An Giang province is stepping up its fight against illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing and has launched a campaign through the end of the year to help secure the lifting of the European Commission’s “yellow card” warning against Vietnamese seafood.
Ho Van Mung, Chairman of the An Giang provincial People’s Committee, ordered local departments, law enforcement forces and authorities to tighten discipline, assign responsibilities and hold leaders accountable for results in combating illegal fishing.
The provincial Department of Agriculture and Environment will identify vessels that fail to meet operating requirements. Priority will be given to vessels measuring 15 metres or more, which pose the highest risk of illegally entering foreign waters. Lists will go to the coast guard, navy, border guard, fisheries surveillance forces and local authorities.
The An Giang Border Guard ordered checkpoints to check vessel monitoring system signals during departure and arrival clearance. VMS devices must be sealed and their serial numbers must match official records. Vessels that fail to meet operating requirements will be barred from going to sea.
Communes, wards and special zones must document ineligible fishing vessels, photograph them and record their anchorage locations. Local officials, Party members and civil servants will monitor them. An Giang is also increasing patrols in key maritime areas.
From the beginning of 2026 to mid-October, the provincial Border Guard and other agencies imposed administrative fines totalling more than 6 billion VND (232,000 USD) for violations found during patrols. From January 1, 2024 to October 15, 2026, provincial police received 82 cases and reports concerning suspected IUU-related crimes and initiated criminal proceedings in 63 cases.
To control seafood landings, the province standardised 26 coastal fish collection points alongside the designated fishing ports of Tac Cau and An Thoi, bringing the total to 28 locations. The province is also targeting the removal of VMS devices, fake vessel identification numbers and illegal fishing trips into foreign waters.
Provincial police and the Border Guard must accelerate investigations and dismantle networks that organise illegal fishing in foreign waters. Investigations will also target schemes that transport people to neighbouring countries to operate modified vessels with erased identification numbers.
From the beginning of 2026 to mid-October, authorities issued 263 notices covering 836 violations involving 522 vessels that had lost VMS connections or crossed permitted boundaries. They recorded 218 administrative violations and issued 109 penalty decisions, with total fines exceeding 6.6 billion VND.
The province is intensifying public awareness campaigns and supporting satellite VMS fees, vocational transitions and the scrapping of ineligible vessels. Ho Van Mung ordered reviews of vessel registrations, automatic violation alerts and the clearance of outstanding VMS cases. An Giang aims to eliminate IUU violations, strengthen monitoring through information and operations centre technology, help secure the lifting of the EC’s “yellow card” warning and support sustainable fisheries.
Sources: VietnamPlus / Vietnam News Agency
