Prime Minister orders focus on the peak month to combat IUU fishing

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh has signed Official Dispatch No. 198, calling on relevant ministries and localities to launch a dedicated peak-month campaign against illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing, and to develop Viet Nam’s fisheries sustainably.

The Prime Minister has called on Ministers, heads of agencies, and Chairpersons of the People’s Committees of coastal provinces and cities to continue strictly implementing Directive No. 32 dated April 10, 2024 of the Party Secretariat on strengthening the Party’s leadership in combating IUU fishing, along with the Government’s and Prime Minister’s instructions and other relevant documents, to resolutely “declare war” on IUU fishing violations and concentrate maximum time and resources on the following high-priority, urgent tasks during the peak campaign:

1. Minister of Agriculture and Environment to direct:

- Review and finalize the draft Decree amending and supplementing Decree No. 38 of April 5, 2024 of the Government on administrative penalties in the fisheries sector. Complete by October 25, 2025.

- Continue to refine and guide implementation of the electronic catch documentation and traceability system (eCDT). Complete by November 15, 2025.

- Establish a contact channel with regional and flag-state fisheries organisations and licensing agencies to verify vessel information, fishing licences and trans-shipment operations. Complete by October 30, 2025.

- Allocate sufficient resources (funding, personnel, equipment…) to inspect documentation, monitor the - volume and species composition of imported fisheries products at sea ports, in processing/export factories; purchase information and access international databases to verify vessel and fisheries product data entering Vietnam. Complete by October 30, 2025.

- Implement linkage and synchronization of databases recording administrative penalties in the fisheries sector between the Ministry of National Defence and the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment. Complete by October 30, 2025.

2. Minister of Defence to direct:

- Deploy into use the vessel-control system for fishing boats operating in sea-zones. Complete by October 30, 2025.

- Instruct the Military-Telecommunications Industrial Group (Viettel) to:

• Deploy the automatic VMS disconnection warning system and e-logbook. Complete by October 30, 2025.
• Apply the automatic ship-position reporting system when the VMS loses connection at sea, at central and local levels. Complete by October 30, 2025.
• Finalize the vessel-monitoring system; strengthen data synchronization, position-reporting on fishing vessels; analyse VMS-violation alerts to notify relevant law-enforcement agencies for handling. Complete by October 30, 2025.
• Complete the full system for monitoring, supervising and alerting fishing vessels; fully digitize fishing-vessel management (including port entry/exit) integrated with population-data systems, inter-agency and inter-local-government linkups to support management of fishing activities at sea and ashore, provide public services, ensure accuracy, completeness, timeliness, transparency. Also apply applications for IUU management: traceability, fishing-vessel and crew management through VNelD; automatic VMS-disconnection alerts and compliance when VMS lost or boundary crossed. Complete by November 15, 2025.
• Coordinate and deploy maximum forces and assets (Coast Guard, Border Guard, Navy, Police, Central fisheries control, local fisheries control…) to launch a peak campaign of patrols, inspections and continuous monitoring in sea-zones bordering Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia and around islands, estuaries, coastal beaches… to prevent and handle fishing-vessel violations of IUU until the conclusion of the European Commission’s 5th inspection of Vietnam. Complete by November 15, 2025.
• Implement linkage and synchronization between the Ministry of Defence’s vessel-control database and the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment’s electronic catch-traceability system (eCDT). Complete by October 30, 2025.
• Focus on verifying and handling VMS violations, boundary-crossing beyond allowed sea-zones, sending or transporting VMS devices, illegal fishing abroad from 2024 to date under authority of Decree No. 38. Complete by October 30, 2025.

3. Minister of Public Security to direct:

- Deploy a system for controlling fishing vessels and fishermen checking in/out of ports in VNelD. Complete by October 30, 2025.

- Inventory and identify all existing fishing vessels for management. Complete by October 30, 2025.

- Work with fishermen who have been detained abroad and returned to identify the masterminds and brokers of fishing-vessel and crew violations in foreign waters. Complete by October 30, 2025.

- Investigate and conclusively handle fishing vessels: TG-94556-TS; HP-9057-TS (KG-96103-TS); HP-9058-TS (KG-94781-TS), BL-91132-TS that violated fishing in foreign waters as detected by the Vietnamese Coast Guard. Complete by October 30, 2025.

- Consolidate case files and thoroughly handle all violations of illegal fishing in foreign waters; cases of VMS disconnection for over 6 hours without shore reporting, over 10 days without returning to port, boundary-crossing beyond allowed sea-zones from 2024 to date; continue to handle emergent violations. Complete by October 30, 2025.

- Prosecute and try cases already indicted in An Giang, Cà Mau, Ho Chi Minh City, Gia Lai… and continue to indict, prosecute and try acts relating to dispatching fishing vessels, fishermen to exploit fish illegally in foreign waters, sending/transporting VMS devices… under Resolution No. 04 of the Supreme People’s Court’s Judicial Council. Complete by November 15, 2025.

4. Minister of Foreign Affairs to direct:

- Work with the competent authorities of foreign states and fishing-vessel captains held abroad to investigate, collect evidence and handle the cases thoroughly under regulations. Complete by October 30, 2025.

- Provide detailed information on fishing vessels and fishermen detained abroad in 2024 and 2025 so domestic competent agencies may process under legal regulations. Complete by October 30, 2025.

5. Minister of Justice to direct:

Continuously monitor, guide, inspect and supervise the official enforcement of public-service procedures in handling IUU fishing misconduct. Complete by October 30, 2025.

