On 17 April 2020 the Ministry of Transport issued Circular 08/2020/TT-BGTVT, which enacts the national technical regulation on Vietnam's inland waterway aids to navigation, QCVN 39:2020/BGTVT. The regulation took effect on 1 November 2020. It was drafted by the Vietnam Inland Waterways Administration, appraised by the Ministry of Science and Technology and issued by the Ministry of Transport, and it replaces QCVN 39:2011/BGTVT.
What's new in QCVN 39:2020/BGTVT is the requirement to use new technology and manage signalling equipment online, to support management and traffic safety. Most notably, lanterns must have built-in monitoring of their operating status and current position, and bridge navigation spans must have electronic clearance signs.
Article 1.8.4 (page 5): "On national inland waterways and main inland waterways, lanterns must be fitted with a device that reports technical parameters, including the signal's coordinates, current, supply voltage, flash character and other parameters of the signal's real-time operating status, and transmits them to the operations centre of the Vietnam Inland Waterways Administration or a unit appointed by the Ministry of Transport. Lanterns mounted on buoys must also be fitted with satellite positioning or AIS to determine the buoy's real-time position."
Article 1.12.3 (page 6): "The navigation spans of bridges over rivers must have automatic clearance warning devices that operate continuously 24/7 with an online connection, and an inverted water gauge painted on; at night the navigation span must be lit by an LED lighting system and fully equipped with warning signs and signals."
The circular applies to the Chief of the Ministry's Office, the Chief Inspector of the Ministry, the directors of departments, the Director of the Vietnam Inland Waterways Administration, the heads of agencies under the Ministry of Transport, and all organisations and individuals concerned.
QCVN 39:2020/BGTVT national regulation on inland waterway aids to navigation