Leveraging natural advantages to enhance product value
Cà Mau has been restructuring its shrimp sector to align with value chain development. The province encourages the formation of cooperative groups, cooperatives, and shrimp farming clubs to improve access to capital and technical assistance. As a result, the improved extensive farming model has been widely adopted by local farmers.
In Thới Bình district, over 32,000 hectares are under extensive shrimp farming, of which about 17,000 hectares apply the improved high-yield model. Farmers have seen clear benefits from using this model, including greater application of scientific techniques, reduced production risks, improved environmental protection, and better-quality shrimp.
Mr. Trần Văn Giới, a farmer in Tân Phú commune, successfully implemented the two-phase improved extensive model on a 2-hectare farm. He stocked 30,000 domesticated black tiger shrimp postlarvae and harvested over 450 kg of shrimp after just over three months. The shrimp reached sizes of 15–16 count/kg. After deducting costs, his net profit exceeded VND 80 million per crop—significantly higher than traditional methods.
Low-cost, farmer-friendly practices
The improved extensive model retains many characteristics of traditional shrimp farming—such as low stocking density, minimal chemical input, and reliance on natural feed sources—while introducing refinements like better seed management, scheduled mineral and probiotic supplementation, and occasional direct feeding. Importantly, implementation costs remain low at just a few hundred thousand dong per hectare, making the model accessible to small-scale farmers.
This model not only reduces production costs but also contributes to environmental improvements by minimizing waste discharge, improving water quality, and promoting clean, green farming practices.
Toward sustainable production and value chain integration
As of 2025, Cà Mau has developed approximately 127,600 hectares of improved extensive shrimp farming linked to value chains, involving over 64,800 households. Average yields reach 550 kg/ha/year, with a projected total output of nearly 71,000 tons for the year.
To further improve efficiency, the province is investing in infrastructure, piloting demonstration farms, upgrading broodstock and input quality, and providing suitable financial support. At the same time, technical training, extension services, and science-based production methods are being promoted.
The Department of Agriculture and Rural Development is encouraging cooperative-based production through access to land, credit, digital technology, and branding support. Cooperatives are being supported to apply safe, organic, and good aquaculture practices (GAP) to meet market demands and enhance product value.
Planning efforts are also underway to consolidate improved extensive farming areas into concentrated production zones, especially in shrimp–mangrove and rice–shrimp ecosystems. These areas are being developed in line with organic and sustainable farming orientations.
With strong local engagement and favorable environmental conditions, Cà Mau’s improved extensive shrimp farming model is emerging as a viable path toward sustainable aquaculture development and improved rural livelihoods.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) In 2025, Vietnam’s tuna exports to Spain increased by 13% compared to 2024. This growth trend has continued into the first two months of 2026. According to Vietnam Customs statistics, export turnover to this market reached nearly USD 3 million in January–February 2026, up 101% year-on-year and significantly higher than the same period in 2024. This development indicates that Spain is once again becoming a notable destination for Vietnamese tuna amid strong demand for tuna raw materials and products in Europe.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) The 2026 brackish water shrimp farming season in the Mekong Delta has started earlier than usual, mainly driven by positive market signals, as shrimp prices in 2025 remained high and supply was limited. Many enterprises and farms in Cần Thơ, Cà Mau, and Vĩnh Long have proactively stocked early to seize opportunities. By early 2026, stocking areas in many localities had reached a high proportion of planned targets, with intensive and high-tech farming models expanding rapidly.
(vasep.com.vn) Vietnam’s tilapia exports to the United States recorded remarkable growth in 2025, opening up major opportunities while also presenting considerable challenges. The U.S. remains the largest importer of Vietnamese tilapia fillets, with export turnover reaching USD 40 million—an increase of up to 499% compared to 2024. This impressive growth reflects strong demand in the U.S. market, as supply from competing countries such as China has been constrained by tariffs and rising production costs.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) Pangasius remains a strategic export commodity in Vietnam’s seafood sector. Entering 2026, the industry faces a strong need to transition from volume-based growth to a value-driven development model, with a focus on quality, food safety, and sustainability.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) Following damage caused by Storm No. 13 in late 2025, brackish water shrimp farming in Gia Lai is being rapidly restored. In key farming areas such as Tuy Phước and Tuy Phước Đông, farmers are focusing on rehabilitating ponds, repairing infrastructure, and treating the environment in preparation for the 2026 crop.
(seafood.vasep.com) Facing the decline in fishery resources, Vietnam is accelerating livelihood transitions for fishermen to reduce fishing pressure and move toward sustainable development. Marine fish stocks have dropped significantly from 4.82 million tons in 2000–2005 to 3.95 million tons in 2016–2020.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) Vietnam’s shrimp industry is entering a period of strong transformation with the emergence of various high-tech farming models, helping improve productivity and competitiveness. Over the past 5–10 years, farming practices have shifted from traditional methods to intensive and super-intensive systems, featuring lined ponds, environmental sensors, automated feeding, and data management.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) With a focus on sustainable development, high-tech application, and climate change adaptation, An Giang Province aims to maintain its brackish water shrimp production in 2026 at a level equivalent to the previous year. Specifically, output is projected to reach over 155,510 tons, serving both domestic consumption and export processing, thereby sustaining the fisheries sector’s key role in the local economic structure.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) In the Mekong Delta, key pangasius farming provinces such as An Giang, Dong Thap, and Can Tho are accelerating the transition toward a circular economy model, contributing to higher product value and reduced environmental impact. Instead of focusing solely on farming and processing, the pangasius value chain is increasingly utilizing by-products and waste streams to generate added value.
(vasep.com.vn) Vietnam’s scallop exports are entering a phase of impressive growth, as the global market undergoes significant restructuring. In 2025, scallop export value reached nearly USD 66 million, up 49% from USD 44 million in 2024. This upward momentum has continued and accelerated into early 2026, with exports totaling USD 18.1 million in the first two months alone—an increase of 166% year-on-year. This represents an exceptionally high growth rate, reflecting the rapid expansion of a relatively new product segment within Vietnam’s mollusk export portfolio.
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