HCM City (VNA) – Ho Chi Minh City is mobilising its entire political system to intensify the fight against illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing, aiming to join the national effort to have the European Commission’s “yellow card” removed.
The direction was underlined at a conference reviewing the city’s peak month of IUU fishing combat on December 11.
According to Pham Thi Na, Vice Director of the municipal Department of Agriculture and Environment and Standing Vice Chairman of the municipal Steering Committee for IUU fishing prevention and combat, as of December 5, the city had issued fishing licences for 4,268 of its 4,475 registered vessels (95.3%), up sharply from 70.85% at the start of 2025.
About 207 vessels (6.63%) remain ineligible for licensing or renewal, a reduction of 1,374 since early 2025. These unlicensed vessels have been strictly locked down and placed under tight control by local authorities, border guards and port management, with no permission to go to sea, she stressed.
Since early 2025, the city has removed 1,133 derelict or damaged vessels from its registry. All vessels arriving at local ports or border guard stations - whether from the city or other provinces - are fully monitored and inspected.
HCM City operates eight fishing ports applying the electronic catch documentation and traceability system (eCDT) for 100% of vessel arrivals and departures, ensuring accurate monitoring of landed volume and issuance of source-of-origin certificates (SC/CC).
Since the beginning of 2025, authorities have checked 22,253 vessel declarations, including 9,754 landings with a total catch of 92,962 tonnes.
Colonel Tran Ngoc Tang, Deputy Chief of Staff of the municipal Border Guard Command, said the force manages 14 coastal communes and wards and the Con Dao speacial zone, covering a 335.4km coastline, 117.12km of maritime boundary and a 14,362km² sea area. In 2025, it conducted 420 independent patrols and processed 11,524 vessel entries and exits.
Senior Lieutenant Colonel Le Minh Tuyen from the city’s Department of Economic Security called for accelerating the programme to transition unqualified vessels to alternative livelihoods and supporting fishermen with vessel monitoring systems (VMS) and service fees to strengthen tracking and enforcement.
Ngo Thanh Phuc, Chairman of the Long Hai commune People’s Committee, reported that 229 of its 1,219 vessels are currently unqualified, including 170 moored in the locality. Oversight remains challenging due to vessel dispersion, absent owners and limited cooperation during documentation procedures.
Concluding the conference, Vice Chairman of the municipal People’s Committee Hoang Nguyen Dinh urged all agencies to act decisively to meet the 2026 goal of having the “yellow card” lifted and developing a sustainable fisheries sector. He requested strict port controls, mandatory landings for vessels from 6 metres and above, handling of all violations, and firm prevention of unlicensed operations and VMS disconnections.
He emphasised full accountability from leaders of communes, wards and island areas, requiring direct command over anti-IUU fishing efforts and strengthened communication “to every household and every fisherman” to prevent violations from the outset./.
Mekong Delta intensifies efforts against IUU fishing to have EC “yellow card” lifted
Local authorities emphasise that combating IUU fishing is not only crucial for lifting the EC’s “yellow card” but also an opportunity to modernise the fisheries sector. Meeting international standards, they note, will raise the value of Vietnamese seafood, expand export markets and strengthen the sector’s global reputation.
