Mr. Nguyen Quang Hung, Deputy Director of Directorate of Fisheries (Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development), said: The traceability of fishery products is now a mandatory requirement of the market. Not only export markets but also domestic consumers need transparency in traceability.
According to Mr. Hung, Vietnam has deployed traceability of seafood for a long time. This is reflected in the 2003 Fisheries Law, which requires fishermen to keep records in fishing logbooks to serve the traceability of the caught fish. Next is the implementation of the Fisheries Law 2017, whereby Vietnam has implemented drastic and synchronous traceability of fisheries at designated fishing ports of 28 coastal provinces across the country.
“Currently, Vietnam has 57 fishing ports eligible for implementing catch statement and catch certification for fishing products. Vietnam has done a good job in asking fishermen to keep records in their logbook during the fishing trips, as well as requiring transshipment ships to report on transshipment from fishing vessels. At fishing ports, there is a management board to verify seafood's origins. Regarding the fish middle agencies, seafood purchasing and processing companies, the local Fisheries Department will certify that seafood products before exporting to the markets, ”said Hung.
However, according to fishermen, paper-based recording on fishing boats is quite inconvenient, especially when the waves are high, the wind is wet, making the recording papers wet, making it difficult to complete the documents for the fishing consignment.
Regarding the above issue, Mr. Nguyen Quang Hung, also acknowledged that Vietnam fishery industry is still implementing traceability from paper documents, which will take time and not guarantee enough reliability, and not convenient in archiving of records.
Therefore, the deployment of electronic fishing logbooks, as well as traceability of seafood products on electronic means will improve the accuracy and convenience in copying, operating, and managing traceability records. To solve this problem, the Directorate of Fisheries is developing electronic traceability software and will pilot a number of localities such as Vung Tau, Khanh Hoa, Binh Dinh, Phu Yen.
Next time, the Directorate of Fisheries will train fishermen as well as the fishing port management system, Fisheries Sub-Departments in 28 provinces. After the pilot, in the period of 2021 - 2023, the application of software for traceability of aquatic products will be deployed nationwide.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) In the first three months of 2026, Vietnam’s exports of fish cake and surimi reached USD 63 million, down 5% compared to the same period last year. Although total export value declined slightly due to decreases in some key markets, many other destinations continued to post strong growth, opening up room for this convenience-oriented processed segment in the coming quarters.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) Favorable weather conditions in the early months of 2026 have brought encouraging signs for fisheries activities in Quang Tri. Output has grown steadily, contributing to improved livelihoods for local residents.
Entering 2026, Vietnam’s seafood industry is facing a period of both high expectations and mounting pressures. Following the positive recovery in 2025, production and export activities in Q1/2026 demonstrated the strong adaptability of Vietnam’s seafood business community amid continued global trade volatility, intensifying international competition, and increasingly stringent compliance requirements in import markets.
(vasep.com.vn) In the first quarter of 2026, Vietnam’s shrimp exports reached USD 1.069 billion, up 17.5% compared to the same period in 2025. This is a positive result amid an uneven global shrimp market recovery, intensifying competition among major suppliers, and continued volatility in the international trade environment. However, this growth does not reflect a broad-based recovery across the entire sector, but rather is driven mainly by strong performance in a few markets and specific product segments—most notably lobster exports to China.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) Vietnam’s tuna exports continued to decline in March 2026. Cumulatively, in the first three months of the year, export value reached USD 208 million, down 4% compared to the same period in 2025. The export landscape shows clear divergence across markets: while the U.S. and EU remain challenging, markets such as Russia, the Middle East, Egypt, the Philippines, and Mexico have emerged as growth bright spots.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) In Quang Ngai Province, shrimp farming costs are rising sharply due to लगातार increases in feed, fuel, and input material prices, while farm-gate shrimp prices are declining. This has significantly reduced farmers’ profit margins and increased production risks.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) Vietnam’s tilapia exports are experiencing impressive growth, reflecting expanding global demand as well as the sector’s development potential. However, behind the strong growth figures lie limitations in production capacity and supply chains, highlighting the need for sustainable development in the coming period.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) Vietnam’s pangasius exports to the Middle East in 2025 and early 2026 have shown notable growth. However, escalating geopolitical tensions in the region have increasingly impacted export activities since March. This situation presents a challenge of balancing market expansion opportunities with rising trade risks.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) The Quang Tri Department of Agriculture and Environment has instructed localities to base their stocking schedules on actual conditions in each farming area, while developing plans, allocating resources, and implementing synchronized measures for disease prevention and disaster risk management in aquaculture production.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) In the first two months of 2026, Vietnam’s exports of fish cakes and surimi exceeded USD 45 million, up 7% compared to the same period in 2025, indicating a positive outlook for this product segment amid recovering demand in many markets.
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