US embassy cable - 05HANOI766

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 HANOI 000766 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR OES MARSHA GOLDBERG, FABIO SATURNI, JAMES STORY 
STATE FOR OES STETSON TINKHAM 
STATE PASS TO AID/ANE TIM RESCH, PATRICIA CHAPLIN 
STATE PASS TO NOAA/OIA JONATHAN JUSTI 
BANGKOK FOR ECON JIM WALLER 
BANGKOK FOR AID/RDMA TBEANS, WBOWMAN 
 
E.O. 12958:  N/A 
TAGS: SENV, KSCA, TBIO, VM, CVR 
SUBJECT: VIETNAM: SUPPORT FOR INTEGRATED COASTAL MANAGEMENT 
 
REF: HANOI 515 
 
1. Summary.  The Department of State's East Asia Pacific 
Environmental Initiative (EAP-EI), USAID and the National 
Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) have 
supported the project Building Capacity for Integrated 
Coastal Management (ICM) in the Tonkin Gulf in Quang Ninh 
Province, Vietnam for several years.  This project has been 
an example of strong bilateral partnership support between 
the United States and Vietnam.  The project has also 
involved China.  The first phase of this four-phase strategy 
began in 2002 and ends this spring.  There is currently no 
funding for the second phase of the project, but given its 
success and the spin-off it engendered in Nha Trang (see 
details in para. 6 below), the Vietnam Mission strongly 
endorses providing additional funding to permit NOAA's 
continued engagement in Vietnam.  End Summary. 
 
2. Since 2002, the Department of State's EAP-EI, USAID and 
NOAA have supported the project, "Building Capacity for 
Integrated Coastal Management in the Tonkin Gulf," in Quang 
Ninh Province, Vietnam.  NOAA and the World Conservation 
Union (IUCN) are carrying out the project in partnership 
with Vietnam's Ministry of Fisheries (MOFI), the Hai Phong 
Institute of Oceanography, and the Ha Long Bay Management 
Authority of Quang Ninh Province.  Various offices in NOAA, 
USAID's US-Asia Environmental Partnership (US-AEP), 
University of the City of Los Angeles (Reefcheck), and 
University of New Hampshire (Sea Grant) are providing 
technical support. 
 
3. The annual United States-Vietnam Bilateral Science & 
Technology Meeting has cited this project as an example of 
strong bilateral partnership support with both science-based 
and policy/management-driven outcomes.  Specific project 
accomplishments to date include: baseline socio-economic 
assessments, habitat mapping of seagrasses and corals, 
ecotourism planning workshops, policy and institutional 
analysis, environmental awareness/public outreach materials, 
translation of ICM technical documents into Vietnamese and 
study exchanges to Charleston, the Florida Keys, Chesapeake 
Bay and NOAA headquarters in Silver Spring, Maryland. 
 
4. The project activities were designed to share information 
among stakeholders from central government agencies, 
provincial planning departments and non-governmental 
organizations (NGOs) working in Ha Long Bay World Heritage 
site as well as to build cooperation and programmatic 
linkages among resource managers and institutions in the 
United States, Vietnam, and China.  For example, Chinese 
technical experts used U.S.-funded equipment to install 
mooring buoys in Vietnam.  A study exchange of Vietnamese 
officials to China in June 2005 is another example of the 
project's regional linkages.  During a recent meeting, 
representatives of the Chinese State Oceanic Administration 
formally welcomed closer cooperation and exchanges with 
Vietnam regarding management of the Gulf of Tonkin. 
 
5. The first phase of this four-phase strategy began in 2002 
and ends this spring.  There is currently no funding for the 
second phase of the project.  In December 2003, Embassy 
Science Fellow Anne Walton (NOAA) developed a Strategic Plan 
for Integrated Coastal management in the Northern Tonkin 
Archipelago, which forms the basis for the next two phases 
of the project (reftel).  Limited activities such as a GVN- 
funded study exchange to China's National Ocean Service will 
continue in the interim.  NOAA intends to submit a proposal 
to STATE/OESI for Phase II project support. 
 
6.  One result of the STATE/USAID/NOAA ICM project has been 
increased USG and NGO support for MOFI's mandate to develop 
and manage a national marine protected area system.  This 
has led to a separate initiative for a pilot Marine 
Protected Area Training and Certification Program in Hon Mun 
MPA in Nha Trang.  In partnership with MOFI, Danish 
International Development Agency (DANIDA), USAID, IUCN, 
Conservation International, The Nature Conservancy and 
United Nations Environment Program (UNEP), NOAA will have 
the lead for the pilot MPA training and certification 
program at Hon Mun MPA in Nha Trang.  The two-year project 
aims to develop local and regional capacity and expertise in 
designating, implementing and managing MPAs with a major 
emphasis on improving enforcement ability of Vietnam's newly 
established MPAs. 
 
7.  Comment: NOAA has effectively built partnerships, 
bridged traditional barriers and delivered tangible, highly 
valued products here in Vietnam in a relatively short period 
of time.  NOAA's work with Vietnam and China has stimulated 
improved dialogue between these two countries on marine 
management and conservation in the Gulf of Tonkin.  NOAA 
also is the technical coordinator for a UNDP/Global 
Environment Facility/NOAA initiative launched this year for 
marine biodiversity conservation in China's southern seas. 
Three of the sites for this initiative are in the greater 
Tonkin Gulf region of China (Shankou, Weizhou and Sanya). 
NOAA's simultaneous presence in Vietnam and China and its 
credibility with both countries could lead to a new regional 
management framework for the Gulf of Tonkin in the future. 
Such a framework could help assuage the offshore territorial 
concerns.  The Vietnam Mission strongly endorses providing 
funds for NOAA's continued engagement in the coastal Tonkin 
Gulf region. 
 
MARINE