Resolution 20-NQ/TW: The Driving Force to Make Vietnam a Strong Maritime Nation
Resolution 20-NQ/TW opens up new development directions to make Vietnam a strong maritime nation by 2045, focusing on a modern marine economy, marine spatial governance, and sovereignty protection.
The ocean is not merely a resource to be exploited, but a space for survival, development, and the creation of national power. With new orientations from Resolution No. 20-NQ/TW, Vietnam sets a goal to build a solid foundation to become a strong maritime nation by 2045, unlocking vast development room for the marine economy, logistics, offshore energy, tourism, and fisheries.
Resolution 20-NQ/TW: A New Shift in Marine Economic Development Mindset
On July 28, 2026, the 14th Party Central Committee issued Resolution No. 20-NQ/TW on building and developing Vietnam into a strong maritime nation. This is considered a strategic leap in marine strategic thinking, inheriting the achievements gained after 8 years of implementing Resolution No. 36-NQ/TW (2018) on the Strategy for Sustainable Development of Vietnam’s Marine Economy.
A notable highlight of Resolution 20-NQ/TW is the expansion of the marine development approach. Instead of focusing mainly on resource exploitation and isolated economic sectors, the sea is defined as a strategic development space closely linked with the economy, society, environment, national defense, and security.
The general objective is to build a solid foundation for Vietnam to become a strong maritime nation, forming a modern, unified, and synchronized national marine governance system based on science, technology, and digital data.
Along with that, Vietnam aims to effectively and sustainably manage, exploit, and use marine resources, gradually mastering deep-sea areas and new development spaces at sea. Environmental protection, conservation, and restoration of marine ecosystems are also placed among the key tasks.
In particular, the Resolution emphasizes the requirement to develop a modern marine economy with high competitiveness, improve the living standards of people in coastal and island areas, preserve and promote marine culture, and firmly maintain national defense, security, and sovereignty at sea.
By the vision of 2045, Vietnam strives to become a strong maritime nation, prosperous from the sea and sustainably developed from the sea.
Transitioning from Marine Exploitation to Comprehensive Marine Spatial Governance
One of the key new points of Resolution 20-NQ/TW is the mindset shift from sector-based marine economic development to comprehensive national marine spatial governance.
For many years, Vietnam’s marine economy has been developed through separate fields such as fisheries, oil and gas, maritime transport, marine tourism, seaports, and coastal economic zones. Each sector has had its own objectives, planning, and development strategy.
However, this approach has also revealed limitations when various sectors exploit the same marine space, leading to the risks of overlapping planning, resource competition, and conflicting interests.
In reality, a maritime area can simultaneously serve as a zone for maritime development, aquaculture, offshore renewable energy, tourism, natural conservation, and national defense-security tasks.
Therefore, marine spatial governance requires a comprehensive approach with coordination among sectors, localities, and economic regions. This is not only a solution to limit conflicts in resource use but also creates conditions to effectively exploit maritime advantages.
In an interview with the Voice of Vietnam (VOV) Electronic Newspaper, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Nguyen Chu Hoi, Member of the 15th National Assembly and Permanent Vice Chairman of the Vietnam Fisheries Society, noted that in order to realize the goal of becoming a strong maritime nation, Vietnam needs to make breakthroughs in scientific and technological autonomy while removing institutional and implementation bottlenecks.
According to him, marine space has a three-dimensional characteristic with complex interactions between the land and the sea, between coastal zones and the open sea, as well as between the atmosphere and ocean water masses.
Consequently, marine spatial governance will help unify development goals, harmonize interests among sectors, and lay the foundation for long-term development.
National marine spatial planning must therefore be viewed as a strategic coordination tool rather than merely dividing marine use zones.
An offshore wind power project, a maritime route, an industrial marine farming area, or an ecological conservation zone must all be placed within the overall national planning, ensuring harmony among economic, environmental, social, and national defense-security interests.
