Norway – Viet Nam: Cooperation opportunities in aquaculture and seafood export

The seminar is aimed at strengthening the bilateral cooperation between Norway and Viet Nam in the fisheries sector. It is also expected that this will be a forum where authorities, companies and stakeholders of both countries can meet and explore practical solutions and opportunities to intensify collaboration, particularly in the context of the global trend towards greener and more sustainable development where technologies and science-based solutions play a key role. At the seminar the Norwegian Seafood Council (“NSC”) also announces a new plan for introduction of more Norwegian seafood products to the Vietnamese market and its consumers.

The event spotlights the presence of the State Secretary of Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, H.E., Mr. Erling Rimestad, and other distinguished guests including MARD Deputy Minister, H.E. Mr. PPhung Duc Tien; Ambassador of Norway to Viet Nam, H.E. Ms Hilde Solbakken; Director of Innovation Norway, Commercial Counsellor of the Norwegian Embassy in Hanoi Mr. Arne-Kjetil Lian; SEA Director of NSC Mr. Asbjørn Warvik Rørtveit, and representatives from the Viet Nam Ministry of Industry and Trade, Viet Nam Chamber of Commerce and Industry (VCCI), Viet Nam Association of Seafood Exporters and Producers (VASEP), stakeholders. Particularly, a number of Norwegian companies and Vietnamese importers also make their presence at the event to share their aquaculture experiences and expertise, as well as discuss the potential for business-to-business cooperation in aquaculture, processing and import-export of seafood products.

In her introductory remarks, Ambassador of Norway to Viet Nam, Hilde Solbakken indicates “Norway takes pride in the cooperation with Viet Nam in the fisheries, aquaculture, and marine sectors, and sees this a central part of the more than 50 years of friendship and cooperation since we established diplomatic relations in 1971”.

Visiting Viet Nam for the first time, State Secretary of the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Erling Rimestad speaks highly of the Norway-Viet Nam bilateral ties particularly the productive cooperation between the two countries in the fisheries sector. “We find ourselves at the top of the list of seafood exporters – Norway as the second biggest in the world, and Viet Nam as the third biggest. We are in the fortunate position that this does not make us competitors – in fact we complement each other as seafood nations. Norway exports species such as salmon, cod, king crab and shrimps from the sea. Viet Nam is a big supplier of farmed pangasius and shrimp. The processing of Norwegian mackerel in Viet Nam, also shows how we can both benefit in the seafood value chain.”, emphasized by the State Secretary in his opening remarks.

As a co-chair of the Seminar, Deputy Minister Phùng Đức Tiến, in his remarks, highly appreciates the support and assistance from Norway to MARD and the fisheries industry for more than 30 years, which covers different segments from development of a regulatory framework to technical assistance, capacity building and training. Deputy Minister Tien said, “This Seminar is a great opportunity for the two countries to deepen our bilateral cooperation in marine aquaculture on an industrial scale, to promote bilateral trade in seafood products, and to realize the areas of cooperation as stated in the Letter of Intent signed between Norway and Vietnam in May 2021”. Deputy Minister Tiến also provides some updates on the situation of seafood production and export in Vietnam over the past years, as well as highlighted the policies, priorities and strategies of Viet Nam for its fisheries sector towards effective and sustainable growth of the marine aquaculture in the coming decades.

Sharing the priorities of the Viet Nam’s fisheries sector in the coming time, particularly in the shift from traditional aquaculture model to one on industrial scale, focusing more on the quality of the products and environmental protection, Director General of the Fisheries Department, MARD Tran Dinh Luan affirmed “Viet Nam has made important achievements in the marine aquaculture technologies and techniques, and is now shifting to marine aquaculture on an industrial scale, which is more sustainable from both social and economic perspectives taking into consideration the protection of natural resources and the environment and to meet the strict requirements of the consumption markets”. Director General Luân also expresses hopes to learn more from Norway’s experiences in developing the national branding for Norwegian salmon in order to develop a national brand for Viet Nam’s products of marine aquaculture on industrial scale.

The SEA Director of NSC Asbjørn Warvik Rørtveit brings to the seminar the success story of Norwegian salmon. He states “Combining traditions with knowledge and a modern scientific approach, always keeping the environmental context in mind, forms the basis of Norwegian aquaculture. Norway was the first country to successfully farm and commercialize Atlantic salmon back in the 70s. The Norwegian coastline, which reaches far into the Arctic, offers ideal conditions for the fish that thrives in cold waters. Here, the salmon can live in its natural environment. For thousands of years, Norwegian fishermen have survived thanks to our in-depth knowledge about the Norwegian seas, and the fish itself – what they need and where they thrive. Today, we continue to push boundaries to evolve and improve when it comes to technology and sustainability.”

