Vietnam’s northern coastal city of Hai Phong and the city of Brest of France have agreed to continue to cooperate in protecting sea environment.

Hai Phong’s authorities signed related documents with representatives from Brest Métropole Océane and Technopole Brest-Iroise organisations of Brest city on the sidelines of an international conference entitled “Safer seas: For safer and cleaner seas” in Brest from May 10-13.

Dr Nguyen Dinh Lan, Deputy Director of Vietnam’s Institute of Marine Environment and Resources said these documents will enable Hai Phong and Brest to launch the second phase of their cooperative programme on sea environment.

The French side will provide Hai Phong with funding and experts to undertake the transfer of technology to the city, helping it build an information system on natural resources and marine environment in its waters, Dr. Lan told the Paris-based Vietnam News Agency correspondent.

The French side will also assist the Vietnamese city in establishing a coastal project management board as well as in developing a specialised mapping system to monitor and give early warnings on environmental incidences.

The first stage of cooperation between the two cities kicked off in February, 2007, focusing on analyzing the protection of marine environment.

The conference “Safer seas: For safer and cleaner seas” brought together 600 representatives from coastal cities worldwide, including Deputy Chairman of Hai Phong People’s Committee Hoang Van Ke and Deputy Director of Hai Phong Seaport Nguyen Chu Giang./.