The resolution of the 13th Party Congress has identified the marine economy as one of the important tasks and solutions to help Vietnam become a developing country with modern industry and upper-middle-income by 2030.
However, along with the development of the marine economy and increasingly bustling activities of marine economic sectors, is an increase in violations and crimes at sea.
Faced with that situation, especially since the Law on Vietnam Coast Guard took effect, the Vietnam Coast Guard has strengthened its presence with effective law enforcement at sea, contributing to firm protection of sovereignty, security, order, and safety in the country's waters and islands, at the same time helping the marine economy develop and supporting fishermen to stay at sea safely./.
The Vietnam Coast Guard has actively coordinated closely with the people's armed forces and functional forces of the State to firmly grasp the situation on the sea surface; collect information and synthesize, analyze and forecast possible situations at sea; promptly advise and propose to the Party, State, Central Military Commission – the Ministry of National Defense to effectively handle defense and security situations at sea, in the right direction and appropriate countermeasures, contributing to solid maintenance of sovereignty in the sea and islands of the nation, and practical construction of the Vietnamese waters as an area of peace, security, safety, and sustainable development.
With the starting point being that fishermen still have limited knowledge of the law, in the past years, many boats have gone fishing illegally not according to regulations... Since the birth of the Law on Vietnam Coast Guard, Coast Guard men have organized propaganda, mobilization, and guidance through the "Coast Guard accompanies fishermen" program and with this, the fishermen have had the right awareness and good compliance. Specifically, since 2017, no vessels of the fisheries association have violated, and 100% of the fishing boats of association members have been having a stable income. The companionship both onshore and at sea of officers and soldiers has contributed to encouraging us fishermen to overcome difficulties and confidently reach out to sea, [and they] especially focus on mobilizing and guiding [people] on the islands, in coastal communes where there are many fishermen.
Along with that, the Vietnam Coast Guard has organized thousands of ships and boats to patrol, inspect and control at sea; performed safety protection activities for Vietnam's economic activities at sea; propagated the laws, requested foreign violating ships to get out of Vietnam's waters for nearly 20,000 times; detected hundreds of foreign ships and boats violating the sovereignty and handled them according to the laws; resolutely prevented [troubles] and coordinated with relevant forces to handle situations well, firmly protect national sovereignty and interests at sea. In 2020 and the first six months of 2021, [the Coast Guard] detected and handled more than a thousand violating vessels and boats, with a combined administrative fine amounting to tens of billions of dong; conducted investigation, arresting and handling hundreds of cases of smuggling and commercial fraud at sea with fines for administrative violations and foreclosure and liquidation of assets for State budget supplement totaling hundreds of billions of dong – helping stabilize economic security.
In foreign policies, the Coast Guard also pays close attention to patrolling, controlling, and preventing Vietnamese fishing vessels from violating foreign waters for illegal fishing, contributing to removing the “yellow card” for Vietnam’s seafood industry.
[The Coast Guard also] actively and proactively participates in contributing ideas on marine economic development programs, plans, and projects, especially projects related to construction and development of seaport systems, wind power, oil and gas, and tourism, helping ensure national defense and security as well as marine economic development.
In order to effectively implement the Law on Coast Guard, contribute to the development of the marine economy and protect the country's sovereignty and sovereign rights over the sea and islands, the Coast Guard Command will continue to promote propaganda through concentrated propaganda sessions at agencies and units in the entire forces and areas from commune and ward levels, especially in coastal localities; thereby, help people understand more about State management by laws in the sea and islands so that they are willing to join hands with the Vietnam Coast Guard to well fulfill the task of protecting sovereignty and national interests at sea, as well as maintaining security, order, and safety for the sacred sea and islands of the nation.
