After 2 years of EU’s warning of yellow card for Vietnam's caught marine products, Vietnam's marine product export to EU market has been remarkably affected, down 6.5% to nearly 390 million USD in 2018 and continued to level off in the first 8 months of 2019 with 251 million USD. From the second position in Vietnam's seafood import markets, after the yellow card, the EU has dropped to fifth and the proportion of the market has decreased from 18% to 13%.
Recognizing the negative impacts of the IUU yellow card on Vietnam's seafood exports to the EU market and the prestige of Vietnamese seafood products on the world market, identifying the need for sustainable development of the seafood industry, on September 25, 2017, the VASEP Marine Product Committee (VMPC) and Vietnam marine product processing and export enterprises organized the conference " Marine product Enterprises’ Commitment to Combating IUU Fishing". At the conference, the IUU Executive Board was launched, announcing commitments to combating IUU fishing with participation of 62 marine product enterprises and the program's action plan was approved.
After 2 years of persistence with the goal of removing the yellow card and for sustainable development of Vietnam's fisheries, Vietnamese seafood enterprises have been very active in the program's activities: simultaneously hung the board of commitments to combating IUU fishing (in bilingual English-Vietnamese) at the company gates or doors of processing plants, purchase raw materials sourced from legal fishing vessels with clear traceability and only import legally caught seafood, complies with the provisions of the US, EU and Vietnam to combat IUU fishing, participate in seminars, training, propaganda and communication on IUU fishing.
VMPC, VASEP’s IUU Steering Board and enterprises have actively cooperated with the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, the Directorate of Fisheries, relevant agencies and localities to implement the recommendations of the EU, reflecting the most in joining, proposing, commenting on amendmemd and completion of the legal framework such as the new Fisheries Law, the Decree guiding the Fisheries Law, the Circular 36/2018/TT-BNNPTNT amending the Circular 26/2016/TT-BNNPTNT, Circular 21/2018/TT-BNNPTNT amending Circular 26, Circular 02/2018/TT-BNNPTNT and Circular 36/2018/TT-BNNPTNT related to catch statement (SC) and catch certification (CC) of wild-caught seafood products, quarantine of imported seafood ... The Circular announcing the list of ports assigned to make SC for wild-caught seafood raw materials ...
The Association sent documents to the Prime Minister, Chairman of the National Assembly, Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development reporting and proposing the contents of actions to combat IUU fishing, recomending and proposing for Action Plan to remove IUU yellow card.
Also, VASEP has coordinated and cooperated closely with the parties such as the Coast Guard Command, with relevant ministries and international organizations in the communication and training activities on IUU combating for enterprises and fishermen. In particular, VASEP always maintains a good cooperative relationship with the EC to report and share information about Vietnam's efforts in combating IUU fishing.
In addition to organizing conferences, seminars, training, meetings to communicate and propagandize about Vietnam’s efforts to combat IUU fishing, setting a colum of combating IUU fishing on website: vasep.com.vn, VASEP has widely published publications in Vietnamese and English on combating IUU fishing to the community of business, fishermen, management agencies, and domestic and foreign stakeholders, including:
- White Book on combating IUU fishing in Vietnam
- Map: “Location of the sustainable supply of Vietnamese marine products and tuna in the commitment to combat IUU fishing”
- Posters to propagate ship owners and fishmen to implement regulations under Fisheries Law 2017
In particular, VASEP has collaborated with D-Fish, VTV and other media agencies to make a video clip to propagate ship owners and fishmen to do obligative activities under Fisheries Law 2017, transmitted by more than 30 media agencies and got nearly 800 shares on Facebook and website.
The main activities of the Program "Marine product Enterprises’ Commitment to Combating IUU Fishing" will be consistently and strongly implemented in coming time: strictly implement the commitments and regulations against IUU fishing, make proposals and recommendations for legal documents, reflect and propose to remove obstacles in exporting seafood to the EU, strengthen cooperation with relevant parties in the marine supply chain and promote international relations, intensify communication on VASEP information channels and mass media.
After 2 years of implementing the program, VASEP and Vietnam marine product enterprises pledge to work closely and continuously with the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, state management agencies and fishermen community with the motto of "Say NO to IUU". We will determine on developing sustainable fisheries and maintaining importing markets of Vietnamese seafood products.
