Circular No. 17/2018/TT-BTNMT stipulates technical procedures for establishing and updating the standard national boundary map to reflect the national border and national territorial sovereignty on surveying and mapping products and map publications.

CIRCULAR

Technical regulations for establishing and updating the standard national boundary map set and displaying the national boundary line and national territorial sovereignty on surveying and mapping products and map publications

and displaying the national boundary line, national territorial sovereignty

on surveying and mapping products and map publications

Pursuant to the Law on Surveying and Mapping dated June 14, 2018;

On the basis of Decision No. 36/2017/NĐ-CP dated April 4, 2017, of the Government stipulating the functions, tasks, powers, and organizational structure of the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment;

At the proposal of the Director of the Vietnam National Survey, Mapping and Geographical Information Center, the Head of the Science and Technology Department, and the Head of the Legal Affairs Department;

The Minister of Natural Resources and Environment issues this Circular to regulate technical regulations for establishing and updating the standard national boundary map set and displaying the national boundary line, national territorial sovereignty on surveying and mapping products and map publications.

PART I
GENERAL PROVISIONS

Article 1. Scope of Regulation

This Circular regulates the establishment and updating of the standard national boundary map set and the display of the national boundary line, national territorial sovereignty on surveying and mapping products and map publications.

Article 2. Applicability

This Circular applies to organizations and individuals related to management; the establishment and updating of the standard national boundary map set; the construction of geographic databases; the creation of maps; the production of map publications that display the national boundary line, national territorial sovereignty.

Article 3. Explanation of Terms

1. Standard national boundary map is a national boundary map established in the national coordinate system and national elevation system; the standard national boundary map is created at scales of 1:2,000, 1:5,000, 1:10,000, 1:25,000, 1:50,000, 1:100,000, 1:250,000, 1:500,000, 1:1,000,000, 1:2,500,000, 1:3,500,000, 1:6,000,000, 1:9,000,000, 1:15,000,000.

2. Characteristic points of the national boundary line on land are the positions where the national boundary line begins, ends, changes direction; the intersection points of the national boundary line with geographic objects; characteristic topographic points on the national boundary line described in legal documents on boundaries.

3. Territorial distribution characteristic points are the farthest positions related to the scope of national territorial sovereignty over mainland, Vietnam's maritime areas in all directions; geographic objects to determine maritime boundary lines.

4. Supplementary map is a map with a larger, equal, or smaller scale than the main map to supplement the content of the main map.

Article 4. Mathematical basis and accuracy of the standard national boundary map set

1. The mathematical basis and accuracy of the standard national boundary map at scales of 1:2,000, 1:5,000, 1:10,000, 1:25,000, 1:50,000, 1:100,000, 1:250,000, 1:500,000, 1:1,000,000 shall be in accordance with the regulations of the corresponding national topographic map scales.

2. The mathematical basis of the standard national boundary map at scales of 1:2,500,000, 1:3,500,000, 1:6,000,000, 1:9,000,000, 1:15,000,000 is specified as follows:

a) A transverse conic equal-angle projection grid with standard parallels at 11^° degrees North, 21^° degrees North; central meridian at 108 ^° degrees East; origin parallel at 4^° degrees North;

b) The density of the grid of meridians and parallels displayed on the map is specified as follows:

3. The accuracy of the map within the territory of neighboring countries shall be according to the accuracy of the used documents.

Article 5. Content of the standard national boundary map set

The content of the standard national boundary map set includes:

1. Topography, hydrology, transportation, population, administrative boundaries, place names, vegetation cover, and related objects.

2. National boundary line, border markers, base points, baseline, characteristic points of the national boundary line, territorial distribution characteristic points, and related geographic objects; coordinates of points of the boundary of Vietnam's maritime zones.

Article 6. Scope of establishment and representation of the standard boundary maps

1. The scope of establishment of the standard national boundary maps is defined as follows:

a) Standard national boundary maps at scales of 1:2,000 and 1:5,000 shall be established for urban areas, urban development zones, special functional zones, areas requiring district planning and rural planning, and border areas of provinces from Tây Ninh to Kiên Giang upon the request of provinces with national borders;

b) Standard national boundary maps at scales of 1:10,000, 1:25,000, 1:50,000, 1:100,000, 1:250,000, 1:500,000, and 1:1,000,000 shall be established for the entire land border of the country;

c) Standard national boundary maps at scales of 1:2,500,000, 1:3,500,000, 1:6,000,000, 1:9,000,000, and 1:15,000,000 shall be established for the entire territory of Vietnam.

