Converting rice land to aquaculture increases income by 5 to 15 times

Coastal communes in Ninh Binh province have pioneered the shift from low-efficiency rice land to aquaculture, generating dual economic and environmental benefits. However, this development still faces obstacles related to scale and regional connectivity.

In line with the Party and State's policy of merging the three provinces of Ha Nam, Nam Dinh, and Ninh Binh into a larger administrative unit (new Ninh Binh province) and operating under a streamlined two-tier governance system, the coastal aquaculture model is now facing an unprecedented opportunity for breakthrough.

Actual efficiency of the conversion model in coastal areas

The coastal areas of Ninh Binh province exemplify regions facing dual pressures, which are low-yield intensive rice farming and saltwater intrusion along with high tides caused by climate change. Single- or double-crop rice fields here generate a maximum profit of only VND 10 million/ha/crop, insufficient to ensure sustainable livelihoods.

To adapt, thousands of hectares have been converted to aquaculture models, such as specialized farming (shrimp, crab) and the rice-shrimp rotation model, which have proven to be optimal solutions. Farmers earned VND 50-120 million/ha/year from shrimp (giant tiger prawn and white-leg shrimp) crops, while subsequent rice crops benefited from soil improvement, salinity reduction, and lower costs.

In areas with severe salinity, this model increases land-use value by 5–15 times compared with traditional rice farming, providing stable incomes for farmers. These effective models affirm the correctness of the agricultural restructuring policy, although localized limitations remain in irrigation infrastructure, disease control, and value chains.

Opportunity for breakthrough

The merger of the Ha Nam, Nam Dinh, and Ninh Binh provinces into the new Ninh Binh province is not only a major turning point in administrative organization but also opens space for strategic interregional development, establishing a new growth hub in the southern Red River Delta.

Previously, the provinces of Ha Nam, Nam Dinh, and Ninh Binh had gradually shifted their growth models and developed pioneering sectors such as high-tech industry, the digital economy, the creative economy, the circular economy, and the heritage economy. This transition represents a historic opportunity to comprehensively restructure the growth model, unlock all resources, reorganize development space, and move toward sustainable, inclusive, and deeply integrated development that aligns with the requirements of the new development phase after more than 40 years of Doi moi.

In terms of agricultural development, this will be a golden opportunity for coastal aquaculture to expand its scale and enhance efficiency in a sustainable direction, to optimize regional planning and infrastructure investment, and to plan coastal areas in line with the merger of the entire coastal area under a single provincial-level administration.

This shift enables the formulation of a master plan for extensive brackish-water and marine aquaculture zones. The plan will eliminate fragmentation, ensure synchronization in the design and operation of water supply and drainage systems, and maintain consistency in public investment and two-tier governance mechanisms. Thereby allowing the province to easily make investment decisions and allocate resources to major infrastructure projects that span former administrative boundaries, including the construction of primary saltwater channels and an automated water-quality monitoring system for the entire aquaculture region, thus the implementation time is shortened.

At the same time, the three provinces have also enhanced management capacity and provided technical support by consolidating specialized personnel. A streamlined apparatus will allow agricultural, aquaculture, and environmental management experts to be concentrated at the provincial level, enabling them to work directly with commune authorities and cooperatives without multiple intermediary steps. Public services and administrative procedures (land conversion, access to credit, VietGAP certification) will be handled more swiftly and transparently, encouraging coastal communes to boldly invest in high-tech farming (such as recirculating shrimp farming and biofloc), thereby developing value chains and strong brands.

After the merger, Ninh Binh province will also develop major seafood brands with large-scale production across coastal areas, thereby attracting big processing and export enterprises and facilitating the formation of a complete linkage chain. With a large area and output, the new provincial government will be able to regulate the market, provide price support, and negotiate export contracts, ultimately reducing risks for farmers.

Despite the great prospects, operating a two-tier governance presents immediate challenges that require attention. Ensuring uniformity in planning and harmonizing the existing plans of the former provinces, especially rice land and aquaculture land planning, will require considerable time and effort to avoid conflicts of interest between regions. A larger coastal area also increases the risk of rapid disease transmission, demanding tight coordination and cross-regional emergency procedures in disease control. Differences in cultivation and business practices among residents of the former provinces may create inconsistencies, requiring the new provincial government to adopt flexible transition policies rather than enforcing a common model.

To optimize performance, Ninh Binh has identified several priorities, including encouraging aquaculture cooperatives to link in purchasing seeds and inputs and in sharing disease management experiences; applying automated water monitoring and early warning systems for large-scale disease outbreaks; applying digital technologies to track water quality; and developing rice–shrimp models that meet international standards such as SRP and ASC, ensuring products not only deliver high economic value but also meet strict environmental standards and requirements of export markets. The province also aims to increase autonomy for cooperatives and enterprises in managing and operating small-scale irrigation infrastructure, thereby reducing administrative burdens and enhancing local initiative.

The model of converting rice land into coastal aquaculture areas in Ninh Binh has been demonstrating actual efficiency in adapting to climate change. However, to achieve a breakthrough and reach a higher level of development, perfecting institutional frameworks and management mechanisms remains a key factor.

It is evident that sustainable agricultural development in general and the transition from rice farming to aquaculture in particular under a two-tier provincial administration offer promising prospects. This conversion paves the way for synchronously planned and investment-focused coastal aquaculture agriculture with strong value chains. The application of streamlined governance principles, regional linkages, and synchronized infrastructure investment provides a favorable pathway for this model to achieve the goal of green and sustainable economic development.

*$1 = VND 26,140 (Source: Vietcombank)