Expanding into ocean - the planet’s 'final frontier'

After nearly a decade of implementing Resolution 36-NQ/TW on the Strategy for sustainable development of Viet Nam’s marine economy and enforcing the Law on Marine and Island Resources and Environment, new opportunities have emerged, but significant challenges have also arisen, including conflicts in marine spatial use, limitations in sea allocation mechanisms, and the need to transition toward a blue economy model.

The series "Sustainable development of the marine economy" captures developments in coastal localities, along with perspectives from experts, businesses, management agencies, and international organizations, in order to identify opportunities, challenges, and institutional bottlenecks on Viet Nam’s path toward becoming a strong maritime nation that thrives on its marine resources.

Marine aquaculture has very broad scope

As natural marine resources become increasingly depleted, the ocean is opening up a new space for development. For Vietnam, developing marine farming and ocean-based production is not only an economic issue but also a strategic pathway toward advancing into the blue economy.

Speaking with reporters from the VAN News, Associate Professor Dr. Nguyen Huu Dung, Chairman of the Vietnam Seaculture Association, said that over the past decades, the fisheries sector has developed with excessively high exploitation intensity, leading to overfishing of many economically valuable species. Marine biological resources have been overexploited to the point where their natural regeneration capacity has been compromised, negatively affecting the balance of marine ecosystems.

Meanwhile, population growth and rising demand for seafood have intensified the global supply-demand imbalance. According to FAO, by 2030 the world will need an additional 19 million tons of seafood compared to 2015 to ensure adequate nutritional demand.

The United Nations has identified the 21st century as the century of the seas and oceans, with the highest priority being the development of marine and ocean farming.

Compared to land-based livestock farming, marine aquaculture is considered more efficient in both economic and environmental terms, thanks to higher productivity, a lower feed conversion ratio (with marine fish fed on pellets having an FCR of only 1-2.5, while terrestrial livestock ranges from 4-8), and significantly lower environmental impacts.

According to FAO, with current technological capacity, coastal countries can use 0.1% of their Exclusive Economic Zone for marine fish farming, achieving a productivity of 9,900-12,000 tons of fish per km² per year.

Vietnam has an Exclusive Economic Zone of more than 1 million km² - three times larger than its mainland area of 327,480 km². According to FAO’s calculation method, Vietnam could farm around 10 million tons of marine fish annually by utilizing just 1,000 km² of sea space, equivalent to 0.1% of its EEZ. This could provide a massive supply of high-quality raw seafood for processing factories, potentially generating around 50 billion USD per year.

In addition to fish, Vietnam can also develop the farming of millions of tons of shellfish species that do not require feed, as well as integrated seaweed cultivation. These systems can yield up to 400 kg of protein per hectare per year compared to only 16 kg per hectare from terrestrial crops, without the need for fertilizers, pesticides, or freshwater, while also helping absorb pollutants from the atmosphere and ocean.

Associate Professor Dr. Nguyen Huu Dung emphasized: "The concept of marine aquaculture is very broad. It is not only about farming and cultivating diverse aquatic species on the water surface, in different water layers, and on the seabed, but also includes biodiversity conservation, ecosystem restoration, marine environmental protection, enrichment of marine biological resources, improvement of livelihoods and living standards for coastal communities, and the development of an advanced marine culture and a civilized maritime society."

Marine economy remains small and not commensurate with potential

According to Associate Professor Dr. Nguyen Huu Dung, the Government has issued Resolution No. 26/NQ-CP on the overall plan and five-year implementation plan for Resolution No. 36-NQ/TW dated October 22, 2018 of the 8th Plenum of the 12th Party Central Committee on the Strategy for Sustainable Development of Vietnam’s Marine Economy to 2030, with a vision to 2045.

Accordingly, 12 ministries and 21 coastal provinces have been assigned to implement 51 tasks and projects, of which the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment is responsible for 12 tasks.

The implementation of Resolution No. 26/NQ-CP has achieved many important results. Marine and ocean governance has seen clear progress, particularly with the first-ever formulation and approval of the National Marine Spatial Planning. The legal framework for sea reclamation and allocation of marine areas has been increasingly improved, and a system of statistical indicators as well as criteria for assessing a strong maritime nation has also been issued.

Marine and coastal economies have grown rapidly and contributed significantly to socio-economic development. Key sectors such as maritime services, logistics, ports, shipbuilding, oil and gas exploitation, marine aquaculture, and coastal tourism have all recorded strong development. Inter-regional transport infrastructure has been more synchronously invested in, helping form logistics and coastal industrial hubs.

In addition, renewable energy and emerging marine economic sectors are becoming key drivers of the green and circular economy. The livelihoods of coastal communities have continued to improve, particularly in access to electricity, clean water, and essential infrastructure.

Marine environmental protection efforts have been strengthened, with many marine, coastal, and island ecosystems being restored. Bathymetric and nautical charts have been completed for most of the maritime area. To date, Vietnam has established 12 marine protected areas covering more than 206,000 hectares, including 185,000 hectares of sea area, and has basically completed 1:200,000 nautical charts for 82% of its maritime zone.

In marine science and technology, international cooperation with Japan, South Korea, India, Canada, and various international organizations has expanded. Scientific understanding of marine ecosystems, geology, natural disasters, and climate change has been gradually improved.

However, alongside these achievements, several limitations remain. There is still a lack of breakthrough mechanisms to attract private investment. Some legal regulations overlap or are inconsistent. The marine economy is not yet developed in a balanced manner; logistics and port economy innovation remains slow, and environmental pollution risks in coastal industrial zones persist.

Some key marine economic indicators still lack clear guidelines, such as methods to define pure marine industries versus marine-related sectors, the number and proportion of inhabited islands with socio-economic infrastructure, and the number of trained personnel for marine human resource development.

