Bac Lieu, a southern coastal province, has suitable natural conditions and potentials to develop aquaculture. By late 2013, aquaculture area owned by the province reached 127,000 hectares, in which 16,000 hectares were used for fish farming under intensive and semi-intensive model. In 2014, the province targets to reach aquaculture area of 128,396 hectares and fish production of 171,700 MT, including 95,700 MT of shrimp and 76,000 MT of finfish and other aquatic species.
However, in recent years, local shrimp farmers have faced a lot of challenges such as low quality of shrimp seed, rocketing cost for veterinary drugs, unstable shrimp demand from importing markets. Besides, inadequate infrastructure (water irrigation and power) for shrimp production, lack of capital and advanced technologies for shrimp farming hamper farmers from fast developing their farming activities. Moreover, farmers do not sign supply contracts with processors to ensure that all their shrimp production will be bought by processors. Shrimp farming under extensive and renovated extensive model does not bring high productivity.
To gain the province’s target in 2014 and develop sustainable shrimp farming, farmers are required to strictly comply with the Decision 456/QĐ-BNN-NTTS of Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development on producing seed and farming whiteleg shrimp. Thanks to short farming period and high productivity, farmers are expanding whiteleg shrimp. Thus, local authorities need to plan farming area of whiteleg shrimp as well as invest more in infrastructure for shrimp farming. Local leaders should direct farmers to rear shrimp under cooperatives or groups so that they can support each other in their production chain.
In addition, relevant authorities are encouraging local farmers to sign supply contract with processors. Accordingly, processors pay input costs for farming and ensure to buy all shrimp produced by farmers. Under the model, processors will hold initiative in raw shrimp supply for processing and build brand name for Bac Lieu’s shrimp. Linking with processors helps farmers save investment costs for their production. And competent authorities can control farmers’ farming activities and diseases on shrimp closely and comprehensively.
Furthermore, in coming time, provincial leaders need to strengthen controlling and periodically inspecting seed producing facilities, trading facilities of aquatic veterinary drugs to prevent low-quality products.
Equally important, farmers should comply with crop schedule and authorities’ directions as well as stock high-quality seed to develop shrimp farming sustainably.
Quarantine of over 928 million of post larvae
To ensure the quality of shrimp seed before being stocked, local authorities in the province quarantined 928.15 million of post larvae, including 281.99 million of post larvae produced in the province and 646.16 million ones bought from outside province. After inspecting, authorities granted 570 quarantine certificates for 334 batches of shrimp seed free with diseases.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) After a fairly strong upward trend in 2025, Vietnam’s clam exports entered 2026 with a mixed picture: strong growth at the beginning of the year, followed by a slowdown from March onward. According to Vietnam Customs data, Vietnam’s clam export turnover in the first four months of 2026 reached more than USD 38 million, up 2% compared to the same period in 2025.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) Vietnam’s pangasius industry is facing new opportunities to expand its development space as many localities and businesses begin promoting marine farming models aimed at diversifying farming areas and adapting to climate change. However, for pangasius to truly “go offshore” and develop into a large-scale industry segment, significant challenges related to technology, broodstock, and markets still need to be addressed.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) Vietnam’s tilapia exports in April 2026 reached USD 11 million, up 92% compared to the same period in 2025. This strong growth indicates that Vietnamese tilapia products are continuing to penetrate and expand rapidly in international markets. Cumulative export turnover in the first four months of 2026 reached USD 49 million, up 151% year-on-year.
(seafood.vasep.com) At VietShrimp Asia 2026, disease management trends in shrimp farming are shifting strongly from treatment-based approaches toward proactive prevention through environmental and pond ecosystem control.
(vasep.com.vn) After a period of strong growth, with export turnover reaching USD 38 million in Q1/2026 — up 174% year-on-year — the sector’s rapid expansion clearly reflects growing market opportunities.
(vasep.com.vn) In the first quarter of 2026, Vietnam’s pangasius exports to the ASEAN bloc reached USD 44 million, up 7% compared to the same period in 2025. After falling to the lowest level of the quarter at USD 9 million in February — reflecting the seasonal slowdown in orders after the festive period — exports recovered strongly to USD 18 million in March, the highest monthly value of the quarter. This development shows that import demand for pangasius in ASEAN remains relatively stable despite short-term fluctuations.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) On May 11, 2026, the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) announced a positive comparability finding for Vietnam’s swimming crab fisheries, along with those of Indonesia and Sri Lanka, under the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA). With this decision, seafood and seafood products harvested from Vietnam’s swimming crab fisheries will continue to be eligible for import into the US market.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) After a slowdown in 2025, Vietnam’s tuna exports to Germany showed more positive signs in the first quarter of 2026. However, the recovery remains uncertain as consumer demand in Germany is still cautious, while market competition is increasingly driven by pricing and supply stability.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) After a sharp decline in 2025, Vietnam’s tuna exports to Israel are showing positive signs of recovery in the early months of 2026. According to Vietnam Customs data, export turnover to this market grew steadily month by month in Q1/2026, reaching nearly USD 10 million, up 33% compared to the same period in 2025. However, compared to Q1/2024, this level remains significantly lower, indicating that the recovery is still in its early stage following last year’s strong adjustment.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) Entering 2026, the U.S. whitefish market has shown complex developments as global cod supply continues to tighten, while the U.S. trade environment becomes less stable. In this context, the U.S. market has had to become more flexible in sourcing alternative whitefish. However, relying heavily on Alaska pollock is not a long-term solution, as it is a strictly managed fishery with quotas and sustainability regulations, limiting any rapid increase in output to offset cod shortages.
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