An Giang (VNA) – Political Commissar of the Vietnam Coast Guard Region 4 Command Maj. Gen Nguyen Van Dung on January 9 visited patrol vessel KN-373 in the southern province of An Giang, where he asked officers and sailors to prepare for joint operations to combat illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing during the 2026 Lunar New Year (Tet) holiday.
The vessel, assigned to Fisheries Surveillance Flotilla No. 3 under Coast Guard Region 2 Command, will work closely with units from Region 4 during the operations.
Dung urged Party committees and commanders at all levels, especially those aboard KN-373, to maintain adequate logistics and technical support. He emphasised the need to care for the material and spiritual well-being of service members and their families, ensuring a solid foundation that allows personnel to stay focused, resilient, and mission-ready while operating at sea over the holiday.
Captain Phan Duc Hoang, political officer of KN-373, said that though the crew will be separated from their families during Tet, each officer and sailor fully understands the honour and responsibility of the assignment. He noted the crew’s strong sense of duty, unity, and determination to surmount challenges, comply with State laws and military discipline, and successfully carry out patrol, inspection, and IUU enforcement tasks, living up to the trust placed in them by the Party, State, people, and senior commanders./.
Lam Dong steps up oversight to curb IUU fishing
As of early January 2026, the province had 8,210 registered fishing vessels, with more than 90% holding valid fishing licences, according to the department. A total of 8,115 vessels, or 98.76%, have been updated in the National Population Database, while 1,773 out of 1,941 vessels measuring 15 metres or longer have been granted food safety certificates, accounting for 91.34%.
