Viet Nam is one of the coastal countries having long coastline extended as long as 3,000 Km and the vast waters scattered with numerous islands and archipelagoes. In addition, there are a net of rivers and streams spreading all over the area with the regular current that not only help the development of waterborne transport, fishery but also contribute greatly to exploitation of marine resources. So the effective systems of Aids to navigation to be established to serve thereon are important and in need for safe waterborne traffic.

           In the matter of fact, the aids to navigation of Viet Nam have been, through many periods, developed concurrently with other countries in the world as early as the middle of 20th Century and they have operated effectively and played a vital role in the development of national economy.

           After Geneva Convention, the new Government of the Democratic Republic of Viet Nam took over the existing establishments  from French to found the Service of Pilotage & Light houses for operating and managing the light houses and navigation channels from Quang Ninh Province to Quang Binh Province.

           In the South, meanwhile, the administration of old regime founded the Service of Light houses & Beacon (Service des Phares and des Balises) based on the French shaped establishment to operate and manage  the light houses and navigation channels spreading from Quang Binh Province to Ha Tien area.

           By the time the achievement of country unity, Viet Nam has two Services of Maritime Safety: Maritime Safety Service No.1 in the North and Maritime Safety Service No.2 in the South, Both which are under the direction of Viet Nam Marine Administration, have their a number of member-units and operated effectively in most 20 years.  In 1988, Maritime Safety Service No.2 has gained the member qualification of the International Association of Light house Authorities (IALA). From this time on, the Southern Aids to Navigation System which were an old AtoN system installed in the French colonial regime have been altered and made accordance with the recommendations of IALA stipulated the AtoN system to Region A.

           In 1995, Two Services were merged into one called Viet Nam Maritime Safety Agency which managed 12 member-units locating along the coastline of the country from Quang Ninh province to Ha Tien, Kien Giang Province. The Regional Maritime Safety No.4 was assigned a greatest quantity of tasks in the most density of waterborne traffic area. For 10 years, the Unit had completed the assigned duty at one’s best, no maritime incident happened might be get the blame for aids to navigation.

           However, the unified form is merely agreed  to the wartime or subsidiary period, that the above form could not be suitable to the tendency to economic development and market mechanism, especially to the time in which Viet Nam is integrating in  the international     community. In order to execute the Governmental policy on the renovation, arrangement, and developing encouragement of small and medium enterprises as well as the State –owned enterprises operating in the public utilities, the Ministry of Transport and Viet Nam Maritime Safety Administration (Vinamarine) had submitted the plan for arrangement of State enterprises operating in the public utilities directly under  Vinamarine. Therefore, the modification of organization was made, once again, for aids to navigation authorities by the Decision No. 2269/QĐ-BGTVT dated July 4th, 2005 on dividing Viet Nam Maritime Safety Agency into two companies: Maritime Safety Company I in the North and Maritime Safety Company II in the South.