Protecting the Marine Environment: International Assistance and the Vietnam Sea

　

Tran Duc Thanh, Tran Dinh Lan and Pham Van Luong

　

Abstract

　

        The role played by international assistance in Vietnam’s efforts to protect its marine environment is examined by Tran Duc Thanh, Tran Dinh Lan and Pham Van Luong in Chapter 12. The Vietnam Sea, with its densely populated islands and coasts, has become an area of active economic development. Human activities have resulted in many new problems for Vietnam’s marine environment, making its protection an urgent requirement. Chapter 12 shows how Vietnam has undertaken substantial domestic efforts toward this end. These efforts derive much of their strength from international relationships, which have often emanated from Vietnam’s participation in international environmental agreements. Indeed, Vietnam’s international relations in the area of environmental protection have been among its most open policies over the last decade. Importantly, Vietnam’s marine protection efforts have been bolstered by international assistance for capacity-building and local development projects. NGOs have also been involved through implementing small-scale projects. The authors show that international assistance, when wisely allocated, can be instrumental in bringing about major advances in environmental protection at the national level.