The Ministry of Agriculture and Environment has issued Decision No. 1111/QĐ-BNNMT promulgating procedures for controlling foreign vessels engaged in fishing, transporting, and transshipping seafood and seafood products derived from capture fisheries when calling at ports for temporary import, re-export, transshipment, or transit through Vietnamese territory.

The procedure applies to the inspection and control of foreign vessels engaged in fishing, transporting, and transshipping seafood and seafood products derived from capture fisheries when calling at ports to carry out import, temporary import, re-export, temporary export, re-import, transshipment, or transit activities through Vietnamese territory in accordance with the FAO Agreement on Port State Measures to prevent, deter, and eliminate illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing (PSMA Agreement).

Applicable entities include organizations and individuals involved in controlling the import, temporary import, re-export, transshipment, and transit of seafood and seafood products originating from IUU fishing through Vietnamese territory.

The regulation also applies to port management entities designated to receive foreign fishing vessels, as well as foreign fishing vessels, transport vessels, transshipment vessels, and fishing support vessels entering ports to conduct the aforementioned activities or use port services.

Accordingly, the procedure for appraisal and on-board inspection consists of 9 steps.

Step 1: Pre-arrival notification. At least 72 hours prior to port entry, organizations or individuals owning foreign fishing vessels, transport vessels, transshipment vessels, or fishing support vessels must submit a notification to the Directorate of Fisheries and Fisheries Surveillance (Ministry of Agriculture and Environment) in accordance with the prescribed form, accompanied by documents such as vessel registration, fishing/transshipment licenses, relevant reports, cargo hold plans, and CITES permits (if any). Documents must be in Vietnamese or English.

Step 2: Document appraisal. Within 72 hours of receiving complete documentation, the competent authority conducts appraisal, including checking whether the vessel is listed under IUU, verifying technical specifications and ownership, validating voyage data via VMS/AIS, and reviewing operational licenses, fishing logs, and related information. The results are compiled and reported for decision-making.

Step 3: Denial of port entry. Based on appraisal results, the Directorate of Fisheries and Fisheries Surveillance shall notify the vessel owner/representative, port authorities, relevant forces, the flag State, regional fisheries management organizations, and FAO of the denial of port entry for vessels found in violation of IUU regulations.

Step 4: Approval for port entry. For vessels not in violation, the competent authority shall issue approval for port entry to the vessel owner/representative and the maritime port authority in accordance with prescribed procedures.

Step 5: Establishment of inspection team. The competent authority shall establish an on-site inspection team upon vessel arrival, comprising officials from the Directorate of Fisheries and Fisheries Surveillance; relevant agencies may be invited to participate if necessary.

Step 6: On-board inspection. The inspection team shall present official credentials, state the purpose, and request the captain to provide relevant documentation (vessel registration, licenses, reports, cargo hold plans, CITES permits if any). Inspection contents include verifying declared information against on-board documentation; checking species, quantity of seafood, and fishing gear; and reconciling actual unloaded volumes to prepare an inspection record.

Step 7: Preparation of inspection record. The inspection record shall be prepared in two copies in accordance with prescribed forms. The captain and the inspection authority shall each retain one copy.

Step 8: Notification and handling of results. For vessels not violating IUU regulations, port entry and cargo unloading shall be permitted in accordance with regulations.

For vessels in violation of IUU regulations: unloading shall be denied, and the vessel shall be required to leave Vietnamese territory (except in humanitarian cases) if violations are identified, such as invalid licenses, non-compliant fishing practices, quota exceedance, or inclusion in the IUU list; relevant authorities, flag States, and international organizations shall be notified accordingly.

A previous denial decision may be revoked if sufficient evidence proves that the earlier conclusion was incorrect or no longer applicable; relevant parties shall be notified accordingly.

Step 9: Consolidation, reporting, and record retention. The head of the inspection team shall prepare a written report submitted to the Directorate of Fisheries and Fisheries Surveillance. Inspection records shall be sent to the national PSMA focal point for updating into FAO’s GIES system and shared with the flag State, regional fisheries management organizations, and relevant parties. Inspection files shall be archived in accordance with regulations.

According to regulations, captains, vessel owners, cargo owners, and enterprises importing seafood and seafood products derived from capture fisheries must comply with inspection and control requirements and provide information and documentation as requested by inspection officers and teams in accordance with the law; cargo owners must provide relevant documents to support control and supply chain management.

Decision No. 1111/QĐ-BNNMT shall replace Decision No. 617/QĐ-BNNMT dated February 13, 2026, issued by the Minister of Agriculture and Environment on procedures for controlling foreign vessels engaged in fishing, transporting, and transshipping seafood and seafood products derived from capture fisheries calling at ports for temporary import, re-export, transshipment, or transit through Vietnamese territory, effective from March 31, 2026.

Source: Bao Tin tuc