A recent conference in the central-coastal province of Khanh Hoa brought together stakeholders to explore solutions for the sustainable development of mariculture in Vietnam. Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Phung Duc Tien, highlighted the immense potential of mariculture, given Vietnam’s expansive coastline of over 1 million sq.km.
Deputy Minister Tien emphasized that mariculture is poised to contribute significantly to the realization of the 12th Party Central Committee’s resolution on the strategy for sustainable development of Vietnam’s marine economy until 2030, with a vision extending to 2045. The Prime Minister has set a target of achieving mariculture production of 800,000 tonnes by 2025, a goal that saw substantial progress with 740,000 tonnes already achieved by the end of 2022.
Encouraging the dissemination of successful mariculture models, Deputy Minister Tien stressed the importance of ensuring that products carry proven origin and quality certification. Vice Chairman of the provincial People’s Committee, Tran Hoa Nam, highlighted major species bred at sea in Khanh Hoa, including seabass, cobia, goldfin permit, and lobster, with lobster being a high-value species preferred by tourists and foreign import markets.
Vietnam’s mariculture spans an area of 85,000 hectares with 8.9 million cubic meters of cages, contributing to a total annual production of nearly 750,000 tonnes and an export turnover of 11 billion USD last year. Khanh Hoa alone boasts over 97,000 aquaculture cages, generating an annual output of around 18,000 tonnes and providing employment for over 4,000 rural workers.
The national strategy for sustainable mariculture development by 2030 recognizes Vietnam’s significant potential in raising economically valuable varieties such as plaice, grouper, tuna, oyster for pearls, and seaweed. With its extensive coastline of over 3,260 km, numerous islands, and bays, Vietnam ranks as the world’s fourth-largest producer of seafood from aquaculture.