2. The scope of content representation of the standard national boundary maps within the territory of Vietnam is defined as follows:

a) A width of 1 km within the territory of Vietnam measured from the border line for scales of 1:2,000 and 1:5,000;

b) A width of 5 to 7 km within the territory of Vietnam measured from the border line for scales of 1:10,000, 1:25,000, 1:50,000, and 1:100,000;

c) A width of 3 cm on the map within the territory of Vietnam measured from the border line for scales of 1:250,000, 1:500,000, and 1:1,000,000.

3. Content on the standard national boundary maps pertaining to the territory of neighboring countries shall be provided according to the corresponding provisions of Clause 2 of this Article and represented based on collected materials.

Article 7. Documents used for establishing the standard national boundary maps

1. Documents on national boundaries on land, at sea, underground, and in the air pursuant to international treaties to which the Socialist Republic of Vietnam is a member or as prescribed by Vietnamese law. is a member or as prescribed by Vietnamese law.

2. National geographic database, national topographic maps, administrative boundary files and maps.

3. Legal regulatory documents, documents on administrative boundary adjustments.

4. International place name list; administrative place name list; lists of residential, mountainous, hydrographic, and socio-economic place names issued by the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment.

5. Specialized documents on topography, hydrography, population, transportation, socio-economy, and other related documents.

6. Related documents of neighboring countries.

Article 8. Contents of work for establishing the standard national boundary maps

1. Preparation work.

2. Establishing and updating base maps.

3. Transferring the national boundary lines, border markers, and related objects onto the maps.

4. Verifying and determining the national boundary lines on-site.

5. Editing the standard national boundary maps.

6. Inspecting, accepting, and delivering the products.

Article 9. Updating the standard national boundary maps

1. The updating of the standard national boundary maps shall comply with the regulations applicable to national topographic maps at corresponding scales.

2. Annually, the standard national boundary maps shall be reviewed and updated to ensure synchronization and consistency among maps at various scales.

3. The standard national boundary maps shall be updated immediately following any changes to the national boundaries as a result of joint inspections of the border between Vietnam and neighboring countries approved by competent authorities.

Chapter II
TECHNICAL PROVISIONS FOR THE ESTABLISHMENT AND UPDATE

OF THE STANDARD NATIONAL BOUNDARY MAPS

Article 10. Preparation work

1. Collection, analysis, evaluation of documents

a) Collecting documents for the establishment of national boundary standard maps as prescribed in Article 7 of this Circular;

b) Analyzing and evaluating the content and accuracy of documents used to establish national boundary standard maps; determining the level of use for each type of document according to the model prescribed in Appendix 01 issued together with this Circular.

2. Surveying, determining the degree of change in the content of base maps used to establish national boundary standard maps

a) Evaluating the changes of geographic objects in the area for establishing national boundary standard maps based on collected, analyzed, and evaluated natural and socio-economic conditions affecting the updating of base maps;

b) Conducting field surveys when the documents are insufficient to assess the degree of change in the area for updating base maps, determining the method of updating and the extent of content needed to be updated in the base maps.

Article 11. Establishment, updating of base maps

1. Base maps used to establish the set of national boundary standard maps are defined as follows:

a) For national boundary standard maps at scales of 1:2,000, 1:5,000, 1:10,000, 1:25,000, 1:50,000, 1:100,000, 1:250,000, 1:500,000, 1:1,000,000, the base map is the corresponding national topographic map; in areas where there is no corresponding national topographic map, new measurements must be taken and a new base map established; in cases where it is not possible to carry out measurements and establish the content of the map within the territory of neighboring countries, it should be represented according to existing collected documents;

b) For national boundary standard maps at scales of 1:2,500,000, 1:3,500,000, 1:6,000,000, 1:9,000,000, 1:15,000,000, the base map is established from the national topographic map at scale 1:1,000,000 including hydrographic, transportation, population, administrative boundaries, place names, and related geographic objects.