6. Minister of Science and Technology to direct:

Inspect the quality of VMS devices and the compliance of satellite mobile communications service providers used for vessel monitoring; ensure the number of active VMS service subscriptions operates stably, with no satellite‐errors, maintain system connectivity for all devices during the peak period (from now until the 5th EC inspection in Vietnam). Complete by October 30, 2025.

7. Minister of Construction to direct:

Lead handling of activities involving foreign vessels transporting fish-raw‐material derived from IUU fishing into ports under the Ministry’s management; implement fully the provisions of the Agreement on Port State Measures (PSMA) and container-vessel handling.

Be responsible for reporting the volume of fish‐products handled through designated ports per the PSMA.

8. Minister of Industry and Trade to direct:

Direct subordinate agencies to maintain regular dialogue with the European Commission on Vietnam’s IUU-fishing situation; promptly provide the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment information to resolve IUU issues following EC recommendations.

Be responsible for reporting trade‐barrier issues related to seafood in international markets; the number and outcomes of trade‐dispute cases on seafood relating to IUU fishing between Vietnam and foreign countries/territories.

9. Minister of Finance to direct:

Allocate and distribute budget funds and lawful sources based on proposals from the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment and relevant ministries, agencies and localities to carry out IUU-fishing combat tasks, invest in fisheries infrastructure, digital transformation in the fisheries sector and sustainable fisheries development.

Cooperate with the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment to fully control imported fish‐raw‐materials according to regulations; prevent and timely handle fish‐raw‐materials originating from IUU fishing.

Be responsible for reporting the cumulative volume of seafood imports into Vietnam by container-vessel from the beginning of 2025 and weekly; results of budget fund allocation to ministries, agencies and localities implementing IUU-fishing tasks.

10. Provincial Party Secretaries and Municipal Party Secretaries:

- Instruct the Chairpersons of the People’s Committees of provinces/cities with fishing vessels to allocate and focus resources to vigorously and seriously implement IUU-fishing prevention measures, ensure time-bound completion and concrete outputs as directed by the Party Secretariat, Government and Prime Minister; penalise local Party committees, local governments, units or individuals who fail to seriously execute assigned tasks, or show no progress in IUU-fishing work. Specifically:

- Classify and complete registration, inspection and issuance or renewal of licences for eligible fishing vessels; reconcile data for each vessel (owner, citizen ID, address, phone number…), update full and accurate data of fishing vessels into the National Fisheries Database (VNFishbase) and the vessel-monitoring system linked with national population database VNelD. Complete by October 30, 2025.

- Ensure 100 % of registered fishing vessels display their registration numbers and are marked as required under Circular No. 23/2018/TT-BNNPTNT of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development. Complete by October 30, 2025.

- Register aquaculture-service vessels and other service vessels in accordance with regulations so that no unnumbered or un-marked fishing vessels operate at localities, as per Circular No. -05/2025/TT-BNNMT of the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment. Complete by October 30, 2025.

- Issue policies for occupational change and vessel scrapping for fishing vessels not required for fishing operations, appropriate to local conditions; supporting policies for replacement and maintaining VMS connectivity. Complete by November 15, 2025.

- Issue supporting policies for fishermen to upgrade or replace VMS equipment meeting the conditions in Decree No. 37/2024 and maintain VMS connection 24/7 even when fishing vessels are moored at port. Complete by November 15, 2025.

- Publicly open and bring into operation all fishing ports (including private fishing ports); allocate resources for inspection and control per regulation. Complete by November 15, 2025.

- Control fishing-vessel port exit/entry and monitor volumes of harvested fish unloaded through private fishing ports not yet publicly opened, using systems VNelD, Border Guard, e-logbook, eCDT, VMS-disconnection alerts; allocate resources for inspection and control at ports per regulation. Complete by October 30, 2025.

- Upgrade IT infrastructure (desktop PCs, tablets, internet connection) at fishing ports to support fishermen in updating data to the eCDT system, electronic fishing-activity log. Complete by October 30, 2025.

- Ensure all fishing vessels of length 15 m or more engaged in harvesting operations record port exit/entry via eCDT at fishing ports and use the electronic fishing-activity log as guided by the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment. Complete by November 15, 2025.

- Require all fish-landing purchasing facilities, processing enterprises, fishing ports and state fisheries-management agencies to monitor volumes of fish harvested and unloaded via ports, and maintain traceability documentation via the eCDT system. Complete by November 15, 2025.

- Uniformly deploy the electronic catch-traceability system (eCDT) at all fishing ports. Complete by October 30, 2025.

- Focus on verifying and strictly handling administrative violations of VMS infractions, sea-boundary crossing beyond allowed fishing zones, illegal fishing in foreign waters; publicise communications, report the handling results to deter and educate; strictly sanction organisations and individuals who do not fulfil duties in public service enforcement. Complete by October 30, 2025.

Relevant ministries, agencies and localities in accordance with their functions and assigned tasks shall:

- Proactively direct specialised agencies to coordinate and aggressively, synchronously implement anti-IUU fishing measures.

- Compile and submit weekly reports by 10:00 AM every Monday, monthly periodic reports by the 15th of each month and ad-hoc reports (when required) to the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment for aggregation and to support the Prime Minister’s and Deputy Prime Minister’s weekly briefings (Deputy Prime Minister Tran Hong Ha is Head of the National Steering Committee on IUU).

- Assign the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment (the Standing Agency of the National Steering Committee on IUU) to inspect, urge, aggregate and report to the Prime Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Tran Hong Ha on implementation results of this Dispatch.