Improving the quality and effectiveness of sea and island propagation is the responsibility of all levels, branches, organisations, forces, political system, and people. For Coast Guard Region 3 - the core force of law enforcement at sea, performing the task well is even more important. It is a fundamental and cross-cutting content that requires the Region’s drastic implementation with synchronous and effective solutions.

Coast Guard Region 3 is stationed and operating in a large area with heavy tasks, high requirements, and multiple difficulties and challenges, especially in the context where territorial sovereignty disputes and activities of the crimes in the East Sea tend to increase in size, intensity, and nature. To fulfill the glorious responsibility, along with comprehensively deploying all aspects of professional work, the Region has focused on promoting the function of the “Working Army”, enhancing propagation on sea and islands, and promptly providing information to contribute to raising awareness and sense of responsibility, promoting the synergy of the whole political system, branches, levels, organisations, and individuals, and, particularly, bringing into play the role of fishermen in participating in coordination with functional forces to fulfill the task of protecting sovereignty, political security, and social order and safety of the sea and islands of the Fatherland.

By thoroughly grasping and strictly implementing Decision No.1059/QDD-TTg issued on August 22nd, 2019 by the Prime Minister approving the Project on propagation and dissemination of the Vietnam Coast Guard Law for the 2019 - 2023 period and the Program on coordination in sea and island propagation between the Vietnam Coast Guard and central agencies, departments, branches, and provinces and cities, the Regional Party Committee and Command have directed the political agencies to annually develop programs and plans for sea and island propagation and sign cooperation regulations and documents with the Propagation and Education Commissions, Mass Mobilisation Commissions, Departments of Information and Communication, and Departments of Education and Training of provinces and cities in the area and other functional forces, such as the Navy, Customs, Public Security, Border Guard, Military Commands of provinces and cities, press agencies, and central and local radio stations for implementation. Party committees, commanders, and political agencies at all levels of the Region have promoted the synergy of the units and enlisted the support of the local Party committees, authorities, agencies, and units to improve the quality and effectiveness of propagation of Vietnam's seas and islands and role of the Coast Guard in building and protecting the Fatherland.

Helping fishermen raise national flag

Leaders of provinces and cities within the area under the Region’s responsibility have clearly defined that the coordination in propagation on sea and islands is one of the key leadership contents every year and directly led functional departments, agencies, and branches to pay attention to and create conditions in terms of human resources, facilities, and time to actively coordinate with the Region in implementing the signed program contents to ensure timeliness, transparency, and high effectiveness of propagation activities. The Propagation and Education Commissions and newspapers and radio stations of the provinces and cities in the area have closely coordinated with the Region’s political agencies in concretising the propagation plans and programs; maintaining the routine of exchanging and drawing experience on quarterly, 6-monthly, and annual basis; and promptly overcoming arising difficulties to find suitable solutions to improve the quality and effectiveness of propagation. Therefore, the work has been more effective, orderly, and developed in both scale and content; meanwhile, the participation is increasing in number. The functional agencies have timely provided official information to orient thoughts of cadres, Party members, and people and effectively handled arising problems, especially at times when there are complicated factors. Over the past three years, the Region has coordinated with local Party committees, authorities, departments, agencies, and armed forces in holding 14 propagation conferences; distributing leaflets and presenting documentary films to nearly 70 thousand turns of cadres, Party members, and people in coastal localities; organising 8 contests entitled “I love the sea and islands of the homeland” for students at 20 secondary and high schools in the provinces of Ba Ria - Vung Tau, Binh Thuan, Khanh Hoa, and Ho Chi Minh City. Regarding the contents, attention has been paid to propagating for all classes of people to grasp and agree with the Party’s views and policies and the State's laws in the struggle to protect the sovereignty of the sea, islands, and continental shelf of the Fatherland; the maritime delimitation agreements that Vietnam has signed with countries in the region; historical, legal, and practical evidence affirming sovereignty over two archipelagos of Truong Sa and Hoang Sa; United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea 1982 and Vietnam Maritime Law 2012; and Vietnam Coast Guard Law 2018. At the same time, fishermen have been propagated about Directive No.45/CT-TTg issued on December 13th, 2017 by the Prime Minister on “Some urgent tasks and solutions to comply with the warning of the European Commission against illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing”; prohibited acts when operating at sea; instructions for handling some situations at sea, such as ways and methods of informing functional forces when detecting foreign military vehicles, fishing vessels, exploration ships, or drilling rigs infringing on Vietnamese waters; methods of struggling when fishing in the waters of Truong Sa and Hoang Sa archipelagoes and being searched and arrested by foreign countries; methods to deal with ships and people in distress at sea, etc. In the process of propagation, importance has been attached to renewing and diversifying forms, especially promoting the role of reporters and press agencies to ensure rich contents that are close to the Party’s guidelines and policies, the State’s laws, practice at sea, objects, and tasks of localities and units and resolutely fighting against distorted claims of hostile forces and false information about the situation of Vietnam's sea and islands.

