Ho Chi Minh City is accelerating the rollout of an electronic catch documentation and traceability system for fishing vessels to strengthen seafood traceability and combat illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing.
Ho Chi Minh City has ordered relevant agencies and coastal localities to complete the installation and implementation of the electronic Catch Documentation and Traceability (eCDT) system on fishing vessels by October 30, 2026. The system is intended to improve monitoring of fishing activity, catch volumes and seafood origins.
Under the city’s directive, owners and captains of fishing vessels measuring 6 metres or more are being asked to bring their vessels to fishing ports for eCDT installation and receive guidance on using the system. Authorities are also arranging personnel and equipment to support installation in areas without centralised fishing ports.
The system will record important information related to fishing operations, including vessel departures, port arrivals, catch unloading and catch documentation. Authorities want the information to be complete, timely and verifiable so that seafood can be traced through the supply chain.
Ho Chi Minh City had already updated all local fishing vessels in Vietnam’s national fisheries database, VNFishbase, by September 15. Nearly 95% of vessels measuring 15 metres or longer had also been equipped with vessel monitoring systems (VMS), according to municipal authorities.
However, eCDT adoption remains incomplete. As of September 21, approximately 76.21% of fishing vessels were using the system for port entry and departure procedures. The remaining vessels are mainly nearshore boats operating short fishing trips, particularly in Can Gio and Thanh An, where access to centralised fishing ports can be difficult.
To address these challenges, the city is considering temporary landing points and other arrangements that would allow fishing vessels to complete traceability procedures without creating gaps in catch monitoring. Authorities are also working to expand electronic fishing-log use across the fleet.
The Border Guard Command will assist fishermen with eCDT installation and electronic arrival and departure declarations. Fishing vessels covered by the requirement but without the system installed will not be permitted to leave ports, while vessels already at sea may be required to return to the nearest appropriate port or border guard station for installation.
The rollout follows Vietnam’s national regulatory framework for electronic seafood traceability. Under Circular No. 81/2025/TT-BNNMT, electronic procedures for landed catches began on March 1, 2026, followed by seafood catch certificates from June 1 and catch-origin certificates from September 1.
The digital documentation is also relevant to Vietnam’s seafood export supply chain. Electronic records provide authorities with information needed to verify the origin of seafood consignments and support compliance with requirements related to illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing and international seafood markets.
For seafood processors, exporters and fishing businesses, the expansion of eCDT represents a move toward a more digitally documented supply chain. Accurate vessel, landing and catch records can provide greater visibility from fishing operations through seafood processing and export certification.
The city has set October 30, 2026, as the deadline for completing the eCDT rollout, while the Department of Home Affairs is scheduled to report implementation results to the municipal People’s Committee by November 10.