Science and technology taking Viet Nam’s seafood to the next level

On April 28, in Ho Chi Minh City, the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment held the 2026 National Conference on Fisheries Science and Technology and Fisheries Surveillance. The conference was part of Viet Nam’s first international exhibition on fisheries science and technology (VinaFis Expo 2026).

The event was organized to concretize the sector’s annual growth target of 4-5%, while also shaping a key science and technology program for the 2026-2030 period to support sustainable fisheries development, the circular economy, and digital transformation.

The conference brought together a wide range of delegates, including managers, scientists, enterprises, domestic and international organizations, as well as representatives from local authorities and fishing communities.

In his opening remarks, Mr. Phung Duc Tien, Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Environment, emphasized that despite continued difficulties and challenges in 2025, the sector’s overall achievements remained highly commendable. Although heavily affected by natural disasters, the fisheries sector alone reached an output of 9.5 million tonnes, the highest level ever recorded, while exports totaled USD 11.32 billion. Notably, the total export turnover of the entire sector reached USD 70.61 billion, of which agriculture, forestry, and fisheries contributed USD 21.3 billion.

According to Deputy Minister Tien, during the 2025 year-end review session before the National Assembly, the Prime Minister affirmed that agriculture and the environment serve as a “pillar” of the economy and therefore should be allocated commensurate resources, around VND 186.5 trillion, while the current plan stands at only VND 127 trillion under the implementation orientation of Resolution 19 and Conclusion 29, with a vision to 2045.

Despite the fisheries sector’s positive performance, in the context of advancing science and technology, innovation, and digital transformation, much work remains to be done. The Deputy Minister noted that science and technology have made significant contributions to past achievements, from irrigation systems to increasing forest coverage, as well as reducing the rice cultivation area from 3.8 million hectares to around 3.1 million hectares while still maintaining an output of 43.5 million tonnes, of which 85-89% is high-quality rice. Fisheries exports in 2025 exceeded USD 8 billion, affirming the soundness of major policies such as Resolution 120.

However, he frankly pointed out that science and technology have yet to become a truly key driving force. Many research projects remain small-scale and fragmented, lacking value chain linkages, while current demands require a new approach, developing along value chains and integrating circular economy principles and digital transformation.

National products such as rice, mushrooms, coffee, and fisheries need to be elevated in both quality and branding. In particular, seed quality remains the decisive factor for productivity and output quality, yet in reality, many products still lack competitiveness, and research on feed and nutrition remains limited.

Aquaculture feed consumption reaches approximately 5.9 million tonnes annually, but still relies heavily on imported raw materials, leading to high logistics costs.

Another concerning issue in the process of urbanization, according to the Deputy Minister, is environmental pollution in aquaculture. Field surveys in the Mekong Delta show that many areas are no longer suitable for farming or operate inefficiently due to disease outbreaks and environmental degradation; feed conversion ratios remain high while growth rates are low. Although monitoring systems are in place, the processing and application of data in production remain limited and have yet to effectively support techno-economic indicators.

One of the major bottlenecks at present is logistics, where costs at multiple stages account for up to 60–70% of total production costs, undermining the competitiveness of agricultural products in international markets.

According to Mr. Phung Duc Tien, all these bottlenecks must be addressed along the entire value chain. This conference serves as an opportunity to connect policymakers, scientists, and businesses, aiming to develop scientific outputs with high practical value.

Leaders of the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment also pointed out a concerning reality: many research projects, after acceptance, fail to be applied in practice; mechanisms for budget allocation and cuts remain inadequate; and weak management has led to inefficient use of resources.

Meanwhile, the sector has as many as 12,427 scientific research personnel, including 44 professors, yet their effectiveness has not been commensurate, while enterprises often operate more efficiently despite having to fully self-finance their operations.

On that basis, the Deputy Minister called for strong reforms in the governance of science and technology to create incentives for scientists to innovate and to legitimately benefit from their knowledge. At the same time, it is necessary to develop the science and technology market, strengthen linkages with businesses, and promote international integration.

With numerous new, practice-oriented reports presented at the conference, the Deputy Minister expressed confidence that science and technology will become a direct driving force for the fisheries sector to grow in line with its full potential.

On behalf of the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment, Deputy Minister Tien highly appreciated the coordination of the Vietnam Fisheries Society, the Department of Science and Technology, the Research Institute for Aquaculture, the Agriculture and Environment Newspaper, and relevant units in preparing the first National Conference on Fisheries Science and Technology.

The Ministry of Agriculture and Environment, in coordination with the Vietnam Fisheries Society, organized the 2026 National Conference on Fisheries Science and Technology and Fisheries Surveillance, along with Viet Nam’s first international exhibition on fisheries science and technology - VinaFis Expo 2026, held from April 28 to 30 at SECC in Ho Chi Minh City.

$ 1 = VND 26,350 - Source: Vietcombank.