Vietnam intensifies IUU fishing enforcement and maritime support

Vietnam is intensifying efforts to combat Illegal, Unreported, and Unregulated (IUU) fishing and support maritime communities. In Bach Long Vi, authorities discovered two fishing vessels attempting to bypass monitoring by hiding their Vessel Monitoring System (VMS) devices on a third-party vessel to falsify location data.

In Ninh Binh, fishing port management is strengthening controls on vessel entry and exit, catch logs, and electronic traceability to help the country lift the European Commission’s “yellow card” warning. Simultaneously, the Vietnam Coast Guard is conducting outreach programs, providing free medical check-ups and medicine to disadvantaged fishermen and their families, while educating vessel owners on fisheries laws and IUU prevention.

In separate maritime safety news, the Coast Guard successfully assisted a fishing vessel, AG-93978-TS, which was at risk of sinking near Phu Quoc after water flooded its engine compartment due to heavy weather. In Binh Lieu, local medical teams are also conducting home visits to provide healthcare to vulnerable residents, including the elderly and disabled, who cannot reach centralized clinics.