In addition, NSC also announces an official plan to be more active in Viet Nam. “In 2023, NSC will strengthen promotional activities in Viet Nam so that many consumers know about the presence of Norwegian seafood, as well as build programs to meet, connect and promote trade between import and export enterprises of the two countries. Any Vietnamese importer can register to use the trademark “Seafood from Norway” to attach to their products. The simple registration process will bring great benefits to businesses when the demand for product origin transparency is increasing in the Vietnamese market”, said Mr. Asbjørn Warvik Rørtveit.

With similarly long coastlines, both Norway and Viet Nam are top seafood exporters in the world: Norway - the second and Viet Nam the third. Norway is a country with the leading fishing and aquaculture industry in the world with the core values ​​of sustainable development, and environmental protection in parallel with continuously improving the economic value economy and reputation of national seafood globally. Viet Nam is a country with great potential to develop aquaculture with sustainable and responsible management.

Protecting the planet and oceans by ensuring the seafood we produce has the lowest possible impact is at the heart of everything being done in Norway’s fisheries industry. Norway adopts a holistic ecosystem-based approach to fisheries and aquaculture management with strict regulations to protect the oceans and various species in the waters.

Meanwhile, Viet Nam already sets out a number of goals including reducing fishing intensity on marine natural resources and enhancing marine aquaculture in appropriate areas as specified in the Fisheries Development Strategy to 2030, with a vision to 2045 issued in 2021 under a Prime Ministerial decision. The country is also in a good position to participate deeply in the global value chain and determined to exploit the potential and use of ocean resources responsibly and sustainably.

Norway has many useful lessons throughout the entire value chain of the industry to share with Viet Nam to make the aquaculture practices more sustainable and have lower carbon footprints. By working together, we can develop greener and sustainable practices for Viet Nam’s fisheries industry, which can further inspire innovation, and we can both be successful and responsible seafood nations.

Background information about Norway - Viet Nam bilateral cooperation in the fisheries sector

Norway and Viet Nam have cooperated in the fisheries sector for nearly 40 years. Norway helped Viet Nam develop the first Fisheries Law in 2003 and its accompanying documents; supported surveys of aquatic resources; capacity building projects and activities in the fisheries sector.

• Norwegian research institutions including Tromsø University, University of Bergen and Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU) have partnered with Nha Trang University to build a solid scientific research centre with high quality education and competence in the marine sector. Many leaders and experts of the Vietnamese fisheries industry have been trained in Norway and are now using their knowledge and expertise to contribute to the development of Viet Nam's fisheries industry. Norway also provided Research Vessels to support Viet Nam in research activities in the fisheries sector.
• Aquaculture Research Institute 1 (RIA1) under the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development of Viet Nam also benefited from Norway's Technical Assistance in promoting various sustainable aquaculture methods.
• Since 2019, the Confederation of Norwegian Enterprises (NHO) has been working with the VCCI to develop a set of job descriptions for some key positions in the Viet Nam’s marine aquaculture industry. In addition, NHO and VCCI have worked together on developing occupational standards and occupational skills standards for 6 core job positions in marine aquaculture in Viet Nam; developing training curriculum and training manual for 6 modules of 6 occupations; and training for 18 trainers. In 2022, the program has provided the training for 100 trainees who are farmers and workers in marine aquaculture industry. It is expected that by the end of the project, 30 trainers and 300 workers and farmers in Viet Nam will receive professional training. The training curriculum also will be transferred to 18 VET schools in Viet Nam. This serves as the basis for VCCI on-going work on the development of targeted vocational training curriculum to meet the needs for skilled workers of aquaculture businesses in Viet Nam. Close collaboration from the business community and vocational training institutions is a key factor for the success of a strategy for marine aquaculture on industrial scale.
• On May 21, 2021, the Letter of Intent on strengthening and developing corporations in the marine aquaculture industry was signed between the Viet Nam Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development and the Norwegian Ministry of Trade, Industry, and Fisheries.
• The Norwegian Seafood Council is having a strategy to expand exports of Norwegian seafood products to the Vietnamese market starting from 2023.
• There are currently more than 10 Norwegian enterprises operating in Viet Nam in this field, from providing equipment and technological solutions for industrial marine farming (Scale AQ), fish handling (MMC FP), vaccine (Pharmaq), aquafeed (Skretting) to salmon processing factory (MOWI), rest raw materials processing (Fjell Technology), equipment production (Slatlands) and seafood exporters.
• Many Norwegian companies have been exporting salmon and seafood products from Norway to the Vietnamese market. Some prominent names include HOFSETH SALES AS, BR KARLSEN SALES AS, VIKENCO AS, BRODRENE SPERRE AS. LEROY SEAFOOD AS, SILVERRET NORWAY AS, and SALMAR AS. SALMAR AS has already set up rep office in Viet Nam.
• According to the General Department of Viet Nam Customs, the statistics in the fishery and aquaculture sector in 2022, Viet Nam imported 259,8 million USD from Norway and exported 9,4 million USD, with growing percentages of 16.5% and 5.2% respectively.