Vietnam faces maritime economic and conservation challenges

Vietnam faces significant challenges in translating its maritime potential into economic value. Despite its strategic location on the shipping route between the Indian and Pacific Oceans, the country's maritime economy is hindered by infrastructure and regulatory issues.

Key obstacles include a lack of specialized highways, railways, and inland waterway connections to major ports, leading to high logistics costs and congestion. Additionally, siltation limits the capacity of large vessels, and slow digital transformation and green port development have impacted competitiveness.

In the fisheries sector, Vietnam continues to struggle with the European Commission’s ‘yellow card’ regarding illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing, a situation that has persisted for nearly a decade. Furthermore, marine conservation efforts remain behind schedule; as of late 2024, only 11 marine protected areas were operational, covering approximately 0.185% of Vietnam’s natural sea area, falling far short of the 6% conservation target.