Hai Phong tightens fishing vessel surveillance

Digitizing 100% of fishing vessel data

At the information briefing and monthly press conference for December 2025 held on December 26, Mr. Vu Ba Cong, Deputy Director of the Hai Phong Department of Agriculture and Environment, said that the city is currently managing 788 fishing vessels with a length of 6 meters or more. Hai Phong has completed the target of issuing fishing licenses for 100% of vessels that meet regulatory requirements.

Among the core offshore fishing fleet (vessels with a length of 15 meters or more), the installation rate of vessel monitoring systems (VMS) has reached 100%. A breakthrough in management work this year has been the "cleaning" of data. All fishing vessel information has been controlled via the VNeID application and synchronously updated to the National Fisheries Management Software System (VN-Fishbase).

"Data transparency helps functional agencies to closely monitor changes in the fishing fleet, eliminate the situation of '3 NOs' fishing vessels, and establish a reliable database to serve the EC's inspection sessions," Mr. Vu Ba Cong emphasized.

No fishing vessels violating foreign waters

Implementing the Prime Minister’s directive on the peak month for combating IUU fishing, Hai Phong has consolidated its Steering Committee from the city level down to coastal communes and wards. Fisheries control representative offices have been maintained on constant duty to strictly handle violations from within coastal waters.

Currently, the city has achieved a 100% rate of verification and handling of fishing vessels that lose VMS connection at sea. Through patrol sessions, Hai Phong has recorded no cases of fishing vessels violating foreign waters.

At the same time, fishermen's awareness has shown a clear shift, from compliance driven by pressure to voluntary practices such as recording fishing logs, reporting port entry and exit, and maintaining VMS operation 24/7 while at sea.

However, the pressure to lift the "yellow card" requires more stringent measures. The city has directed functional forces to firmly grasp the anchoring locations of each inactive vessel, which is not yet eligible for operation due to the lack of inspection or VMS installation.

These vessels are assigned to officials at commune and village levels for close supervision, even with measures such as sealing, locking vessels, or arranging centralized anchoring to prevent unauthorized operations.

To address the issue at its root, Hai Phong is developing a fishery transformation project for fishermen. The objective is to gradually reduce the number of fishing vessels, lower fishing effort to conserve aquatic resources, and create new livelihoods linked to aquaculture and marine services.

The city is also implementing support policies to help fishermen upgrade and replace VMS equipment to meet new technical standards under Decree 37/2024. In parallel, regulations on criminal liability for brokering or organizing fishing vessels to operate in foreign waters are being widely disseminated to every household as a deterrent.

In the coming period, Hai Phong will organize additional peak patrol campaigns at river mouths, sea entrances, and spontaneous fishing docks. Fishing vessels that are unmarked, lack identification numbers, or deliberately disconnect VMS will be handled under the strictest penalty framework.