On May 24th, as part of the National Marine Spatial Planning consultation program for provinces with coastal areas from Hà Tĩnh to Quảng Ngãi, a workshop was held in Đồng Hới City, Quảng Bình. Relevant agencies, experts, scientists, and administrators continued to provide additional opinions on the draft plan.

The participants in the workshop included delegates and representatives.

The representatives from the Vietnam Administration of Seas and Islands and the planning consultancy unit presented the contents of the National Marine Spatial Planning for the period 2021-2030 and the vision to 2050. Participants concentrated on discussing and exchanging views regarding the evaluation results, forecasts, development directions in the planning; viewpoints and objectives; planning scope; planning zones; national marine spatial database; and content related to the planning of the six marine economic sectors according to the Resolution No. 36-NQ/TW: tourism and marine services, maritime economy and oil exploration.

Deputy Minister of the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, Lê Minh Ngân, chaired the workshop.

The focus was on practical issues, focusing on analyzing the potential and advantages of each province. The provinces continued to contribute their opinions aimed at addressing the obstacles and difficulties in marine management that have arisen in recent time. In particular, the workshop received many opinions related to unlocking marine resource potentials to serve economic development, especially in the fields of renewable energy, aquaculture and tourism.

The representative from the planning consultancy unit presented the content of the National Marine Spatial Planning for the period 2021-2030 and the vision until 2050.

Deputy Minister Lê Minh Ngân emphasized, "Establishing the national marine spatial planning is a difficult and complex task, being undertaken for the first time in Vietnam. The draft is based on maximizing existing information and data, designed in an open manner, and will continue to be supplemented and improved during the country's development. The planning is rooted in the consistent perspective of spatial zoning based on ecosystems, creating a foundation and connectivity for socio-economic development, connecting land and sea, and ensuring security, defense, foreign relations, and international cooperation.

Therefore, seeking opinions from relevant agencies, experts, scientists, and managers is considered a way to "clear the path" to overcome obstacles, ensuring the quality of planning and achieving a high level of consensus throughout society.

Deputy Minister Lê Minh Ngân also mentioned that in addition to written feedback, the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment organizes regional meetings and workshops like this one to directly consult with relevant agencies, experts, scientists, and managers. This approach helps meet the schedule and ensure the quality of the planning process.

The workshop experienced contributions from scientists (Photo: Professor Dr. Trần Nghi providing direct input at the conference).

In accordance with the consultation plan, the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment had previously sent the draft Spatial Planning for opinions to various agencies, including the Central Economic Committee, the Committees of the National Assembly (Economics, Foreign Affairs, Science, Technology, and Environment), 16 Ministries (National Defense, Public Security, Foreign Affairs, Finance, Industry and Trade, Planning and Investment, Justice, Agriculture and Rural Development, Transport, Construction, Information and Communications, Labor - Invalids and Social Affairs, Culture, Sports and Tourism, Science and Technology, Education and Training, Health), and 28 provinces and centrally-run cities with coastal areas. Currently, the Ministry is consolidating and incorporating the opinions received to refine the draft planning.

Relevant agencies, experts, scientists, and administrators directly participated in the workshop

Under the implementation of the Planning Law of 2017 and Government Resolution No. 22/NQ-CP dated July 24, 2020, the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment has collaborated with departments, ministries, localities, consulting firms, and experts to undertake the task of developing the National Marine Spatial Planning for the period 2021-2030, with a vision to 2050.

Mr. Phạm Văn Lương, Deputy Director of the Quảng Bình Department of Natural Resources and Environment, shared opinions

At the workshop, representatives of localities in the consulting area generally agreed with the basic content of the draft plan as it ensured a tight structure and high feasibility. However, there were also some opinions that raised concerns and suggested that the drafting agencies make additional modifications.

Representatives from the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development also shared opinions

Highlighting its importance, Deputy Minister Lê Minh Ngân noted that the National Maritime Spatial Plan is one of the three national-level plans under the Planning Law. This is a multi-sectoral plan that organizes and arranges marine space rationally for various sectors and fields based on the integration of relevant marine sector plans. It provides direction and establishes plans for the use of marine space, addresses overlapping and conflicts in resource utilization and marine space and promotes the sustainable development of Vietnam's maritime economy.

Representatives from the Ministry of National Defense shared opinions

The development of the National Marine Spatial Plan contributes to the implementation of important policies of the Party and the State in state management of the sea and islands and the sustainable development of the maritime economy. The content of the Plan closely adheres to the provisions of the Planning Law of 2017, Government Decree No. 37/2019/ND-CP of May 7, 2019, detailing the implementation of certain provisions of the Planning Law, and Government Resolution No. 22/NQ-CP of July 24, 2020, approving the task of developing the National Marine Spatial Plan.

The Deputy Minister of the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment delivered the conclusions of the conference.

Deputy Minister Lê Minh Ngân suggested that the consulting unit should focus on absorbing the opinions seriously and thoroughly, including those raised by localities, in order to make it easier to apply them in practice in the future. They also hope to continue getting suggestions and recommendations from relevant agencies, experts, scientists, and administrators to ensure the Draft Plan is of high quality and on schedule.

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