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Economic-Defence Zones

Vietnam has developed economic-defence zones to consolidate the defence-security situation in strategic localities, particularly border, sea and island areas, helping to shape up a strong belt to protect the nation. Under Decree No.22/2021/ND-CP on the building of economic-defence zones recently issued by the Prime Minister, residential areas in the border, sea and island regions that play a critical role in the nation’s defence and security will be rearranged with a view to improving living conditions of local residents.

The building of the economic-defence zones must serve as a solid foundation for local people and other forces to participate in socio-economic development in the border, sea and island areas. The Decree stipulates that essential infrastructure should be developed in these areas so as to realise the sustainable poverty reduction goals, while stabilising the nation’s defence-security. Additionally, the zones must be a bridge between the mainland and islands and archipelagos and able to provide services and support for fishermen, helping them feel secure to go offshore fishing. This is significant to affirm the nation’s sovereignty, sovereign rights and jurisdiction at sea.

The Decree also stresses the communication work to raise public awareness of the Party’s and State’s policies, and call on local people to fight against wrongful and distorted arguments and expedients by hostile forces. At the same time, it is necessary to make television, cultural and healthcare services available in theses areas, provide training for local officials, and preserve traditional culture of ethnic minorities in the localities. Furthermore, the Decree emphasises that the development of the economic-defence zones aims to cooperate with local forces to build the all-people defence posture in combination with the people-based security posture, while joining search and rescue efforts, and recovery of natural disasters and diseases.

Decree No. 22/2021/ND-CP dated March 19, 2021 of the Government provided for Economic-Defence Zones. This Decree entered into force as of May 5, 2021. The Government’s Decree No. 44/2009/ND-CP dated May 7, 2009 on the construction of economic-defense zones; Clause 1 Article 8 of the Government's Decree No. 164/2018/ND-CP dated December 21, 2018 on combining defense with socio-economic development and socio-economic development with national defense; the Prime Minister’s Decision No. 83/2010/QD-TTg dated December 15, 2010 on the promulgation of financial mechanisms and policies for economic-defense zones; the Joint Circular No. 246/2010/TTLT-BQP-BKH dated December 23, 2010 of the Ministry of Defense and the Ministry of Planning and Investment, guiding the implementation of a number of provisions of the Government’s Decree No. 44/2009/ND-CP dated May 7, 2009 on the construction of economic-defense zones; the Decision No. 133/2004/QD-BQP dated September 21, 2004 of the Minister of National Defense, promulgating the Regulations on operation of economic-defense delegations, became defunct from the effective date of this Decree.

The Ministry of National Defense shall take charge of, and cooperate with concerned ministries, sectoral administrations and provincial-level People's Committees in, reviewing and formulating economic-defense zone planning components according to the provisions of Article 8 of this Decree and sending them to agencies in charge of planning to integrate into the national master plan, the national marine spatial planning and regional planning. Relevant ministries, sectoral authorities and People's Committees of provinces shall cooperate with the Ministry of National Defense in formulating and evaluating economic-defense zone planning components. Military zones, military services, and army corps agree with provincial People's Committees on the scope and scale of each economic-defense zone to ensure uniformity, efficiency and conformity with the national planning, regional planning, provincial planning and other relevant planning.

Economic-Defence Zones:

• Consolidate national defense and security in strategic areas, borders, seas and islands, forming an all-people defense posture associated with the people's security posture, creating a firm belt in the performance of the tasks of protecting the Fatherland.
• Arrange residential places in border, sea and island areas playing key defense and security positions in the defense posture, forming clusters, villages and communes.
• Align the socio-economic development with consolidating national defense and security in economic-defense zones in order to step by step improve the people's material and spiritual life.

Tasks of construction or development of economic-defence zones

• Building strong national defense and security areas; stabilizing socio-economic development; building defensive postures in strategic areas as a solid basis for the people and other forces to participate in socio-economic development on the land, sea border lines, sea waters and islands.
• Cooperating with the party committees and local authorities in building essential infrastructure for people to stabilize production, ensure social security; organizing, arranging population spots, places of settled cultivation and residential settlement in border areas, offshore islands and archipelagos to ensure the goals of sustainable poverty reduction and stability of national defense and security.
• Building models of agricultural, forestry, fishery and industrial promotion and production development support to create primary elements for the economic development of goods and services; rendering services of supply of materials and consumption of products (two-way services); transferring production technology to people; organizing production for efficient exploitation of land in border areas, islands, remote and isolated areas and extremely difficult areas playing important national defense and security roles. Building economic bases in difficult seas and islands to act as bridges between the mainland and islands or archipelagos; organizing service activities at sea to support fishermen persevering in marine fishery production to increase their civil activities on the seas and islands to assert sovereignty, sovereignty right and jurisdiction at sea.
• Carrying out public communications programs to ensure that all the people firmly grasp and duly implement the Party's guidelines and directions, the State's policies and laws; preventing and controlling propaganda sly, distortions and agitation tactics of hostile forces and illegal propaganda activities; bringing radio, television, culture and health to the grassroots level; creating conditions for ethnic minority children to go to school; providing medical care for the people; fostering and training local cadres; restoring, preserving and upholding the traditional culture of the ethnic minorities.
• Cooperating with local forces in building an all-people defense posture in association with the people's security posture; participating in search and rescue, prevention, control, mitigation of incidents, natural disasters, epidemics, maintaining security, politics, social order and safety in border areas, sea waters or islands of the Fatherland.

The plan for construction of an economic-defense zone is determined on the basis of the regional defense plan, the plan for organization and stabilization of population, goals of sustainable poverty reduction, strengthening of health, cultural and spiritual life of people in the economic-defense zone.

The economic-defense delegation shall cooperate with the police agency in advising the People's Committee of district and province to consider deciding on the arrangement of population in the economic-defense zone in accordance with the plan to build the national defense-economic zone; prioritize the arrangement and stabilization of the population within the province, ensuring conformity with the planning and plan on building an economic-defense zone, associated with the socio-economic development, national defense and security.

In case of necessity and wishing to receive people outside the province to reside within the economic-defense zone, the People's Committee of province and district shall agree with the economic-defense delegation on the arrangement and stabilization of the population within the economic-defense zone.