Thayer, from Australian Defence Academy, University of New South Wales, in an interview with VietNamNet, pointed out that Resolution 36 has brought three major achievements.

First, Vietnam has improved the effectiveness of its policy and planning goals through the adoption of the National Marine Spatial Plan. Vietnam's marine economy is now viewed as an integrated whole.

Second, Vietnam's promotion of Blue Economy marks an important shift to developing high value-added and resource-efficient sectors, such as high-tech marine aquaculture, renewable energy at sea, eco-tourism and marine protected areas.

Third, Vietnam has significantly expanded the coastal and island infrastructure system through upgrading logistics network connecting mainland with deep-water ports, connecting seaports with global supply chains along the coast, while dredging ports, building wharves and improving communication infrastructure on offshore islands.

The biggest gap today is that Vietnam does not yet have a centralized national marine management agency to address fragmentation in maritime governance and the legal framework, including the Law on Planning, the Law on Fisheries and the Law on Environmental Protection.

Previously, Vietnam's approach to developing the marine economy treated oil and gas, fisheries and maritime transport as separate sectors.

This approach created four bottlenecks.

First, different ministries, such as the Ministry of Agriculture and the Ministry of Transport, were separately responsible for fisheries and seaports, but coordination among ministries was very limited.

Second, the top priorities of the marine economy were exploiting oil and gas and natural fisheries resources to drive economic growth. This led to resource depletion rather than sustainable development.

Third, economic development was largely concentrated in coastal areas, shallow bays and nearshore waters.

Fourth, environmental protection mainly focused on mitigating industrial pollution. Broader environmental protection goals were generally treated as secondary priorities.

The concept of viewing the sea as “a strategic development space” represents a decisive shift from sector-based economic planning to integrated marine spatial management. Compared with the previous planning model, the new approach differs fundamentally in four ways.

First, the concept of a “strategic development space” prioritizes spatial planning and integration over the previous fragmented sector-based development model. 

Vietnam's marine economy is now viewed as a unified geographic space. Under the National Marine Spatial Plan, sectors such as energy, maritime transport, tourism and conservation can be developed within the same marine space more efficiently.

Vietnamese leaders have called for the sea to become “a truly strategic development space for the nation.”

The concept represents a decisive shift from sector-based economic planning to integrated marine spatial management. Compared with the previous planning model, the new approach differs fundamentally in four ways.

Second, the “strategic development space” framework shifts the focus from resource exploitation to promoting the Blue Economy to create sustainable prosperity through offshore wind power networks, digital shipping corridors and high-tech marine agriculture.

Third, the framework prioritizes sovereignty in offshore waters rather than focusing solely on coastal development. The marine development space encompasses coastal areas, the exclusive economic zone and the high seas, thereby linking maritime sovereignty with national defense.

Fourth, the “strategic development space” framework prioritizes maintaining the health and sustainability of marine ecosystems rather than exploiting resources to drive GDP growth. 

In other words, coral reefs and mangrove forests are regarded as important economic infrastructure that must be protected because they contribute to both long-term tourism development and coastal protection.

Asked what factors determine the strength of a maritime nation in the 21st century, the Professor pointed out five closely interconnected pillars.

The first pillar is access to and application of advanced marine technologies and digitalization, including smart infrastructure, digital ocean mapping and green marine technologies.

Smart infrastructure includes automated deep-water ports, automated cargo handling systems and AI-powered logistics networks designed to reduce vessel turnaround times at ports.

Digital ocean mapping involves the use of high-resolution spatial data, satellite tracking technology and IoT sensors to monitor maritime traffic, weather and environmental conditions in real time.

Green marine technologies include alternative fuels for maritime transport, such as green hydrogen and ammonia, as well as advanced offshore renewable energy technologies.

to be continued...

Tu Giang - Lan Anh