Viet Nam has spent more than eight years working to address the European Commission’s “yellow card” warning over illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing on Vietnamese seafood, from refining its legal framework and tightening vessel management to ensuring transparent traceability. These substantive improvements are laying the groundwork for Viet Nam to enter a decisive phase in removing the “yellow card”.

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh has underlined that having the European Commission (EC)’s "yellow card" warning over illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing removed in 2025 and sustainably developing the fisheries sector is an urgent and essential task, one that must be completed without delay.

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh has directed ministries, sectors, localities and State-owned groups to prioritise maintaining macroeconomic stability and accelerating export growth.

Deputy Prime Minister Tran Hong Ha has emphasised the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment (MAE)'s primary role in overseeing the fisheries sector. He urged relevant ministries and agencies to closely supervise and inspect the execution of their assigned tasks to address delays in combating illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing.

Deputy Prime Minister Bui Thanh Son has signed a decision approving a plan for implementing the Protocol Amending the Marrakesh Agreement Establishing the World Trade Organisation (WTO) Agreement on Fisheries Subsidies.

The PM underlined that heads of ministries and localities bear full responsibility for any recurrence of violations or delays in removing the "yellow card".

After ten days of implementing a peak campaign against IUU fishing from October 29 to November 8, patrol and inspection forces of Coast Guard Region 3, in coordination with Border Guard Squadron 18, detected and fined 54 fishing vessels, collecting more than 580 million VND (about 22,000 USD) in fines.

Viet Nam is determined to strictly, openly, and transparently handle all violations related to illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing, Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Pham Thu Hang affirmed at the ministry’s regular press conference in Ha Noi on November 6.

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh chaired the 20th session of the National Steering Committee on Combating Illegal, Unreported, and Unregulated (IUU) Fishing in Hanoi on November 4.

On recent days, in the spirit of the peak emulation campaign themed “Determined and resolute to prevent and put an end to illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing”, officers and soldiers of the ships under Naval Region 5 Command are maintaining a constant presence at sea, intensifying patrols and inspections across the southwestern waters of the Fatherland.

Provinces across the Mekong Delta are intensifying coordinated measures to curb illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing, as part of nationwide efforts to have the European Commission (EC)'s “yellow card” warning against Vietnamese seafood lifted.

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh had a working session on October 28 with Vietnamese ambassadors to ASEAN and regional countries sharing maritime borders with Viet Nam, including Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, and Thailand, on the sidelines of the 47th ASEAN Summit and Related Summits in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Acting Vietnamese Minister of Foreign Affairs Le Hoai Trung and Finnish Minister for Foreign Affairs Elina Valtonen have agreed on the need to promptly coordinate in formulating an action plan to implement the newly issued joint statement on the establishment of the two countries’ Strategic Partnership.

The Viet Nam Coast Guard (VCG) on October 17 held a conference to launch an intensive campaign aimed at preventing and ending illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing violations.

The number of unlicensed vessels has declined, non-compliant fishing boats have decreased, vessels equipped with vessel monitoring systems (VMS) have increased, and no new cases of disconnected boats, boundary violations, or foreign detentions have been reported.

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh chaired the 15th meeting of the National Steering Committee on combating illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing, connected online with 21 coastal cities and provinces.

Efforts to combat illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing must go beyond lifting the European Commission (EC)’s “yellow card” warning to develop a sustainable fisheries sector and protect Viet Nam’s reputation, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh stressed at a meeting on September 23.

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh emphasised the need to clearly identify responsibilities in the leadership, instruction and management of Party committees and administrations regarding the continued violations in seafood exploitation, while addressing the 14th meeting of the National Steering Committee for Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated (IUU) Fishing Prevention and Control on September 23.

National Assembly Vice Chairman Le Minh Hoan on September 18 met with Wouter Beke, chair of the European Parliament delegation, who expressed the hope for stronger relations with both Viet Nam and ASEAN.

Viet Nam officially deposited its instrument of ratification of the Agreement on Fisheries Subsidies at the WTO General Council’s special session in Switzerland on September 15.