With a rich cultural and ecological diversity as well as a uniquewealth of species, Vietnam has huge potential for promoting its tourismbrand but like many other developing nations, it is dealing with thethorny issue of harmonising socio-economic development, of which tourismis a key driver, with environmental conservation. A report by onlineNhan dan newspaper.

Particularly advantageous for tourism isVietnam’s long coastline, stretching over 3,260 km with over 3,000islands, including Hoang Sa (Paracel) and Truong Sa (Spartly)archipelagoes. Vietnam’s sea is home to more than 20 typical types ofecosystems. These ecosystems are of considerable importance to manynative and non-native aquatic species, to the livelihood of millions ofpeople and offer something special for Vietnam’s tourism brand.

Biodiversity of marine ecosystems is key to the sustainabledevelopment of marine economic sectors such as tourism, fisheries, andmarine medicine.

However, conservation and economicdevelopment are difficult to balance. If a too big focus is placed onconservation, the marine economy can be slow to develop, but if too muchemphasis is given to marine economic development, it is difficult toachieve the goal of marine conservation. This means the littoral states,including Vietnam, are left having to choose between marineconservation and economic development. Meanwhile, the general trend oftoday's world is a harmonious combination of marine conservation andeconomic development for sustainable development.

DeputyGeneral Director Pham Ngoc Son of Vietnam General Department of Sea andIslands under the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment saidthat Vietnam has focused on theimplementation of internationalcommitments to promote marine conservation over the last years.

ThePrime Minister issued a decision in May 2010, approving the planningsystem of marine protection areas by 2020, in which the plan sets outthe goal that by 2015, Vietnam would establish and put into operation 16protected marine areas. The plan was to create a legal basis forrelevant ministries, sectors and localities to be more active inprotecting fishery resources, the marine environment and landscape,whilst promoting the development of the Vietnamese tourism brand and asustainable marine economy.

Son said that to conserve marineecosystems and gradually develop the value of Vietnam’s tourism brand,it is necessary to improve policies and laws of the sea and islands,which focuses on building documents guiding the implementation of theLaw on Vietnamese Sea adopted by the National Assembly in 2012, toimprove the legal framework for management and protection of marineareas, islands and the economic development of Vietnam, and to createfavourable conditions for international integration and cooperation inthe field.

He also proposed to encourageparticipation of various economic sectors in developing brandnames forprotected marine areas and their products to protect the marineenvironment and facilitate marine economic development.

Inaddition, it is necessary to develop mechanisms and policies to ensurecoordination between ministries, sectors and localities along the coastwith clear decentralisation in the management of protected marine areasto address overlapping and duplication in responsibilities.

Alsoit is important to improve the capacity of staff working in marineconservation and develop community-based management models to encouragelocal residents to get involved in the development and management ofprotected marine areas, thus improving the livelihood of localcommunities.-VNA