2. The updating of base maps used to establish the set of national boundary standard maps is defined as follows:

a) For national boundary standard maps at scales of 1:2,000, 1:5,000, 1:10,000, the updating of base maps is carried out according to technical regulations for the establishment and updating of the national geographic database and national topographic maps; in cases where it is not possible to update the content of the map within the territory of neighboring countries, it should be represented according to existing collected documents;

b) For national boundary standard maps at scales of 1:25,000, 1:50,000, 1:100,000, 1:250,000, 1:500,000, 1:1,000,000, the base map is updated from the national topographic map at scale 1:10,000 and related documents;

c) For national boundary standard maps at scales of 1:2,500,000, 1:3,500,000, 1:6,000,000, 1:9,000,000, 1:15,000,000, the base map is updated from larger-scale base maps and related documents.

Article 12. Transferring the national boundary line, national border markers, and related geographic objects

1. Transferring the national boundary line, national border markers, distinctive points of the national boundary line, coordinates of basic points, coordinates of sandbanks and islands already assigned, coordinates of points of the territorial sea boundary, and related geographic objects concerning the national boundary line and distinctive points of territorial distribution onto the base map according to legal documents on the boundary, ensuring the accuracy of the national boundary line and the accuracy of the representation of these objects according to the specified scale in the national coordinate system and national height system.

2. Methods of transferring

a) For documents on the national boundary established in the international coordinate system WGS-84, the coordinates of geographic objects must be converted to the national coordinate system according to the technical regulations of the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment;

b) For documents on the national boundary established in other coordinate systems, common points must be determined, parameters for calculating the transformation between the coordinate systems used in the documents and the national coordinate system must be determined. Converting the coordinates of geographic objects to the national coordinate system according to the transformation calculation parameters to ensure the accuracy of the national boundary standard map;

c) Checking the geographic correlation and consistency of related geographic objects concerning the national boundary line.

Article 13. Verification and Determination of National Border Lines on the Ground

1. Verification and determination of areas where national border lines cannot be directly transferred from internal work.

2. Coordinate with competent agencies managing and protecting the national border to conduct verification and determination of national border lines on the ground, and establish field investigation records.

3. Prepare a description of the national border for areas where direct transfer is not possible due to changes in terrain and objects related to the border compared to legal documents.

Article 14. Compilation of Standard National Border Maps at Scales of 1:2,000, 1:5,000, 1:10,000, 1:25,000, and 1:50,000

1. Geographic objects on standard national border maps at scales of 1:2,000, 1:5,000, 1:10,000, 1:25,000, and 1:50,000 shall be represented as follows:

a) The national border line on standard national border maps shall be depicted according to the results of transferring and verifying the national border line on the ground.

b) Fully represent base points, islands with base points, accompanied by place name annotations; baseline according to the declaration of the Government of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam.

c) Coordinates of points of the territorial sea boundary of Vietnam according to international treaties to which the Socialist Republic of Vietnam is a party or as prescribed by Vietnamese law.

d) National boundary markers must be fully and accurately represented regarding their location and marker number based on legal border documents.

đ) Distinctive points of the national border line, distinctive points of territorial distribution, and geographic objects related to the national border line must be fully represented and annotated.

e) The intersection points of the national border line on land and administrative boundary lines must be accurately represented according to state legal documents.

g) Islands and island groups on the map must have the names of the administrative units responsible for management annotated.

h) Geographic objects in foreign territories must ensure geographical correlation with the national border line, annotated according to international place name regulations shown on the map.

i) Topography, hydrology, transportation, population, administrative boundaries, place names, vegetation cover, and related objects shall be represented according to the provisions of national topographic maps at corresponding scales.

2. The compilation and presentation of standard national border maps at scales of 1:2,000, 1:5,000, 1:10,000, 1:25,000, and 1:50,000 shall be carried out according to the provisions of national topographic maps at corresponding scales.

3. The symbols for the national border line, national boundary markers, and presentation outside the frame shall be in accordance with the provisions set forth in Appendix 02 issued together with this Circular.

