Proposal for US support for Vietnam in fisheries law enforcement

On the afternoon of July 29, Ms. Shelby Smith-Wilson, Permanent Deputy Assistant Secretary of State in charge of the Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement (INL), US Department of State, had a working session with the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD), chaired by Deputy Minister Phung Duc Tien.

At the beginning of the meeting, Deputy Minister Phung Duc Tien discussed the US-funded Fisheries Surveillance training facility in Phu Quoc (Kien Giang), highlighting its spacious and modern amenities. He noted that since the training facility became operational, hundreds of officers from the fisheries surveillance and fisheries law enforcement forces at both central and local levels have studied and trained there.

Deputy Minister Phung Duc Tien expressed that the MARD, and particularly the Vietnamese Fisheries Surveillance and Fisheries Law Enforcement officers, greatly appreciate and thank INL and the US government for their meaningful and practical support in implementing the "Memorandum of Understanding on Strengthening Fisheries Law Enforcement Capacity" signed on July 22, 2020.

"After 4 years of implementing the memorandum of understanding with a list of bilateral cooperation activities developed by both sides between 2020 and 2025, significant and highly effective results have been achieved through technical support to improve capacity for fisheries law enforcement," emphasized the leader of the MARD.

The Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development reviewed some results, such as organizing seminars, conferences, and training sessions for fisheries control forces and fisheries law enforcement forces on combating IUU (Illegal, Unreported, and Unregulated) fishing and complying with regional and international regulations in localities across Vietnam.

Additionally, the ministry organized visiting and working programs for officials in charge of fisheries management and enforcement in Asia (such as Thailand and the Philippines) and the United States. The United States has also supported consultation and coordination in reviewing, supplementing, and amending regulations related to fisheries law enforcement.

On the INL side, Ms. Shelby Smith-Wilson highly appreciated the cooperation between the United States and Vietnamese authorities in combating IUU fishing, enforcing fisheries laws, and implementing measures to protect and conserve aquatic resources.

"We understand Vietnam's challenges in fisheries law enforcement. In the past, INL has coordinated with many US agencies to conduct training programs on this issue for several Vietnamese units," said Ms. Shelby Smith-Wilson.

Specifically, the INL representative highlighted a number of conferences and workshops on combating IUU fishing and improving Vietnam's capacity for fisheries law enforcement that the United States coordinated with the Department of Fisheries Surveillance (MARD) recently in Da Nang and Nha Trang.

Four proposals from Vietnam

According to Deputy Minister Phung Duc Tien, the above results show that INL's cooperation and support activities are timely and necessary. However, the MARD also hopes that INL will continue to support and cooperate with its units.

Deputy Minister Phung Duc Tien first raised the issue that INL supports training and coaching to improve the capacity of fisheries law enforcement. The training includes patrolling at sea and in marine protected areas, preventing IUU fishing, controlling and tracing the origin of aquatic products, and inspecting and monitoring fishing vessels. Additionally, it is necessary to improve the capacity and foreign language proficiency of the fisheries control force.

The next proposal is for the United States to support Vietnam with specialized equipment to improve its capacity to enforce fisheries laws. This includes vehicles, as well as communication and surveillance equipment.

The leader of the MARD proposed reviewing and evaluating Vietnam's regulatory documents and ensuring compliance with regional and international fisheries regulations.

The final issue raised by the MARD with INL is that the Memorandum of Understanding will expire in July 2025. Considering that the current organizational structure of the Directorate of Fisheries has been transformed into the Department of Fisheries Control and the Department of Fisheries, INL is requested to consider signing a new Memorandum of Understanding or extending the current one for another five years.

Regarding these proposals from the MARD, Ms. Shelby Smith-Wilson expressed her approval and said she would hand them over to the INL Office in Vietnam for further work in the near future.