Bringing digital tech into aquaculture pond to raise value

Aquaculture as a growth engine

On June 9, on the sidelines of the 2026 International Exhibition on Agricultural and Environmental Technology, VietAgros 2026, held in Can Tho, the Can Tho City Department of Agriculture and Environment co-organized a seminar titled "Digital Transformation and Smart Technology in Aquaculture" in collaboration with research institutes, universities, and international organizations.

The seminar drew a broad audience of managers, experts, businesses, and fish and shrimp farmers, focusing on the application of artificial intelligence, the Internet of Things, big data, and modern management platforms to improve production efficiency, reduce costs, and strengthen disease surveillance.

Quach Thi Thanh Binh, Deputy Director of the Can Tho City Department of Agriculture and Environment, noted that although Can Tho holds the status of a centrally administered municipality, the city still identifies agriculture as one of its key economic pillars. The city is actively shifting from a production-oriented agricultural mindset toward an economic-value mindset, with a focus on increasing value-added output and achieving sustainable growth.

Following Can Tho's recent spatial expansion, agriculture has been reaffirmed as a leading sector underpinning the city's economic growth targets. Within that sector, aquaculture is seen as having significant untapped potential and plays an important role in the local agricultural economy.

Alongside progress in combating illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing, the aquaculture sector also faces mounting challenges including climate change, disease outbreaks, food safety requirements, traceability demands, and increasingly stringent responsible-production standards from international markets.

"To improve productivity and product quality, protect the ecological environment, and achieve sustainable development, the application of science and technology, digital transformation, and automation in aquaculture is an absolute necessity," Binh said.

She also expressed the hope that experts, businesses, and farmers would deepen their exchange of experience and work together to build practical solutions suited to local production conditions.

Do Van Thua, Deputy Head of the Can Tho City Sub-Department of Fisheries and Fisheries Control, noted that the Mekong Delta is currently the country's most important agricultural production zone, contributing approximately 65 percent of national aquaculture output and 60 percent of aquaculture export revenue.

Can Tho City alone maintains over 96,000 hectares under aquaculture, including more than 51,000 hectares of brackish-water shrimp farming. Numerous high-technology production models have contributed to raising both yields and production efficiency, particularly in the shrimp sector, which is regarded as a key growth driver for the city's aquaculture industry.

Smart technology for sustainable aquaculture

According to Do Van Thua, to adapt to shifting market and environmental conditions, the city's agricultural sector is accelerating innovation and digital transformation across aquaculture operations. One of its central priorities is strengthening environmental monitoring and early warning systems to provide farmers with timely information, enabling them to proactively respond to climate variability and minimize disease risk.

In parallel, authorities are expanding the issuance of farming-zone codes, improving aquaculture facility management, and rolling out traceability systems for key aquaculture species to meet the increasingly demanding requirements of export markets.

A range of high-technology models are being deployed, including recirculating aquaculture systems, waste treatment technologies, water filtration systems, and smart sensor-based environmental management solutions.

From a business perspective, Tran Ngoc Thien Kim, Director of Nutrition and Aquaculture Support for Asia at De Heus Vietnam, argued that precision nutrition is one of the decisive factors in modern aquaculture efficiency. Each species and each stage of development carries distinct nutritional requirements, and the application of technology, data, and in-depth research on feed ingredients enables producers to formulate precise, tailored rations that optimize growth rates, reduce costs, and minimize environmental impact.

Le Quoc Viet, Associate Professor at the College of Aquaculture and Fisheries at Can Tho University, emphasized that the current direction of aquaculture development must be anchored in circular economy principles and sustainable growth. Recirculating closed-loop farming models are delivering tangible benefits, including reduced emissions, lower environmental pollution, diminished disease risk, and decreased reliance on antibiotics, all of which align with the growing international demands for green production, clean production, and greenhouse gas emission reductions.                            

According to experts at the seminar, digital transformation is not merely about introducing technology into production, it is also a solution for strengthening managerial capacity, improving risk forecasting, and building transparent value chains. In an environment of intensifying competition and ever-higher market demands, it is seen as the key that will enable the Mekong Delta aquaculture sector to chart a green and sustainable course in the years ahead.