Associate Professor Dr. Nguyen Huu Dung emphasized that the scale of the marine economy remains modest and not commensurate with its geoeconomic potential. The structure of industries remains unbalanced; only part of the national maritime space is being effectively utilized, and conditions are not yet sufficient to expand into international waters. Production methods remain largely small-scale.

Coastal road infrastructure has not met requirements, marine technical infrastructure remains weak and unsynchronized; there are still few large-scale regional ports, maritime transport capacity remains low, and passenger port numbers are limited. Important marine ecosystems in protected areas are degrading and shrinking; marine biodiversity and fishery resources are declining and unsustainably managed.

Marine science, technology, and human resources have not yet become key drivers of sustainable marine economic development and remain underinvested. High-quality research output is still limited. Research institutions, scientific personnel, and marine survey equipment remain modest compared to developed countries, and research quality and application efficiency are uneven.

Community participation in marine and island environmental protection remains largely formalistic, with limited habit formation among citizens. Community-based environmental management models are few and ineffective. Environmental protection in tourism activities is not yet synchronized.

In addition, land reclamation activities have not been comprehensively assessed, posing risks to ecosystems and coastal stability. Marine environmental monitoring remains sparse, and basic marine surveys are limited due to shortages of specialized equipment and vessels.

Accelerating and facilitating the allocation of marine areas

Representing the Vietnam Seaculture Association, Associate Professor Dr. Nguyen Huu Dung proposed accelerating and facilitating the allocation of specific marine areas to organizations and individuals for marine aquaculture under Decree 11/2021/ND-CP, which was amended under Decree 65/2025/ND-CP dated March 12, 2025.

First, he suggested considering the removal of environmental impact assessment (EIA) procedures for marine aquaculture activities with minimal environmental impact, which do not generate harmful waste or use feed inputs such as mollusk farming, benthic species cultivation, and seaweed farming. Instead, investors should only be required to commit to environmental protection rather than preparing full EIA reports.

Second, it is proposed that the Government soon issue a decree on granting a “green certificate” to confirm long-term usage rights of marine areas for aquaculture organizations, similar to “red books” for land. This mechanism aims to establish property rights over allocated marine space used for aquaculture. At the same time, a decree should be issued on valuing invested aquaculture assets, enabling entities to purchase insurance, access bank loans, participate in auctions, transfer rights, or inherit assets.

Third, it is necessary to review the fees and calculation methods for marine area usage allocated to cooperatives and aquaculture enterprises to ensure they are reasonable, practical, and balance the interests of the State and fishermen.

Accordingly, marine area usage fees should not be higher than land use fees; in fact, they should be significantly lower, as marine farming carries higher risks, lower infrastructure support, and much higher investment costs. Fees should only be calculated based on the actual area used for aquaculture, not the entire allocated zone.

Different fee levels should be applied depending on farming zones and aquaculture types. Fee exemptions should be granted for the initial years (at least 3-5 years) after marine area allocation. Marine aquaculture allocation without fees should be implemented in accordance with Clause 2, Article 44 of the 2017 Fisheries Law.

Fourth, priority should be given to allocating marine areas to cooperatives and enterprises. These are two key economic actors responsible for organizing production and driving the transition from traditional small-scale aquaculture to sustainable commercial marine farming.

Fifth, regulations should be issued on the technical requirements for legal entities to be granted long-term marine area usage rights, including organizational structure, production and business plans, human resources, and financial capacity. A regulatory framework should also be established for handling violations, ranging from warnings and reprimands to revocation of marine usage rights for entities that breach environmental protection rules, marine ecosystem regulations, or other requirements.

As mainland farmland gradually becomes constrained by population pressure, climate change, and resource depletion, the ocean is opening up a new development space for Vietnam to full of potential. However, to transform this “final frontier” into a sustainable growth engine, it cannot rely solely on natural exploitation; it requires a modern maritime mindset: industrial, high-tech aquaculture that harmonizes economic growth with ecological balance.

From June 4 - 6, 2026, in Cua Lo Ward (Nghe An Province), MAE in coordination with the Nghe An Provincial People’s Committee, will organize a series of communication events in response to World Environment Day (June 5), World Oceans Day (June 8), the Environmental Action Month, and Vietnam Sea and Island Week 2026.

1. National Forum on Environment and Climate - From Policy to Action

• Time: 8:00 AM, June 5, 2026

• Venue: Vinpearl Cua Hoi, Cua Lo Ward, Nghe An Province

• Online participation: ID 942 6837 3034. Password: KH0605

2. National Workshop: "Improving Institutions and Policies to Promote Sustainable Marine Economic Development"

• Time: 2:00 PM, June 5, 2026

• Venue: Vinpearl Cua Hoi, Cua Lo Ward, Nghe An Province

• Online participation: ID 934 2999 5099. Password: HT0506

3. Art Program: "Vietnam’s Seas - A Journey of Green Space"

• Time: 8:00 PM, June 5, 2026

• Venue: Binh Minh Square, Cua Lo Ward, Nghe An Province

4. National Launch Ceremony responding to World Environment Day, World Oceans Day, Environmental Action Month, and Vietnam Sea and Island Week 2026; launching the movement "The Whole People Join Hands to Protect the Environment for a Green - Clean - Beautiful Viet Nam" 

• Time: 6:00 AM, June 6, 2026

• Venue: Binh Minh Square, Cua Lo Ward, Nghe An Province

5. Exhibition: Blue Marine Economy - Sustainable Agriculture and Environment

• Time: June 4 - 6, 2026

• Venue: Binh Minh Square, Cua Lo Ward, Nghe An Province