HCM City (VNA) – Ho Chi Minh City has issued licences to all fishing vessels that are eligible for operation, according to the municipal Department of Agriculture and Environment.
As of November 18, all qualified vessels in the city had been granted fishing permits, while 236 unqualified boats have had their registrations revoked, including those missing, severely degraded, or permanently docked to prevent illegal departures.
The department reported that the city’s efforts to combat illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing have continued to be implemented in a comprehensive and stringent manner, with notable progress recorded in vessel management, voyage monitoring, port control, origin tracing, and violation settlement.
Strict monitoring remains in place at all nine fishing ports across the city. All vessels from Ho Chi Minh City and other localities entering these ports undergo 100% inspection. The electronic catch documentation and traceability system (eCDT) has been applied to every vessel entering and leaving ports, enabling authorities to track catches and issue origin certificates and other required documentation in line with regulations.
Since the beginning of 2024, more than 23,900 vessel arrivals and nearly 25,000 departures have been recorded at local ports. Vessel monitoring system (VMS) supervision is conducted around the clock.
During the past week, no fishing vessels crossed maritime boundaries. Only two boats showed signs of signal loss, but both cases were verified and found not to commit violations. Meanwhile, nine border guard checkpoints continued to enforce strict control of vessel arrivals at and departures from fishing ports.
The city has also expanded its outreach initiatives through community-based models such as “breakfast with fishermen” and “morning coffee with fishermen”, which help authorities better understand concerns at the grassroots level and encourage compliance.
Thanks to these efforts, the city has not recorded any cases of local fishing vessels infringing foreign waters since the start of 2025.
Local authorities are also handling cases involving the arrangement of illegal fishing trips in foreign waters. To date, nine cases have been initiated, seven have gone to trial, one is scheduled for hearing in November, and one has been transferred to the procuracy for prosecution.
Pham Thi Na, Deputy Director of the Department of Agriculture and Environment, said HCM City views the removal of the "yellow card" warning against IUU fishing as critical not only to maintaining aquatic exports to Europe but also to building a modern, responsible, and sustainable fisheries sector./.
Dong Thap border guards join hands in combating IUU fishing
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