Foreign military ships are allowed to visit Vietnam more often.

Subjects of application include foreign military ships coming to Vietnam, Vietnamese military ships going abroad and crew members on board; Vietnamese state management agencies, organizations and individuals related to the activities of foreign military ships coming to Vietnam and Vietnamese military ships going abroad; official vessels equipped with military weapons of a country or territory; vessels of an international military organization coming to Vietnam to conduct visits, carry out other cooperation activities or repairs.

The Decree clearly states that foreign military ships coming to Vietnam for visits are allowed to anchor and operate at licensed seaports and military ports; must comply with the provisions of the Decree, other provisions of Vietnamese law and the guidance of specialized state management agencies at the port.

Indian Navy ship docked at Tien Sa port, Da Nang city in July. Photo: Ho Giap

Military ships of the same country may visit Vietnam no more than three times in a year; no more than three ships may dock at the same port at the same time, and the duration of docking shall not exceed seven days. In special cases, the Minister of National Defense shall report to the Prime Minister for consideration and decision.

The new regulation has expanded the number of times foreign military ships can visit Vietnam in a year, from once to three times. This is to create conditions for military ships of a country to be able to carry out exchange plans and diplomatic visits with many forces under the Ministry of National Defense in a year, overcoming the situation where the Ministry of National Defense has to regularly report and ask for permission from the Government when in practice there are exceptions that exceed the provisions in the decree.

The Minister of National Defense shall decide and prescribe the procedures for granting licenses to foreign military ships to Vietnam.

The new decree also stipulates that foreign military vessels are not allowed to do the following when coming to Vietnam: violate independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity; collect intelligence, film, take photos, draw maps in prohibited areas; propagate and disseminate documents, books, newspapers, films, and cultural products without permission.

Foreign military vessels are not allowed to transport weapons of mass destruction, radioactive substances, toxic chemicals, biological toxins, narcotics; are not allowed to launch, receive or load onto the vessel any aircraft or military equipment without permission from the competent state management agency; are not allowed to use divers or other underwater diving equipment without permission; are not allowed to automatically move alongside other vessels, enter restricted areas; are not allowed to train, practice, perform and demonstrate with weapons, aircraft, military equipment without permission from the Ministry of National Defense of Vietnam...

The Ministry of National Defense licenses foreign military vessels coming to Vietnam to use infantry weapons or model guns for ceremonial purposes, organize flag-raising ceremonies or welcome when the ship arrives at or leaves the port, and use aircraft.

Foreign military vessels coming to Vietnam to use infantry weapons for ceremonial purposes when anchoring at ports, using model guns to organize ceremonies, using aircraft must include them in the official program of activities, send an official notice requesting permission to visit Vietnam and receive approval from the Vietnamese Ministry of National Defense; ensure that when performing ceremonies, infantry weapons are not loaded with ammunition.

The Decree also stipulates that foreign military vessels coming to Vietnam that need to dive, launch boats, robots, other diving equipment and vehicles for technical inspection and periodic maintenance must include them in the official program of activities sent together with the official notice requesting permission to visit Vietnam. When diving, launching boats, robots, other diving equipment and vehicles must be subject to inspection and supervision by the Border Guard of the port and the maritime port authority where the vessel is anchored.

Vietnamnet.vn

Source: https://vietnamnet.vn/tau-quan-su-nuoc-ngoai-duoc-noi-so-lan-den-tham-viet-nam-2437863.html