GENERAL INFORMATION

Vietnam, with a coastline of over 3,260 kilometers (km) and more than 3,000 islands and islets scattered offshore, plus up to 2,860 rivers and estuaries, has been geographically endowed with ideal conditions for the thriving fishery sector which currently exists.

Great potential of fishery sector in Vietnam is embedded in water bodies of 1.700.000 ha in which 811.700 ha freshwater, 635.400 ha brackish waters and 125.700 ha coves and 300.000 - 400.000 ha wetland areas might be employed for aquaculture development.

The Mekong River Delta in the south and the Red River Delta in the north have been used for wild catch fishing as well as extensive fish farming.

Shrimp and pangasius mostly farmed in the Mekong River Delta, in which, shrimp farmes located in coastal provinces such as Tra Vinh, Bac Lieu, Soc Trang, Ca Mau, Kien Giang, Ben Tre..

Pangasius farming is developing in many provinces in Mekong River Delta such as Can Tho, Vinh Long, Tien Giang, An Giang, Dong Thap, Soc Trang, Hau Giang, Tra Vinh....

Production in the fishery sector grew at an average rate of 7.05% from 1991 to 2000, and 10% from 2001 to now. Vietnamese fisheries production increased steadily YoY. Aquaculture output tent to sharply rise while capture ouput tend to slow down. In 2023, aquaculture occupied 59%, fishing output occupied 41%. From 2018-2023, ratio of fishing output has decreased from 46% to 41% of total fishery production in Vietnam. In 2023, total aquaculture area was 5.408 million tons, up 3.5%; total fishing output was 3.861 million tons, equal to 2022.

Available fish sources

The Mekong Delta province of Bac Lieu is building a high-tech shrimp farming area with the aim of becoming a centre of the country’s shrimp industry.

(seafood.vasep.com.vn) In recent years, Tra Vinh province has implemented the structure of the fisheries sector and has made changes in the right direction, especially the product structure.

The Mekong Delta province of Long An targets at least 60,000 tonnes of aquaculture production this year, about 2,000 tonnes higher than in 2020.

The districts of Go Cong Dong and Tan Phu Dong, which form key saline and brackish water aquaculture areas in the Mekong Delta province of Tien Giang, are targeting to have more than 10,500 ha of water surface area serving aquatic farming, mostly shrimp, this year.

(seafood.vasep.com.vn) According to the plan, in 2021, Soc Trang province strives to stock brackish water shrimp in 51,000 hectares, with total production expected to reach 172,000 tons.

(seafood.vasep.com.vn) Effectively promoting some existing shrimp farming models in the locality, Ca Mau province is focusing on developing super-intensive and intensive shrimp farming, developing shrimp-rice rotation and shrimp-forest farming according to internationally certified nurturing expansion guide.

The southernmost province of Ca Mau is applying itself to developing intensive and super-intensive shrimp farming along with alternative shrimp - rice culture and integrated shrimp - forest cultivation models under international standards.

Vietnam is expected to become one of the world’s top shrimp producers thanks to its positive response to the COVID-19 pandemic and its modern shrimp farming models, according to industry insiders.

A species of crab in Nam Can district and a fish sauce hot pot in the U Minh Forest in the southernmost province of Ca Mau have been listed among the Top 100 specialties in Vietnam in 2020-2021 by the Vietnam Record Organisation (Vietkings).

The southern province of Ba Ria-Vung Tau has ordered its Department of Agriculture and Rural Development to get tougher on illegal fishing in foreign waters by local fishing ships and their owners.

Farmers in the Mekong Delta province of Tien Giang are raising the fry of high - value aquatic species on an area of more than 6,000ha this year, up marginally from last year, according to the province’s Department of Agriculture and Rural Development.

The Mekong Delta province of Kien Giang has planned to further promote sustainable marine aquaculture in line with the “Strategy for the Sustainable Development of Vietnam’s Marine Economy by 2030 with a Vision to 2045”.

Dozens of households in the Mekong Delta province of Tra Vinh have begun sea crab breeding this year, with 37 million baby crabs on a total area of 7,330 ha.

(seafood.vasep.com.vn) In 2020, the country's seafood production has reached 8.4 million tons, a slight increase of 3% compared to 2019, of which aquaculture accounts for 54% with nearly 4.6 million tons. accounting for 46% with over 3.8 million tons. Seafood exports reached 8.4 billion USD, down 1.9% compared to 2019, of which aquaculture (shrimp, pangasius) accounted for 62% with 5.2 billion USD, captured seafood accounted for 38% with 3.2 billion USD.

The Mekong Delta province of Kien Giang targets an average annual growth rate of 24 per cent for marine aquaculture from now to 2030.