On the afternoon of February 5, Vice Chairman of the Ho Chi Minh City People’s Committee Hoang Nguyen Dinh signed Official Dispatch No. 889/UBND-DT conveying the HCMC Chairman’s instructions on enhancing fishing vessel management and combating illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing.
Accordingly, in implementing Official Dispatch No. 1077/BNNMT-TSKN dated January 30, 2026 of the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment, the Ho Chi Minh City People’s Committee requested the municipal Department of Agriculture and Environment to take the lead, in coordination with the HCMC Department of Justice, the HCMC Department of Public Security, the municipal Border Guard Command, the City Fishing Port Management Board and People’s Committees of coastal wards and communes and Con Dao Special Zone, to continue rigorously and effectively carrying out measures to prevent IUU fishing.
Key tasks include reviewing and fully accounting for the number of fishing vessels without registration, inspection or licenses, and vessels whose registration has been revoked, and vessels that do not meet operating conditions; and updating and standardizing all fishing vessel data in the National Fisheries Database (VNFishbase).
Authorities are also required to organize personnel duty monitoring of fishing vessel activities at sea through the Vessel Monitoring System (VMS), promptly issuing warnings and preventing cases of signal loss or violations of permitted fishing boundaries.
HCMC also requires strict control over fishing vessels entering and leaving ports, ensuring proper procedures are followed, port confirmations are obtained, and information is fully updated in the electronic seafood traceability system (eCDT). The marking of fishing vessels and registration numbers must be strictly enforced, and units will be held accountable if vessels that do not meet operating requirements are still allowed to operate.
In addition, authorities must urgently and thoroughly resolve administrative and criminal violations (if any) related to fishing vessels losing VMS connections, exceeding permitted boundaries, or operating illegally in foreign waters from 2024 to the present; patrols and inspections are to be intensified, with strict enforcement against all violations in accordance with the law.
For People’s Committees of coastal wards and communes and Con Dao Special Zone, the city chairman requires the compilation of detailed lists of fishing vessels that do not meet operating conditions, close supervision, and public posting within communities, to be completed by February 6. At the same time, localities are to step up communications efforts and commend collectives and individuals that perform well in combating IUU fishing.
The Department of Agriculture and Environment has been assigned to lead the monitoring, coordination and consolidation of implementation results, and to report to the HCMC People’s Committee by February 10.
