More than 6.85 million aquaculture floating cages made from foam in the northern province of Quang Ninh have been replaced by those made from high-density polyethylene plastic, benefiting both the environment and farmers.
As of November last year the province had more than 32,000ha of aquaculture farms, and they had replaced 98 per cent of foam cages with plastic.
HDPE plastic is environmentally friendly, durable, flexible, non-oxidising, resistant to big waves and strong winds and can withstand high loads.
Local authorities have destroyed the foam cages without causing pollution.
In Cam Pha City and Ha Long City, foam pieces have been sent to industrial zones and cement plants to be used as fuel to recover heat and save coal.
When burned at high temperatures, foam is converted completely to heat, and does not affect the environment.
It is then burned into clinker for cement production.
In Quang Yen Town, the foam cages that need to be destroyed have been transported by a HDPE cage supplier in Bac Ninh Province for recycling.
In Van Don District, over two million cages have been collected at Cai Rong Fishing Port, and will be processed by the VietCycle Joint Stock Company, which recycles domestic scrap for free.
The company uses a crushing, heating and pressurized gas compression line to create solid plastic, which is then converted into other products.
Pham Van Tung, a technical expert at the VietCycle Joint Stock Company, said on knowing that Van Don District wants to recycle more than two million pieces of foam, the company took the production line there since transporting millions of bulky foam floats would take a lot of effort and money.
In the one-odd month since it began, the company has recycled around 40 tonnes of foam and another 250 tonnes are awaiting processing, he said.
It is installing a new line with a higher capacity to increase efficiency, and expects to do so in the second quarter of 2024, he told Vietnam News Agency.
He said the line does not affect the environment or even cause noise pollution, and is easy to transport.
After being cleaned, the foam pieces are crushed, heated and compressed to form solid plastic pieces of more manageable size than the floats.
The pieces are transported to factories in Hai Phong and Ha Noi to clean them further before being used as inputs for waste plastic products, or so-called black plastic, he said.
He said Styrofoam is also a form of plastic, and so when processed by burning it normally gives off black smoke, polluting the environment.
Gathering more than two million foam cages at the Cai Rong fishing port not only occupies a lot of space but also affects the environment and poses fire and explosion hazards.
Dang Ngoc Thiet, head of the port and harbor section at the Van Don District Agricultural Technical Service Centre, said that a large fire broke out in the port’s temporary foam cage storage yard in May last year.
The centre has had to establish a 24-hour monitoring team with surveillance cameras to deal with fire risks.
Bui Van Huong, chairman of the Cai Rong Town People's Committee, hoped the company would speed up recycling of the foam stored at the port.
Local authorities hope the company will invest in more production lines with larger capacities to soon recycle the remaining foam floats.
(vasep.com.vn) Vietnam’s pangasius exports to CPTPP markets reached $264 million in the first eight months of 2026, up 12% year-on-year and accounting for 17% of the nation’s total pangasius export turnover. In August alone, export value reached $34 million, inching up 3%.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) Golden pompano is being selected as a high-value species for the development of high-tech marine aquaculture in Lam Dong Province. In 2026, the provincial Agricultural Extension Center launched a golden pompano farming model using circular HDPE cages in Lien Huong Commune, opening opportunities to apply technology to marine farming at a scale suited to local coastal conditions.
(vasep.com.vn) The application of biotechnology in seed production is increasingly viewed as a strategic imperative to upgrade pangasius fingerling quality, optimize farming efficiency and anchor sustainable industry development.
(vasep.com.vn) On September 15, 2026, in Can Tho, VASEP and ASC jointly organized a training course titled “New ASC standards: updates and practical implementation guidance for farms, businesses and aquafeed mills”. Beyond briefing stakeholders on updated ASC requirements for aquaculture facilities and feed production, the workshop dedicated substantial floor time to directly addressing on-the-ground compliance bottlenecks encountered by Vietnamese enterprises.
(searfood.vasep.com.vn) Vietnam’s tilapia exports continued to post positive results in the first eight months of 2026, with total export value reaching US$90 million, up 43% year-on-year. However, exports in August alone stood at US$11 million, down 8%, reflecting uneven market developments. Brazil remained the leading market, while Japan recorded notable growth, opening up new opportunities for Vietnamese tilapia products.
(vasep.com.vn) Vietnam’s shrimp exports reached US$3.3 billion in the first eight months of 2026, up 12% year on year. However, growth has begun to slow and become more differentiated across markets, while the U.S. and EU continue to present significant challenges. The latest insights from the Global Shrimp Forum 2026 (GSF 2026), held in early September, also indicate that the final months of the year will remain highly competitive as global supply continues to expand and buyers increasingly focus on quality, product specifications, supply stability and the ability to meet market-specific demand.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) In August 2026, Vietnam’s seafood exports reached $1.14 billion, up 6% year on year. Cumulative eight-month exports rose 11.8% to $8.00 billion, though momentum has cooled compared to the 12.8% growth seen through July. China - Hong Kong and ASEAN are offsetting weakness in the U.S, EU and partly Japan. This divergence will likely widen in Q4 as trade tariffs and traceability requirements directly weigh on new orders.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) Vietnam–Russia relations are entering a new phase of cooperation, with a focus on expanding trade, investment and economic connectivity. Against this backdrop, tuna is emerging as one of the seafood products with significant growth potential in the Russian market. Export data for the first seven months of 2026 show strong growth in Vietnamese tuna exports to Russia. However, turning this momentum into sustainable market share will require businesses to address challenges related to logistics, payment and supply competition.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) Vietnamese tilapia is moving into a higher-value segment as brackish-water farmed fish from the Mekong Delta is now being processed for sashimi and exported regularly to Japan.
(seafoo.vasep.com.vn) Ca Mau Province is stepping up efforts to protect aquatic resources and promote transparent and sustainable fisheries, joining the country’s efforts to have the European Commission (EC) remove its “yellow card” warning for illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing.
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