The potential resources in Vietnam’s coastal zones are believed to be significant, playing an important role in national development.

Mekong Delta provinces have taken measures to counteract drought and salinisation as weather forecasts say that the region could face shortages of water due to a serious drought early in 2017.

President of the Vietnam Fatherland Front Central Committee Nguyen Thien Nhan emphasised the need to make tree planting a regular practice of Vietnamese people at a tree-planting festival on Feb 6.

The Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment has asked four central provinces to provide regular reports on marine environment quality.

The International Union for Conservation of Nature launched a regional project to enhance the resilience of wetlands in Lower Mekong countries on the occasion of World Wetlands Day (February 2).

The Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment (MoNRE) responded to the World Wetlands Day with a ceremony in northern Thai Binh province on February 5, stressing the role of wetlands in disaster risk reduction.

On February 2, the Tree Planting Festival took place in many localities in the country to commemorate late President Ho Chi Minh.

A 40sq.m beach and water area on Cham Island will be restored and demarcated to protect and conserve the green turtle (Chelonia mydas) species.

Vietnam’s seas are home to about 1,100 square kilometres of coral reefs with 240 species, according to the Directorate of Fisheries.

Marine pollution will culminate in the degradation of marine biodiversity, especially coral reefs which cover about 1,122 sq.km. of seabed off the country’s coast.

Wetlands play a very important role in the country’s socio- economic development, environment, culture and history, particularly biodiversity conservation, because they are "home” to a lot of rare species which are at high risk of extinction.

Vietnam aims to develop the sea-based economy to help the country benefit from the sea and secure national sovereignty and sovereign rights over sea and islands, contributing to the country’s industrialisation and modernisation.

Authorities of the central coastal province of Khanh Hoa are taking measures to protect and restore the maritime ecosystem in lagoons and bays, focusing on forming marine preservation areas.

The coastal zone in the central province of Thua Thien-Hue has a 128km-long coastline along the East Sea, which includes more than 20km of stone mountain stretching from Lang Co estuary to Son Tra peninsula, and 70km of the Tam Giang-Cau Hai lagoon system with a total area of 22,000 ha.