Under the motto “Small rain lays great dust”, propagation is carried out right before each fishermen's trip and even when they are fishing in the waters of the country. Cadres and soldiers of the Region have visited each fishing ship to distribute leaflets and directly exchange and guide fishermen to grasp the Maritime Laws of ​​countries with bordering, overlapping, or disputed waters so that fishermen do not violate other countries' waters when fishing to limit damages and impact on the foreign affairs. Combining with the processes of training, law enforcement, patrol, and control at sea, the Region has organised more than 100 turns of ships to closely coordinate with the Border Guard, Navy, and Fisheries Surveillance to propagate for more than 2,500 turns of fishing boats; mobilise owners of ships fishing and operating offshore and fishermen to sign commitments not to violate foreign waters, actively adhere to the sea, and promptly detect and notify functional forces when foreign ships violate Vietnam’s waters to take measures to prevent and handle as prescribed. These deeds have contributed to maintaining political security, order, and safety on the sea and islands and building waters of ​​peace and friendship.

Coordinating propagation on the mass media has been highly valued and considered a “channel” by the Region to promptly disseminate information about the sea and islands to audiences. Accordingly, the Region has actively coordinated with press agencies, and radio and television stations of the Central and localities in the area to develop and organise the implementation of sea and island propagation programs and plans and open specialised pages and columns for sea and island propagation. The Region has also organised “field trips” for hundreds of times of reporters and groups of reporters inside and outside the Army to grasp the situation and report and write articles reflecting on activities in many fields of the Coast Guard ​​as well as the Army-People combination in the area in building and protecting sovereignty over sea and islands. The Region has also closely coordinated with the Propagation and Education Commissions and Mass Mobilisation Commissions of the Provincial Party Committees of Ba Ria - Vung Tau, Binh Thuan, and Khanh Hoa in propagating and mobilising cadres, people, and soldiers of the armed forces in the area to actively participate in the online contest entitled “Learning the Vietnam Coast Guard Law”. The contest has attracted a large number of people from all walks of life, cadres, soldiers, union members, and young people, among which many collectives and individuals in the area have won high prizes.

Along with that, the Region has attached great importance to the close connection between the propagation work and enhancement of mass mobilisation activities. Annually, on the occasion of holidays, New Year Festival, and anniversaries, units in the Region have closely coordinated with all levels of local Party committees, authorities, agencies, departments, and branches in promoting activities of the Army - People meetings, exchange, twinning, and implementation of the “Gratitude return” policy, typically organising the twinning between Fleet 301 and Tam Thanh Commune (Phu Quy District), Squadron 32 with Ninh Van island commune (Ninh Hoa Town, Khanh Hoa Province), etc. Thereby, it has created closeness and connection between the localities and units. It is also the basis for local Party committees, authorities, and people to share and have a thorough awareness of the requirements, tasks, and difficulties of the Region; ... creating new confidence and motivation in coordinating the propagation and performing the task of protecting sovereignty and security in the assigned waters. In addition, the Region has directed agencies and units to promote mass mobilisation through concrete and practical actions; participate in building a strong local political base, economic, cultural, and social development, hunger eradication, and poverty reduction; and accompany fishermen offshore. Agencies and units have supported fishermen to reduce difficulties in life, actively participated in building new rural areas, assisted people overcome the consequences of natural disasters, and protected natural maritime resources and environment. The Region has taken care of a Vietnamese Heroic Mother; sponsored 5 poor students up to 18 years old with an amount of sponsorship of 1,000,000 VND/month/student; visited and presented gifts to talented poor students in coastal areas; supported fishermen with buoys, life vests, fresh water, and food in case of difficulties or natural disasters; and organised free health check-ups and consultations, provided free medicine for thousands poor fisherman households and policy families in island districts and communes, and mobilised people to actively participate in protecting marine resources and environment, etc. The above actions have left a beautiful affection among the local Party committees, authorities, and people with the cadres and soldiers of the units, making the people understand and be more confident in the Party and the State in general, and the Coast Guard in particular, to join hands with Vietnam Coast Guard cadres and soldiers to firmly protect the sovereignty, security, and safety of the sacred sea and islands.

Major General DO HONG DO, Commissar of Coast Guard Region 3