The State Steering Committee on basic survey of marine resources and environment held a meeting on June 25 to sum-up its performance in the 2006-2011 period. The event was also aimed at discussing tasks for the 2012-2020 period of a master plan on marine resources and environment basic survey and management. It took place under the chair of Deputy Prime Minister Hoang Trung Hai.

Everyday, there are still many fishing vessels of Quang Ngai province’s fishermen operating at Hoang Sa archipelago of Viet Nam. To fishermen in Quang Ngai, each wave which laps rocks from the sea is a sacred call of the country.

Truong Sa archipelago of Viet Nam is a traditional fishing ground for fishermen in central Quang Ngai province. Sea brings a well-off life but it also brings risks to fishermen in their way to earn the living. In such difficult times, they always receive the whole-hearted care and cure of doctors who wear blue shirts.

It is respectable that despite facing many difficulties, fishermen in the central region patiently work at sea. More honorably, the fishermen have established solidarity groups to assist each other at sea. Thanks to this, many fishermen have invested in new ships with a larger capacity and are able to stay longer at sea, making their efforts more productive and generating higher returns

Apart from patrolling, inspecting, controlling and implementing the law of the sea inTruong Sa archipelago, officials and soldiers in the Marine Police Zone 2 under the Police Department, accompany fishermen that travel to the archipelago to work, which helps to protect the country’s fishing grounds and its sovereignty over its waters and islands.

Over recent years, the programmes, “Join hands for fishermen’s health,” “Compassionate houses for fishermen” and “Accompanying fishermen at sea,” by several media agencies have helped fishermen in the central region to overcome their difficulties and continue fishing.

Almost 1.5 billion VND has been spent on installing shore stations which are equipped with 42 high frequency (HF) radios with GPS devices, said Hoang Dinh Lien, Director of the Department of Exploitation and Protection of Aquatic Resources (DEPAR) in Quang Tri province

On June 8, a delegation, named “Youth for homeland sea and island” together with officers and soldiers on board the HQ-571 ship offered incense and floated flowers in commemoration of fallen soldiers on on the southern continental shelf of the DK1 platform