Deputy Prime Minister Tran Hong Ha, Deputy Head of the National Steering Committee on Combating IUU Fishing - Photo: VGP/Minh Khoi

Vietnam Intensifies Fight Against IUU Fishing: Data, Transparency, and Legal Reform Key to Lifting EC 'Yellow Card'

VIET NAM
Thursday, December 04, 2025, 06:00 (GMT + 9)

Deputy PM Trần Hồng Hà Demands 'Substantial, Transparent' Evidence and Digital Transformation in Fisheries Management

On the morning of December 2, Deputy Prime Minister Trần Hồng Hà, who is also Deputy Head of the National Steering Committee on Combating Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated Fishing (IUU), chaired the 24th meeting of the Steering Committee. The meeting connected online with 21 coastal provinces and cities to review the country's progress in combating IUU fishing, a critical effort to remove the European Commission (EC) "yellow card" imposed over 8 years ago.

Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Le Thi Thu Hang speaks - Photo: VGP/Minh Khoi

Digital Strategy and Data Integrity

Despite ministries and localities completing 101/101 tasks assigned by the Prime Minister as of November 29, the primary goal of lifting the yellow card remains elusive.

Deputy PM Trần Hồng Hà emphasized a shift in strategy, focusing on onshore control and the urgent application of digital technology and telecommunications to manage the vast ocean space. He stressed the completion of the National Fisheries Database (VNFishbase) as a "must-be-done solution" to comprehensively monitor fishing vessels and trace the origin of exploited aquatic products.

Key Digital Goals:

• Complete VNFishbase: The database currently holds registration and updated information for 79,243/79,243 fishing vessels.

• Integrated Management: The system integrates data on ship owners, crew, entry/exit processes (linked to the National Population Database), and administrative penalty data.

• Transparency for EC: A complete data system will allow Vietnam to directly exchange full information with the EC regarding violating vessels, origin tracing, licensing, and handling progress.

Representative of the Military Industry and Telecommunications Group (Viettel) reports - Photo: VGP/Minh Khoi

The Military Industry and Telecommunications Group (Viettel), a representative of which attended the meeting, affirmed that they are ensuring the data in VNFishbase is "correct, sufficient, clean and live" and proposed a comprehensive project on digital transformation management for fishing and aquaculture to strictly manage the traceability process.

Drastic Enforcement and Violation Handling

The Deputy PM insisted that inspection and handling of violations must be substantial, transparent, and supported by clear evidence, including video recordings, photos, records, minutes, and payment receipts, to demonstrate Vietnam's seriousness to international partners.

• Violation Statistics: Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Phùng Đức Tiến reported that localities have handled "100% of violations," punishing a total of 4,037 cases with fines totaling about VND162 billion.

• Criminal Cases: Authorities have prosecuted 91 cases related to IUU fishing, involving 138 defendants.

  

  Representative of the Vietnam Association of Seafood Exporters and Producers (VASEP) reports - Photo: VGP/Minh Khoi

• Foreign Detentions: Of 71 Vietnamese fishing vessels detained by foreign countries, 53 vessels (nearly 74%) have been dealt with.

• VMS Violations: 100% of fishing vessels that lost connection to the Vehicle Monitoring System (VMS) or crossed maritime boundaries were handled.

Case of Fraudulent Origin

Deputy PM Trần Hồng Hà specifically requested Khánh Hòa province to take responsibility for a case involving fraudulent origin of processed swordfish shipments exported to the EU, requiring clarification on the form of punishment and cause of fraud this week. He emphasized that violations must be handled to the end and, if criminal signs are present, transferred for prosecution with public disclosure of information.

Delegates attending the meeting - Photo: VGP/Minh Khoi

Legal and International Harmonization

The meeting also addressed ongoing challenges with international trade barriers.

• US MMPA: A representative from the Vietnam Association of Seafood Exporters and Producers (VASEP) reported that the United States has refused to recognize the equivalence of 12 Vietnamese seafood exploitation occupations under the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA). VASEP is coordinating with the ministry to review and complete a report on these 12 fishing occupations.

• Legal Reform: The Deputy PM urged ministries and VASEP to continue reviewing and amending the Fisheries Law to harmonize with the legal requirements of the United States, the European Union, and other countries. The review must definitively resolve issues of legal and technical conflicts.

• Inter-Agency Coordination: The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Justice were requested to support the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development with legal and foreign language expertise during dialogues and work with the EC and the United States.

The Deputy Prime Minister asked ministries, sectors and VASEP to continue reviewing and amending the Fisheries Law to ensure harmony with the legal requirements of the United States, the European Union and several other countries - Photo: VGP/Minh Khoi

The Deputy PM concluded by setting a critical deadline of December 15 to complete tasks and resolve outstanding issues, stressing that data provided to the EC must be thoroughly examined, especially concerning vessels violating regulations and any discrepancies between Vietnam's and the EC's data.

Source: Government newspaper

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