Fisheries Country Profile: Viet Nam

Viet Nam is located on the west side of the South China Sea with an area of about 331,000 km2 and a coastline of about 11,409 km. The exclusive economic zone is around 237,800 km2 and there are more than 4,000 islands and islets scattered offshore. The country has about 2,370 rivers including the Red River with a basin area of about 1.9 million ha and the Mekong River with a basin of about 4.1 million ha.

Fisheries is a crucial sector for the development of Viet Nam, especially in food security, poverty alleviation, sustainable livelihood, economic growth, and rural employment. In 2021, the gross domestic product from fisheries was 3.18 % and the fish available for consumption was 20.50 % kg/capita. The fisheries sector is categorized into marine capture fisheries (coastal, inshore, and offshore) and aquaculture (marine, freshwater, and brackishwater). The Directorate of Fisheries (D-Fish) under the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development is responsible for the development and management of the fisheries sector of Viet Nam.

For the national production, capture fisheries contributed 47 % and aquaculture contributed 53 %. However, the production from inland fisheries was low due to the negative impacts of the construction of new dams and reservoirs.

Total fishery production of Viet Nam by quantity (MT)

2020 2019 2018 2017 2016 2015
Total 8,635,686 8,270,200 7,768,500 7,313,400 6,803,900 6,549,700
Capture Fisheries 3,896,500 3,777,700 3,606,700 3,420,500 3,163,300 3,036,400
Marine Capture 3,700,300 3,583,000 3,396,700 3,213,300 2,973,600 2,839,900
Inland Capture 196,200 194,700 210,000 207,200 189,700 196,500
Aquaculture 4,739,186 4,492,500 4,161,800 3,892,900 3,640,600 3,513,300

Source: Fishery Statistical Bulletin of Southeast Asia 2020

Production of major species/groups of species from marine capture fisheries of Viet Nam by quantity (MT)

Major species/group 2020 2019 2018* 2017* 2016* 2015*
Tunas 398,609 359,909
Cephalopod 359,943
Molluscs 57,242 309,844
Natantia 136,998 134,544
Crabs 50,942 50,360

*Production not reported by species
Source: Fishery Statistical Bulletin of Southeast Asia 2020

Production of major species/groups of species from aquaculture of Viet Nam by quantity (MT)

Major species/group 2020 2019 2018* 2017* 2016* 2015*
Catfishes 1,536,512 1,612,500
Shrimps/prawns 929,990 903,129
Cyprinids 462,052 440,000
Molluscs 338,009 315,000
Tilapias 310,347 263,107
Common carp 142,729 134,312
Crabs 216,877 71,757

*Production not reported by species
Source: Fishery Statistical Bulletin of Southeast Asia 2020

Export and import of fishery products of Viet Nam by quantity (MT) and value (US$ 1,000)

Year Export Import
Quantity (MT) Value (US$ 1,000) Quantity (MT) Value (US$ 1,000)
2020 1,548,755 8,514,592 1,947,428 588,008
2019 1,814,198 8,694,596 592,209 1,888,515
2018 1,717,841 8,911,638 546,114 1,859,331
2017 1,823,542 8,586,492 626,474 1,765,991
2016 1,665,798 7,344,113 478,819 1,366,351
2015 1,596,160 6,774,148 431,110 1,300,954

Source: FAO Fishery and Aquaculture Information and Statistics Service