More than 50 oil spill cases have occurred in Vietnam’s rivers and onshore sea areas since 1997, causing great economic losses and environmental pollution, according to a report of the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment.
The report said 77% of the incidents remain uncompensated or unsettled due to the lack of an adequate legal framework.
Current legal documents dealing with oil spill incidents include Prime Minister’s Decision No. 129/2001/QD-TTg of August 29, 2001, approving the national strategy on response to oil spill incidents during 2001-2010, and Decision No. 103/2005/QD-TTg of May 2, 2005, on handling oil spill incidents. Accordingly, these incidents are handled at local, regional and national levels. Local bodies handle oil spills of less than 100 tons, regional bodies - between 100 and below 2,000 tons, and national bodies - 2,000 tons or more.-