US provides 12.5 million USD to aid Vietnam in anti-IUU fishing efforts

US Ambassador to Vietnam Marc Knapper announced the new aid package during a meeting with Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Phung Duc Tien at the Region 5 Fisheries Surveillance Training Center in Phu Quoc.

Through the Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (INL), US Department of State, the aid package will support Vietnam in enhancing its maritime law enforcement capacity and addressing illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing.

The aid will be allocated to Vietnam's law enforcement agencies, including the Vietnam Fisheries Surveillance, the Ministry of Public Security, and the General Department of Customs, for purchasing small vessels, providing capacity-building training, and developing training models for maritime law enforcement.

During his visit to Phu Quoc, Ambassador Knapper also had the opportunity to observe trainees, consisting primarily of female officials from Vietnam’s fisheries law enforcement and customs agencies, conducting onboard inspections.

The activity is part of a series of capacity-building efforts aimed at promoting the role of women in maritime law enforcement, supported by the INL office of the US Embassy in Vietnam.

These new support programs are ongoing US-Vietnam efforts to strengthen cooperation in maritime law enforcement and enhance maritime security capacity within the framework of the US-Vietnam Comprehensive Strategic Partnership.

This aid package also demonstrates the collaboration between the two governments to address shared regional and global challenges.