Vietnam IUU fishing management and traceability efforts

Vietnam is implementing measures to combat Illegal, Unreported, and Unregulated (IUU) fishing through technological monitoring and legal education. Initial efforts focused on regional inspections in provinces like Quang Tri, where authorities utilized Vessel Monitoring Systems (VMS) and began implementing an electronic seafood traceability system (eCDT) to track vessel activities and connectivity. Following the March 1 mandate for the eCDT system, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development has urged coastal provinces to increase participation rates. While some provinces have achieved synchronization rates above 94%, others report significantly lower adoption. The Ministry has directed local authorities to address inconsistent data updates and ensure that 100% of vessel movements and unloaded seafood volumes are tracked electronically to improve catch volume supervision and origin certification. In preparation for a European Commission inspection scheduled for October 2026, the Mekong Delta province of Dong Thap is intensifying its controls. The province is working to standardize fishing fleet data, ensure database consistency, and complete seafood traceability records. Local authorities are also reviewing seafood processing and export enterprises serving the European market. To ensure compliance, Dong Thap requires 100% of trips by vessels at least 6 metres in length to be recorded in the eCDT. Furthermore, authorities are verifying VMS seals, serial numbers, and signals during port entries and departures; vessels with non-operational VMS, broken seals, or signs of tampering will be prohibited from leaving port. The province aims to resolve all cases involving unregistered, uninspected, or unlicensed vessels by October 15. Expanding its scope beyond fisheries, the Dong Thap Provincial People's Committee has issued Plan No. 1077/KH-UBND to enhance the quality, food safety, and traceability of agricultural, forestry, and fishery products for the 2026–2030 period.