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VASEP MARINE PRODUCT COMMITTEE (VMPC)
IUU Task Force of VASEP
Email: combat_iuu@vasep.com.vn
Hotline : +84 243.7715055 (ext:204) và +84.982195872
Website: http://vasep.com.vn/1454/Tin-Tuc/Chong-khai-thac-IUU.htm
http://seafood.vasep.com.vn/747/whybuy/combat-iuu-fishing.htm
Facebook: VASEP_Combat IUU
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) Seafood exports are holding double-digit growth, but the opportunities are not spread evenly across product groups and markets. As businesses draw up their plans for 2027, Vietnam Seafood Summit 2026 (VSS2026) offers a chance to look ahead together: what to sell, where to sell it, and how to prepare for growth in the coming years.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) With less than two weeks to go, the Vietnam Seafood Summit 2026 (VSS 2026) will officially take place in Can Tho. Under the theme “Seafood Market Outlook 2027–2029 – Opportunities and Potential for Double-Digit Export Growth,” the Summit is organized by VASEP at a time when seafood businesses are facing rapid market shifts, changing buyer demand, trade policy changes and growing competitive pressure all at once.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) On October 28, 2026, the China Fisheries & Seafood Expo opened in Qingdao, China. The expo takes place over three days from October 28 to 30, 2026. This is a prestigious specialized seafood exhibition organized annually by Sea Fare Exposition Inc.
(vasep.com.vn) In the first nine months of 2026, Vietnam’s tilapia exports to the CPTPP bloc reached $7 million, marking a 51% year-on-year increase. The bloc rstands as the fourth-largest market for Vietnamese tilapia, trailing Brazil, the US, and Saudi Arabia.
(vasep.com.vn) VASEP has officially announced the program for Vietnam Seafood Summit 2026 (VSS 2026), featuring five in-depth sessions covering industry outlooks, trade barriers, buyer demand, the domestic market, and solutions to improve productivity and reduce costs across the seafood value chain.
(vasep.com.vn) Vietnam’s shrimp exports reached US$3.7 billion in the first nine months of 2026, up 11% year on year. Although growth has been supported by China and several markets within the CPTPP, momentum is slowing as exports to the United States and the European Union decline. Tariff pressures, international competition, and raw material challenges are creating significant hurdles for exporters in the final months of the year.
(vasep.com.vn) Markets are changing faster, buyer requirements are becoming more demanding, and trade barriers are growing increasingly complex. In this environment, seafood businesses need more than an understanding of current market conditions. They need a longer-term perspective to answer a critical question: Where will growth opportunities come from in 2027–2029, and what should businesses do now to prepare? This is one of the key reasons why VASEP is organizing Vietnam Seafood Summit 2026.
(vasep.com.vn) In the first eight months of 2026, Vietnam’s pangasius exports to the Middle East reached US$113 million, up 7% year on year from the same period in 2025. Growth has become more pronounced in recent months. In August alone, exports to the region totaled US$20 million, an increase of 24%. This indicates that demand for Vietnamese pangasius in the Middle East is gradually recovering after a slowdown in March, although the pace of recovery varies across markets.
(vasep.com.vn) China’s shrimp imports continued to grow strongly in 2026, while Vietnam’s shrimp exports to the market also recorded notable growth. However, behind these positive figures lie two distinct trends: Chinese consumption is growing more slowly than imports, and lobster accounts for a substantial share of Vietnam’s shrimp exports to China, making its product mix significantly different from those of Ecuador and India. Exporters therefore need to assess each segment carefully to understand the opportunities and risks.
(vasep.com.vn) Changing markets, shifting buyer demand, and increasingly complex trade barriers are raising a key question for Vietnam’s seafood industry: Where will the new growth opportunities lie in 2027–2029?
VASEP - HIỆP HỘI CHẾ BIẾN VÀ XUẤT KHẨU THỦY SẢN VIỆT NAM
Chịu trách nhiệm: Ông Nguyễn Hoài Nam - Phó Tổng thư ký Hiệp hội
Đơn vị vận hành trang tin điện tử: Trung tâm VASEP.PRO
Trưởng Ban Biên tập: Bà Phùng Thị Kim Thu
Giấy phép hoạt động Trang thông tin điện tử tổng hợp số 138/GP-TTĐT, ngày 01/10/2013 của Bộ Thông tin và Truyền thông
Tel: (+84 24) 3.7715055 – (ext.203); email: kimthu@vasep.com.vn
Trụ sở: Số 7 đường Nguyễn Quý Cảnh, Phường An Phú, Quận 2, Tp.Hồ Chí Minh
Tel: (+84) 28.628.10430 - Fax: (+84) 28.628.10437 - Email: vasephcm@vasep.com.vn
VPĐD: số 10, Nguyễn Công Hoan, Ngọc Khánh, Ba Đình, Hà Nội
Tel: (+84 24) 3.7715055 - Fax: (+84 24) 37715084 - Email: vasephn@vasep.com.vn