Article 15. Compilation of Standard National Border Maps at Scales of 1:100,000, 1:250,000, 1:500,000, and 1:1,100,000

1. Geographic objects on standard national border maps at scales of 1:100,000, 1:250,000, 1:500,000, and 1:1,100,000 shall be represented as follows:

a) The national border line shall be generalized from larger scale standard national border maps, ensuring accurate representation of the distinctive shape of the national border line, consistent and geographically correlated with related objects.

b) Fully represent base points, islands with base points, accompanied by place name annotations; baseline according to the declaration of the Government of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam.

c) Coordinates of points of the territorial sea boundary of Vietnam according to international treaties to which the Socialist Republic of Vietnam is a party or as prescribed by Vietnamese law.

d) National boundary markers selected for representation shall be placed at distinctive locations along the national border line, accurately representing their location and marker number based on legal border documents.

đ) Distinctive points of the national border line, distinctive points of territorial distribution must be fully represented and annotated.

e) Intersection points of the national border line on land and administrative boundary lines must be accurately represented according to state legal documents.

g) Islands and island groups on the map must have the names of the administrative units responsible for management annotated.

h) Geographic objects in foreign territories represented on the map must ensure geographical correlation with the national border line, annotated according to legal border documents and the International Place Name List shown on the map.

i) Topography, hydrology, transportation, population, administrative boundaries, place names, vegetation cover, and related objects shall be represented according to the provisions of national topographic maps at corresponding scales.

2. The compilation and presentation of standard national border maps at scales of 1:100,000, 1:250,000, 1:500,000, and 1:1,100,000 shall be carried out according to the provisions of national topographic maps at corresponding scales.

3. The symbols for the national border line, national boundary markers, and presentation outside the frame shall follow the model set forth in Appendix 2 issued together with this Circular.

Article 16. Compilation of national boundary standard maps at scales of 1:2,500,000, 1:3,500,000, 1:6,000,000, 1:9,000,000, and 1:15,000,000.

Clause 1. Geographic objects on national boundary standard maps at scales of 1:2,500,000, 1:3,500,000, 1:6,000,000, 1:9,000,000, and 1:15,000,000 shall be depicted according to the following provisions:

a) The national border line shall be generalized from larger scale standard national border maps, ensuring accurate representation of the distinctive shape of the national border line, consistent and geographically correlated with related objects.

b) Fully represent base points, islands with base points, accompanied by place name annotations; baseline according to the declaration of the Government of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam.

Point c) Coordinates of points of the maritime boundary of Vietnam as stipulated in international treaties to which the Socialist Republic of Vietnam is a party or as prescribed by Vietnamese law;

Point d) Geographic objects depicted on maps at scales of 1:2,500,000, 1:3,500,000, 1:6,000,000, 1:9,000,000, and 1:15,000,000 within the territory within the limits from 4°30' to 23°30' north latitude and from 102°00' to 118°00' east longitude include grid lines, administrative boundaries, cities, towns, major populated points, main hydrographic features, and main transportation routes;

Point đ) The content of the map is summarized according to the scale of the map, ensuring the retention of distinctive features and the correlation of geographic objects; it includes geographic objects accompanied by place names at characteristic distribution areas of Vietnam's territory, including geographic objects at the northernmost, southernmost, easternmost, and westernmost points on land and islands and archipelagos near the maritime delimitation line, overlapping areas, and disputed areas; islands and archipelagos on the map must be annotated with the name of the administrative unit assigned to manage them; geographic objects in neighboring countries' territories must ensure geographic correlation with the national boundary, annotated according to the legal map of the national boundary and the International Place Names List shown on the map.

Clause 2. The presentation of geographic objects included in the national boundary standard maps at scales of 1:2,500,000, 1:3,500,000, 1:6,000,000, 1:9,000,000, and 1:15,000,000 shall follow the model specified in Appendix 3 and Appendix 4 issued under this Circular.

Article 17. Inspection, Review, and Acceptance

Quality inspection, review, and acceptance work for the set of national boundary standard maps must comply with regulations on quality inspection, review, and acceptance of surveying and mapping products issued by the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment.

Clause 1. Packaging and submission of products can only be carried out after passing the inspection, review, and acceptance procedures at all levels as prescribed by the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment.

