The Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment is set to present a marine spatial plan to Vietnam’s National Assembly this week, Vietnam News is reporting. It does not appear likely to be approved necessarily but instead will be open for comment and discussion, although the linked Vietnam News article is not exactly clear.
The marine spatial plan is set to be the cornerstone for the development of Vietnam’s coastline. It has, however, been a long time coming. Work began on the marine spatial plan in 2018 but is still ongoing with a broad range of stakeholders from a diverse range of industries–defence, oil and gas, fisheries, and tourism to name but a few. Not to mention the geopolitical implications related to carving out a swathe of the South China Sea or East Sea as it is known in Vietnam. With this in mind, it may be a while longer too.
These delays serve to highlight just how important this piece of planning appears to be for all involved, not least of which is the renewable energy sector. Vietnam’s Power Development Plan 8 includes six gigawatts of wind power, however, this will require a clear marine spatial plan before work can begin and, in this context, is looking unlikely to be online by the 2030 deadline.