Vietnam Coast Guard

Vietnam Coast Guard (Vietnamese: Cảnh sát biển Việt Nam) is the coast guard of Vietnam. It is a branch of the Vietnam People's Army, and falls under the management of the Vietnamese Ministry of Defence. Since its creation in the late 1990s, the Vietnam Coast Guard plays important role in maintaining sea security and protection of the exclusive economic zone (EEZ) and continental shelf boundary. It has dispatched forces in waters in overlapping areas between Vietnam and foreign countries, providing protection and assistance to local fishermen when necessary. In addition, the Vietnam Coast Guard perform Search and rescue duties, along with their duties of combating and preventing smuggling, piracy, and trade fraud in Vietnamese waters.

Origins
Vietnam Coast Guard was prepared to build in 1998 through President of Vietnam Tran Duc Luong's order No 3-L/CTN on April 7, 1998 announced the Ordinance on the Vietnam Coast Guard and it was accepted by The Tenth National Assembly of Vietnam on March 28, 1998.

In previously, the Socialist Republic of Vietnam does not have a dedicated Coast Guard, but only the Navy for offshore patrol and other military activity, or the Border Patrol Directorate (Bộ Tư Lệnh Biên Phòng), which has checkpoints at the part where the river meets the sea. They are equipped with small boats for short pursuit, and equipment that is meant for short-term security reasons. All river patrol responsibility belongs to Fluvial Police (Cục Cảnh sát giao thông đường thủy - Bureau code:C25) supervised by provincial or/and local police office (Ministry of Public Safety - Bộ Công An), and sometimes is the Vietnam Customs (Hải Quan), depending on the geographical responsibility (fluvial or fresh water only).

Vietnam Coast Guard became independent from the Vietnam People's Navy on March 1, 2008. It has in-scope intelligence of international exchange and co-operation with its ASEAN counterparts in smuggling and on-sea drug interdiction operations. As an organization keyed to fight against illegal trafficking, it would like to start with a fresh image and equipped with adequate technology and hardware, in order to deploy with efficiency for missions. They would like to present a role model for extended of its projects.

Mission
In the Internal waters, Territorial waters, Contiguous zone, Exclusive economic zone and Continental shelf of Vietnam, Vietnam Coast Guard have mission to patrol and control in accordance with the laws of Vietnam and international treaties concerned that, Vietnam is a contracting member (such as The United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS)) to protect the sovereignty, jurisdiction, protection of natural resources, prevention of environmental pollution; detect, prevent and combating acts of smuggling, piracy, armed robbery against ships, illegal transport and trafficking, transporting illegal narcotics, precursors.

Vietnam Coast Guard is responsible in cooperating with functional agencies to do the mission. If any incident happens at sea, Vietnam Coast Guard have responsibility to inform to the functional agencies and coordinate with foreign countries to settle the issue. Lt. General Pham Duc Linh said in The 7th Heads of Asia Coast Guard Agencies Meeting (HACGAM - 7) on July 2011: "Vietnam Marine Police used in overlapping sea areas between Vietnam and foreign countries. Local fishermen will be better protected and assisted if necessary, and remind local fishermen not to cross into the waters of foreign countries." The Vietnam Coast Guard is responsible for protecting the security of Vietnam's coast line and deals with problems like:
 * Drug smuggling
 * Human trafficking
 * Industrial radioactive and toxic waste dumping
 * Maritime law enforcement
 * Marine assistance
 * Search and rescue (SAR)
 * National defense - alongside the Vietnam People's Navy

In addition to its role, the Vietnam Coast Guard has moved their headquarters from Hai Phong to Hanoi in February 2008, due to current needs to address these tasks. Current headquarters are located at 94 Lê Lợi Street, Nguyễn Trãi ward, Hà Ðông district, Ha Noi. Their training base and logistic support facilities remain in Hai Phong.

Organizational system
1. Coast Guard Department

2. Units in Coast Guard Department:
 * Regional Coast Guard: similar with Regional Navy. In the structure of Regional Navy have fleets, flotillas and Marine police teams;
 * Coast Guard fleets;
 * No.1 and No.2 Reconnaissance base;
 * No.1,2,3, and 4 Anti-drugs, Anti-crime Task base;
 * Center of Coast Guard Information;
 * Center of Coast Guard Training.