Removing Institutional Bottlenecks to Drive the Marine Economy
Alongside changes in governance mindset, Resolution 20-NQ/TW sets requirements for institutional improvement and enhanced implementation efficiency.
Reality shows that despite possessing numerous advantages in geographical location, resources, and development space, Vietnam’s marine economy has not yet fully tapped its potential. Some policies remain uncoordinated, state management effectiveness in certain fields is still limited, and functions and duties among agencies sometimes overlap.
These inadequacies can increase investment costs, prolong project implementation times, and limit the ability of businesses to participate in high-value-added marine economic sectors.
According to Assoc. Prof. Dr. Nguyen Chu Hoi, institutions and technology are two particularly important prerequisites for Vietnam to venture into the open ocean.
Policies must create strong enough motivations for businesses, fishermen, and economic forces to proactively invest and expand operations at sea. At the same time, appropriate mechanisms are needed to share, control, and handle the specific risks of the marine environment.
In particular, the development of marine science and technology must be considered the foundation for enhancing national autonomy. From resource research, environmental forecasting, deep-sea extraction technology to offshore renewable energy, Vietnam needs to gradually improve its capacity to master technology and develop high-quality human resources.
When institutions are perfected, technology is mastered, and investment resources are unblocked, sectors such as seaports, logistics, maritime transport, tourism, fisheries, and offshore energy will have further conditions for development.
Modern Marine Economy Linked with Environmental Protection and Sovereignty
A strong maritime nation cannot be measured solely by the scale of resource exploitation or the growth rate of the marine economy. The capacity to protect the environment, restore ecosystems, ensure livelihoods for the people, and safeguard national sovereignty are also critical criteria.
Amidst challenges posed by climate change, sea-level rise, environmental pollution, and the depletion of fishery resources, the requirement for sustainable development becomes even more urgent.
The expansion of economic activities at sea must go hand in hand with biodiversity conservation, the restoration of coral reef ecosystems, seagrass beds, mangrove forests, and the effective management of fishery resources.
For residents in coastal and island areas, marine economic development must generate substantial changes in employment, income, living conditions, and access to essential services.
People are not merely beneficiaries; they must become active participants in the development process, resource protection, and the preservation of marine culture.
Simultaneously, marine economic development must be closely linked with national defense and security tasks, protecting national sovereignty, sovereign rights, and jurisdiction at sea. This is a vital condition to ensure a peaceful and stable environment for long-term investment and development.
From Resolution to Action: The Yardstick for Vietnam to Become a Strong Maritime Nation
Resolution 20-NQ/TW opens up a new development space, but to realize the goal of a strong maritime nation, the greatest challenge still lies in implementation.
The effectiveness of the Resolution must be measured by concrete results: how many overlapping procedures are removed, how many marine economic projects are put into operation, how the logistics capacity of Vietnamese businesses is upgraded, and what progress has been made in marine science and technology.
Additionally, the resilience of fishery resources, the quality of marine ecosystems, and the income and living standards of people in coastal and island areas must also become key indicators to evaluate development effectiveness.
If these objectives are concretized into action programs, monitoring mechanisms, and measurable indicator systems, Resolution 20-NQ/TW will not only create a mindset shift but also drive a fundamental transformation in the growth structure of the economy.
Vietnam holds the advantage of over 3,260 km of coastline along with a vast marine space. However, geographical advantages only truly transform into strength when translated into governance capacity, technological sophistication, competitive marine enterprises, and high-quality human resources.
The path to becoming a strong maritime nation is therefore not just a story of exploiting what the sea currently offers, but also the ability to create new values from the sea, protect ecosystems, and secure the long-term interests of future generations.
By 2045, the goal of turning Vietnam into a strong maritime nation, prosperous from the sea and sustainably developed from the sea, will depend on the ability to turn strategic orientations into concrete actions. At that time, the sea will not only be a geographical boundary but also a space for survival, a growth engine, and the foundation for shaping national power in the decades to come.
Source:
https://vov.gov.vn
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