resources to support cooperation in 5 key areas: perfecting institutions and policies; controlling ocean plastic waste; building information systems and databases; promoting blue marine economic models; and strengthening cooperation, technology transfer, knowledge sharing, experience exchange and financial resource mobilization for areas of mutual interest.

Representing ADB, Mr. Lance William Gore highly appreciated the cooperation orientations proposed by Vietnam, while stating that ADB is ready to accompany priority areas such as offshore wind power development, coral reef conservation and promoting sustainable livelihoods for island communes.

Providing further information on past cooperation results, the representative of the Viet Nam Agency of Seas and Islands noted that in the 2022-2025 period, ADB and several partners supported the implementation of the project "Promoting action on plastic pollution from source to sea in Asia and the Pacific". The project contributed to building a digitalization roadmap for plastic waste management, developing open data platforms and enhancing regional experience exchange.

The project is evaluated as aligning with national strategies, particularly the National Action Plan on Ocean Plastic Waste Management by 2030, thereby contributing to restoring marine ecosystems and improving the management efficiency of marine resources and the environment.

The working session has opened up many practical cooperation prospects between the two sides in the coming period, contributing to the promotion of Vietnam's marine economic development in a green and sustainable direction.