Regional Coast Guard

 * 1st Regional Coast Guard: manage from Ka Long River, Quảng Ninh to Cồn Cỏ island, Quảng Trị. Based in Hai Phong;
 * 2nd Regional Coast Guard: manage from Cồn Cỏ island, Quảng Trị to Xanh islet, Bình Định. Based in Quảng Nam;
 * 3rd Regional Coast Guard: manage from Xanh islet, Bình Định to Dinh An harbor, Trà Vinh. Based in Bà Rịa–Vũng Tàu;
 * 4th Regional Coast Guard: manage from Dinh An harbor, Trà Vinh to Hà Tiên, Kiên Giang. Based in Cà Mau.

International cooperation
Vietnam Coast Guard and Philippine Coast Guard have signed an agreement to set up hotline in principle. In the near future, both will draft detailed regulations on coordination, so that when a situation at sea will settle in time.

On July 14, 2012, Japan's Minister for Foreign Affairs Kōichirō Genba and Vietnamese Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh had a meeting in Hanoi. Japan Coast Guard is willing to help Vietnam bolster its coastal patrol capabilities, include set up such an institution and train its personnel.

Vietnam Coast Guard would be equipped with modern facilities to carry out effectively their tasks to maintain security, order and safety in the Territorial waters and Exclusive economic zone with the close cooperation with regional coast guards of regional countries.

That's the reason why Vietnam Coast Guard need to strengthened confidence building, mutual understanding between members, promote practical cooperation and efficiency among countries in Southeast Asia and in the world. To solved issues such as piracy, smuggling, trade fraud and transportation of persons, illegal drugs, disaster search and rescue, disaster,... Vietnam Coast Guard's in collaboration with some countries for networking exercises of information processing, situation, to forwards to exercise with soldiers on sea in some situations, such as anti-piracy, search and rescue, environmental response to incidents,...

Development
To create a breakthrough development for Vietnam Coast Guard, a contract signed between Vietnam and United States that United States Coast Guard helped train Vietnam Coast Guard from 2009. The United States Coast Guard kicked off its partnership program with the Vietnam Coast Guard under the Export Control and Related Border Security program by conducting two sessions of the Maritime Law Enforcement Boarding Officer course in Hai Phong and Phu Quoc, October 12–23, 2009. This was the first United States Coast Guard engagement with the Vietnam Coast Guard under their new partnership program. Its positive results bode well for future cooperation between the two forces. The training courses received a great deal of attention from the Vietnam Coast Guard leadership, as well as the Ministry of Defence (Vietnam), with senior representatives from MOD both attending the opening and closing ceremonies, and hosting farewell lunches and dinners. The Vietnam Coast Guard leadership's recommendations for future training will not only be very useful for planning purposes, but represent clear signals that they are eager for further cooperation. Continuing the partnership plan, the United States Coast Guard has invited one VMP officer to attend the 15-week International Maritime Officer Course starting in March 2010 at the United States Coast Guard Training Center in Yorktown, Virginia.

Besides vessels are equipped with self-building, Vietnam Coast Guard also cooperated with Damen Group to build large vessels with Netherlands's license, will being built in Vietnam by Song Thu company, 189 company,... Vessels have completed such as one Offshore patrol vessel 9014, one Hydrographic Survey vessel 6613, four Salvage tugs 6412,...

Later on in 2008, Vietnam Coast Guard received three ocean sentry turboprop airplanes CASA C-212 Aviocar - Series 400 equipped with MSS 6000 systems from the Swedish Space Corporation.

Vietnamese Government has planned to invest in upgrading facilities for the force including modern ships which can operate in bad weather and stay long at sea. Furthermore, the force is also equipped with helicopters to enhance its operations at the border of Continental shelf and Exclusive economic zone of Vietnam to protect the Territorial waters and fishermen as well. In particular, on Vietnamese sea, adjacent waters boundary waters disputes over sovereignty, there must be always the presence of Vietnam Coast Guard.

Equipment
Vietnam Coast Guard's vessels are equipped with specialized functions (almost Vietnam Coast Guard's vessels are self-produced):


 * To coastal patrol and protection, including vessels from 120 to 400 tons, have very high speed, armed with powerful weapons, numbered beginning with 00.., 20 .., 30 .., 40 .., 50 ..;
 * To support, search and rescue, including vessels from 1.000 to 2.000 tons, numbered beginning with 600..;
 * To offshore patrol and command, including vessels over 2.500 tons with helicopter on deck, numbered beginning with 800..;
 * To Search and rescue, vessels have named beginning SAR or 900...

Almost Vietnam Coast Guard's vessels named CSB (abbreviated by Vietnamese words: Cảnh Sát Biển - Coast Guard).