The Prime Minister has signed off on an action plan for an integrated coastal zone management (ICZM) strategy in Vietnam up to 2020.

Ly Son Island as seen from the sea.

The ICZM strategy until 2020, with a vision to 2030, was approved in December 2014.

Under the plan, authorised ministries and localities will issue policies and regulations on ICZM, use natural resources sustainably and preserve biodiversity.

They will work to prevent and control pollution while mitigating losses caused by natural disasters and tackle climate change.

Public awareness campaigns about ICZM will also be launched.

Relevant sectors will investigate and assess the influence of waste sources from the mainland and at sea on the coastal zone environment, build a database on the waste and its impact, and suggest countermeasures.

Vietnam’s coast is more than 3,260km long in total, traversing 28 of the 63 provinces and cities. Coastal localities are home to nearly half of the country’s population.

VNA