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Science and technology are always considered the foundation of social progress.

Entering the 21st century, the life of humans continues to be enhanced based on the advancement of science and technology, especially the Fourth Industrial Revolution.

In the world, one of the three criteria to evaluate a strong sea nation, first of all, must be a country that has the potential for science and technology development and has a profound understanding of its own waters.

Over the past years, the Party and State have issued many policies aiming to turn Vietnam into a powerful sea nation, according to Vietnamplus.

Among those policies, science and technology have always been a breakthrough factor in Vietnam's path of "moving to the sea in the modern era".

To realize the vision of turning Vietnam into a strong sea country by 2045, experts, scientists, businesses, and state management agencies all said that it is necessary to pay attention to the role of marine science and technology as well as marine human resources.

The rig of the Vietsovpetro joint venture at Bach Ho oil field. Photo: Huy Hung/ VNA

Breakthrough factors

The resolution No 36-NQ/ TW in 2018 on the Marine Economic Strategy to 2030, with a vision to 2045 outlines 5 points of view, including "taking advanced science and technology and high-quality human resources as the breakthrough factors”.

One of the specific goals is developing marine human resources, accessing and taking full advantage of scientific and technological achievements, and becoming one of the leading countries in ASEAN that has a number of fields of marine science and technology reaching the international standards.

Training and developing marine human resources and establishing a contingent of highly qualified marine science and technology staff.

“The research and application of science and technology have a pivotal role in promoting marine economic development”, said Dr. Nghiem Vu Khai, Vice President of Vietnam Union of Science and Technology Associations (VUSTA).

Policies for marine science and technology development

Deputy Director General of the Vietnam Administration of Seas and Islands under the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment Vu Truong Son said that to create a foundation and premise for management and policy-planning for marine economic development, to achieve new strides in the sustainable exploitation and usage of seas and oceans in accordance with the provisions of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea 1982 (UNCLOS), the science-technology and baseline marine investigations in Vietnam need to be given priority.

Over the past few years, marine science and technology have made great contributions to the development of the country especially in discovering and clarifying basic features of natural conditions, natural resources, and marine environment; protecting marine environment and resources, conserving marine nature, and preventing natural disasters; protecting the country's marine rights and interests; building and developing the national marine science and technology potentials.

Illustrative photo: VNA

The international integration and cooperation in marine science and technology have also been strengthened and positively changed.

According to Deputy Director General Vu Truong Son, the development of marine science and technology in Vietnam still has many limitations, the research quality is not synchronous and the application efficiency is not high.

The review of 10 years of the implementation of Resolution No. 09-NQ/ TW on the Vietnam Marine Strategy to 2020 has pointed out the limitations as well as challenges. Accordingly, the science and technology, basic investigation, and development of marine human resources have not really become key factors in developing the marine economysustainably.

In order to access and take full advantage of the scientific and technological achievements and becoming one of the leading countries in ASEAN having a number of fields of marine science and technology reaching the world standards, at the same time training and developing marine human resources, forming a contingent of highly qualified marine science and technology staff, the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment assigned the Vietnam Administration of Sea and Islands to build a master project on marine science and technology research to 2030, with a vision to 2045.

Illustrative photo: Vietnamplus

The research and application of science and technology into the marine economic fields need to be expanded and invested, contributing to the national GDP; applying advanced science and technology into the production and replication of the management models, etc.

Apart from the master project on marine science and technology research to 2030, with a vision to 2045, the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, in coordination with the Ministry of Science and Technology to build the state-level science and technology program on sea and islands for the period 2021-2025 as well as research and implement the project on the science and technology development to guide the baseline investigation into resources and environment of sea and islands in the context of emerging challenges from marine environmental security in the period of 2021-2025.

Deputy Director General Vu Truong Son also affirmed that marine science and technology play a pivotal role in sea and ocean management, national socio-economic development, national defense and security assurance and sustainable development. In addition, scientific and technological activities together with economic activities on the sea also have important significance in asserting Vietnam’s sovereignty in the Bien Dong Sea (internationally known as the South China Sea).

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