Lam Dong makes efforts to remove IUU “yellow card” in 2026
On April 16, at the Government Headquarters, Deputy Prime Minister Ho Quoc Dung chaired a meeting of the National Steering Committee on combating illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing.
At the Lam Dong venue, Le Trong Yen, Standing Vice Chairman of the provincial People’s Committee, together with leaders of relevant departments and agencies, attended the meeting.
According to the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment, as of mid-April 2026, the country has more than 80,000 registered fishing vessels, with over 95% holding valid fishing licences. Nearly 100% of vessels measuring 15 metres or longer have installed vessel monitoring systems (VMS).
Controls and traceability of seafood products have improved significantly. Since 2023, no IUU-related violations have been detected in seafood exports to the European market.
However, the report also highlighted several shortcomings, including incomplete control of vessels entering and leaving ports, limitations in tracing imported raw materials, slow handling of violations in some localities, and continued cases of vessels encroaching into foreign waters.
In Lam Dong, efforts to combat IUU fishing have been stepped up. During the week, no new vessels were registered or removed from the registry; 25 vessels had their fishing licences reissued, while four licences expired.
.jpg)
As of April 10, 2026, the province has 8,200 fishing vessels, all of which have been registered and updated in the VNFishbase system. A total of 7,432 vessels hold valid fishing licences (90.63%).
The remaining 768 vessels (9.37%) are not eligible to operate and remain under strict monitoring, barred from leaving port and tracked through the VMS system.
Regarding fishing activities, in the past week, fishing ports recorded 1,001 vessel departures (186 vessels) and 990 arrivals (190 vessels), with total landings reaching 2,283 tonnes. Authorities collected 646 fishing logbooks and 106 fishing reports.
As of April 10, 2026, the province recorded 8,732 vessel departures and 8,961 arrivals, with total landings reaching 9,618 tonnes. Data cross-checking between fishing ports and border guard forces has been maintained regularly, helping strengthen vessel monitoring.
Concluding the meeting, Deputy Prime Minister Ho Quoc Dung emphasised that combating IUU fishing is an urgent and long-term task crucial to the sustainable development of the fisheries sector and national credibility.
.jpg)
The Deputy Prime Minister called on ministries, sectors and localities to intensify efforts, fully address shortcomings in line with recommendations from the European Commission (EC), and strive to have the “yellow card” warning removed in 2026.
In the coming period, the Government will continue to improve the legal framework, strengthen control over fishing vessels, particularly through the VMS system, enhance end-to-end traceability, and strictly handle violations, especially cases involving incursions into foreign waters or loss of monitoring signals.
At the same time, local authorities are required to strengthen leadership accountability, allocate sufficient resources for fisheries management, enhance public awareness among fishermen, and promote sustainable livelihoods to reduce pressure on marine resources.
The meeting also agreed on several urgent priorities aimed at strengthening law enforcement, improving fisheries governance, and moving towards a sustainable, responsible and globally integrated fisheries sector.