The law clearly defines the position and functions of the Vietnam Coast Guard

Specifically, the Vietnam Coast Guard is the people's armed force, a specialized force of the State, acting as the core of law enforcement and protecting national security, order and safety at sea.

The Vietnam Coast Guard has the function of advising the Minister of Defense to promulgate according to its competence or propose to the Party and the State on policies and laws to protect national security, order and safety at sea;

Other functions include: protect the national sovereignty, sovereignty right and jurisdiction in the territorial waters of Vietnam; management of security, order and safety, and ensure the observance of Vietnamese laws, international treaties to which the Socialist Republic of Vietnam is a signatory, and international agreements within their competence.

The law also stipulates that the Vietnam Coast Guard is responsible for collecting information, analyzing, assessing and forecasting the situation to propose policies, solutions, and plans to protect national security and enforce the law on the sea.

The Coast Guard is a unit of research, analysis, prediction and consultation with competent authorities to promulgate policies and laws on the protection of sovereignty, sovereignty rights, national jurisdiction, and national security within Vietnamese territorial waters, ensuring order and safety, and combating crimes and law violations at sea.

Vietnam Coast Guard’s ship 8020 - Photo: Dong Ha

The Vietnam Coast Guard is also responsible for protecting sovereignty, sovereignty rights, national jurisdiction, security, national interests; protecting marine resources and environment; properties, legitimate rights and interests of agencies, organizations and individuals at sea.

The Coast Guard is a unit that fights against crimes, law violating acts, maintains security, order and safety at sea; search, rescue, and participate in dealing with incidents of marine environment; participate in building defense and security posture and handling defense and security situations at sea ...

The right to seize ships according to regulations

In terms of powers, the law stipulates that the Vietnam Coast Guard has the right to patrol, inspect and control people, ships, goods and luggage in Vietnamese waters according to regulations; use of weapons, explosives and support tools; use professional technical facilities and equipment.

The Vietnam Coast Guard has the right to handle administrative violations in accordance with the law on handling of administrative violations; conduct a number of criminal investigation activities in accordance with the law on organization of criminal investigation agencies, the law on criminal procedure; chasing ships that violate the law at sea.

In addition, the Vietnam Coast Guard has the right to arrest ships in accordance with the law on arrest of ships and a number of other jurisdictions ...

Article 17 specifies the exercise of the right to pursue ships at sea of the Vietnam Coast Guard.

Specifically, the Vietnam Coast Guard exercises the right to chase ships in the following cases: violation of sovereignty, sovereignty right, national jurisdiction at sea; disobeying the signals and orders to stop ships of the Vietnam Coast Guard; implementing international cooperation in pursuit activities ...

The scope, authority and order of chasing ships at sea by the Vietnam Coast Guard shall comply with the provisions of Vietnamese law and international treaties to which Vietnam is a signatory.

The Law on Vietnam Coast Guard includes 8 chapters, 41 articles and it took effect from 1 July 2019.

Thanh Binh