- Public investment supports research institutions, broodstock improvement programs, hatchery regulation, and aquaculture infrastructure such as canals, electricity, and access roads.
- Through these arrangements, farmers gain access to certified seed, quality feed, technical assistance, and assured markets. This integration reduces uncertainty, stabilizes income, and improves production consistency across regions.
- Farmers are trained to recognize early warning signs and apply preventive measures rather than reacting after losses occur. This emphasis on prevention has improved survival rates and reduced the devastating boom-and-bust cycles that once characterized the sector.
PELAKITA.ID – Vietnam has emerged as one of the most advanced shrimp-producing countries in the world. Its progress is not driven by a single technological breakthrough or a sudden surge in investment, but by a carefully built ecosystem that connects farmers, industry, government policy, and global markets.
This systemic approach has allowed Vietnam to move faster and more consistently than many other shrimp-producing nations.
One of the strongest foundations of Vietnam’s shrimp industry is the close integration between small-scale farmers and the wider production chain. While most shrimp farmers in Vietnam operate on a small or medium scale, they are rarely isolated.
Contract farming arrangements, cooperatives, and cluster-based production systems link farmers to hatcheries, feed companies, processors, and exporters.
Through these arrangements, farmers gain access to certified seed, quality feed, technical assistance, and assured markets. This integration reduces uncertainty, stabilizes income, and improves production consistency across regions.
Vietnam also moved early toward intensive and super-intensive shrimp farming systems. In major producing areas such as the Mekong Delta, traditional ponds have gradually been upgraded with lined bottoms, water reservoirs, aeration systems, and controlled water circulation.
These systems allow farmers to manage water quality more precisely and to operate at higher stocking densities with lower risk. While extensive and semi-intensive systems still exist, the systematic scaling of more controlled production models has significantly raised overall productivity.
Disease management and biosecurity have been central to Vietnam’s advancement. Repeated disease outbreaks in the past forced the industry to rethink its approach. T
oday, shrimp farming areas are increasingly zoned based on biosecurity levels, supported by regular disease surveillance and rapid diagnostic services.
Farmers are trained to recognize early warning signs and apply preventive measures rather than reacting after losses occur. This emphasis on prevention has improved survival rates and reduced the devastating boom-and-bust cycles that once characterized the sector.
Government policy has played a decisive role in shaping this transformation. Shrimp is treated as a strategic export commodity, and development plans are designed with long-term objectives in mind.
Public investment supports research institutions, broodstock improvement programs, hatchery regulation, and aquaculture infrastructure such as canals, electricity, and access roads.
Policy consistency has created confidence for private investment and encouraged farmers to adopt more advanced production practices.
Seed quality is another critical pillar of Vietnam’s success. Hatcheries operate under relatively strict certification systems, and broodstock programs emphasize disease resistance, growth performance, and feed efficiency.
As a result, farmers have access to more uniform and reliable seed, which directly translates into better farm performance and lower production risk. This contrasts with situations in many countries where poor seed quality remains a major bottleneck.
Technological adoption at the farm level further distinguishes Vietnam’s shrimp industry. Automatic feeders, water quality sensors, and digital farm management tools are increasingly common, particularly in intensive systems.
These technologies help farmers optimize feeding, reduce waste, improve feed conversion ratios, and monitor pond conditions in real time. Importantly, technology is not limited to large corporations.
Many cooperatives and farmer groups access shared services, making innovation more inclusive.
Vietnam’s shrimp sector is also strongly shaped by export market discipline.
Processing plants are highly modernized and tightly connected to international buyers in the United States, Europe, and Japan. Traceability systems link farm practices to final products, requiring compliance with food safety, environmental, and antibiotic-free standards.
This pressure from global markets pushes improvements backward along the value chain, influencing how shrimp are farmed at the pond level.
Human capital development has been another quiet but powerful driver of progress. Extension services, demonstration farms, and farmer-to-farmer learning networks support continuous learning.
Vietnamese shrimp farmers are generally accustomed to keeping production records, evaluating results, and experimenting with new methods. This learning culture allows successful innovations to spread quickly across regions.
Spatial planning and cluster-based development further strengthen the sector. Rather than relying on scattered individual ponds, Vietnam promotes farming clusters with shared water management systems, coordinated stocking schedules, and centralized waste handling.
This reduces environmental pressure, improves biosecurity, and enhances collective efficiency, particularly in densely farmed coastal areas.
Vietnam’s advancement in shrimp aquaculture is also rooted in its response to crisis. Past experiences with disease outbreaks, environmental degradation, and export rejections forced painful but necessary reforms.
Instead of retreating, the sector adapted by tightening regulations, upgrading technology, and strengthening coordination among stakeholders.
These lessons were institutionalized, allowing the industry to emerge stronger and more resilient.
In essence, Vietnam’s shrimp aquaculture success lies not merely in higher yields, but in the construction of a coherent production ecosystem. By aligning farmers, technology, policy, and markets,
Vietnam has transformed shrimp farming into a competitive, learning-oriented, and export-ready industry. Its experience offers important lessons for other shrimp-producing countries seeking not just growth, but long-term sustainability and resilience.
(KA)