Clause 2. Submitted products include:

Point a) National boundary standard maps printed on paper and digital versions stored on devices;

Point b) Updated and supplemented digital base maps with changed geographic objects recorded on storage devices;

Point c) Description of the national boundary updated with changed geographic objects compared to legal documents and attached boundary agreement maps. QUY ĐỊNH THỂ HIỆN ĐƯỜNG BIÊN GIỚI QUỐC GIA, CHỦ QUYỀN LÃNH THỔ QUỐC GIA TRÊN CÁC SẢN PHẨM ĐO ĐẠC VÀ BẢN ĐỒ, XUẤT BẢN PHẨM BẢN ĐỒ

Chapter III
REGULATIONS ON THE REPRESENTATION OF THE NATIONAL BOUNDARY AND SOVEREIGN TERRITORY ON SURVEYING AND MAPPING PRODUCTS AND MAP PUBLICATIONS

Article 19. Representation of the National Boundary on Surveying and Mapping Products and Map Publications

Clause 1. Surveying and mapping products and map publications depicting Vietnam’s territory must use the national boundary and characteristic territorial distribution points based on the published national boundary standard maps.

Clause 2. The representation of the national boundary on surveying and mapping products and map publications shall be carried out in the following steps:

Point a) Select the national boundary standard map with the closest scale to the surveying and mapping product or map publication to be implemented;

Point b) Transfer the national boundary from the national boundary standard map onto the surveying and mapping product or map publication to be implemented;

Point c) Check and update the geographic correlation and characteristic positions along the national boundary between the national boundary and geographic objects on the map to be established;

Point d) Check and update characteristic territorial distribution points between the national boundary standard map and the surveying and mapping product or map publication to be established.

Article 20. Manifestation of National Territorial Sovereignty on Surveying Products and Maps, Map Publications

1. Surveying products and maps, map publications fully reflecting Vietnam's territory must clearly show the national borders and distinctive territorial distribution features within geographic coordinates from 4°30' to 23°30' North latitude and from 102°00' to 118°00' East longitude.

2. Surveying products and maps, map publications reflecting part of the mainland related to Vietnam’s maritime and island sovereignty must include an additional map showing the full territorial integrity of Vietnam.

3. Surveying products and maps, map publications reflecting entirely or part of Da Nang City, Khanh Hoa Province, Ba Ria-Vung Tau Province, Kien Giang Province must include an additional map showing the islands and archipelagos under their jurisdiction.

Chapter IV
IMPLEMENTING PROVISIONS

Article 21. Effective Date

This Circular takes effect from January 1, 2019.

Article 22. Implementation organization

1. Ministries, ministerial-level agencies, government-affiliated agencies, provincial People's Committees, centrally governed cities, and related organizations and individuals are responsible for implementing this Circular.

2. During implementation, if there are any difficulties, organizations and individuals shall promptly report to the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment for consideration and decision./.

ANNEX

(Annexed by Circular No. 17/2018/TT-BTNMT

dated October 31, 2018 of the Minister of Natural Resources and Environment)

Appendix 01: Sample Description and Evaluation of Documentation

DESCRIPTION AND EVALUATION OF DOCUMENTATION

For the creation of standard border maps

I. Documentation Used for Creating Base Maps

1. Type of data:…

2. Number:…

3. Scale:…

4. Data format:…

5. Coordinate system:…

6. Elevation system:…

7. Year of creation:…

8. Establishing unit:…

9. Providing organization:…

Evaluation:

……………………………………………………….……………………

……………………………………………………….……………………

Conclusion on the use of the map…………………….…………….…….

……………………………………………………….……………………

II. Documentation Related to National Borders

1. Border map attached to the protocol on the border

- Number:…

- Scale:…

- Coordinate system:…

- Elevation system:…

- Format:…

- Year of creation:…

- Establishing unit:…

- Providing organization:…

Evaluation:…………………………………………………….…….….…

……………………………………………………….……….……...……

……………………………………………………….…………..….……

Conclusion on the use of the map…………………….………….….…….

……………………………………………………….……………...……

1. Other border maps

- Maps and nautical charts attached to border delimitation treaties:…

- Field survey maps:…

……………………………………………………………………………

Evaluation:…………………………………………………………………

……………………………………………………….……………..….…

…………………………………..……………………….………….……

Conclusion on the use of the map…………………….………….….…….

……………………………………………………….……………………

3. Textual documentation

- Legal documents on borders:…

- Reference materials:…

- Providing organization:…

Evaluation:

……………………………………………………….…….…………….

……………………………………………………….……………………

……………………………………………………….……………………

Conclusion on the use of documentation…………………….……………….….

……………………………………………………….……………………

……………………………………………………….……………………