Ho Chi Minh City (VNA) – Ho Chi Minh City is accelerating the digitalisation of its fisheries sector by training fishing vessel owners and captains to use electronic logbooks on smartphones, a move expected to strengthen seafood traceability and support Vietnam's efforts to have the European Commission's warning on illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing lifted.
The initiative, jointly implemented by the city's Department of Agriculture and Environment and Viet Development Synergy Co. Ltd., provides practical training on installing the mobile application and submitting catch records electronically.
Owners and captains of fishing vessels between 12 and 24 metres in length are being instructed on how to record operational data, including fuel and ice consumption, catches from each fishing trip and electronic logbook submissions through the fisheries management system.
Many fishermen said the mobile application is easy to use and more convenient than traditional paper logbooks, which are easily damaged at sea. The digital platform reduces paperwork while making record-keeping faster and more efficient.
According to Truong Tan Huong, head of the Loc An Fishing Port facility under the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Agriculture and Environment, the electronic logbook system has reduced inspection workloads for port officials by up to 70%.
Verification time for each vessel has fallen from 15–20 minutes to around five minutes, allowing fishing boats to complete port entry and departure procedures much more quickly, he said.
Tran Thai Son, Director of Viet Development Synergy, said the software operates like a "black box", storing voyage histories and GPS data even when vessels lose mobile signal offshore. The information is automatically synchronised once boats return to coastal coverage, ensuring accurate, tamper-proof records.
Pham Thi Na, Deputy Director of the municipal Department of Agriculture and Environment, said digitalising fisheries management is crucial to improving the accuracy and timeliness of data collection. Around 2,000 fishing vessels in the city are required to install the electronic logbook application, with installation currently reaching about 20%.
The department is working with software providers to complete installation on all eligible vessels this year, with the system scheduled to become fully operational across the city from May 1, 2027. The initiative is expected to improve seafood traceability, meet international standards./.
