With the spirit of “resolute action, no forbidden zones, no exceptions,” the border guard force on the Southwestern front line is not only strictly handling IUU fishing violations, but also persistently accompanying and gradually changing the awareness of fishermen, contributing to building a sustainable fisheries sector and protecting the national prestige in the international arena.
Letting nothing “slip through the net”
9:00p.m. The Southwestern waters are calm.
As the last lights in Hon Tre hamlet, Tien Hai commune (An Giang province) gradually faded, the ship bearing number BP 20-12-05 leaved the dock. On the deck, officers and soldiers of the An Giang Border Guard Command began a sleepless night for the goal of removing the IUU fishing “yellow card,” for the national prestige.
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The Patrol and Inspection Team No.1 under the An Giang provincial Border Guard Command works with the captain of a fishing vessel violating seafood exploitation regulations in the early morning of December 18, 2025. |
The ship headed out to the sea and near-shore islands of Kien Luong commune, Ba Lua archipelago. Ahead lied the immense space of the night sea, behind was the mainland in slumber. Between these two spaces, border guards silently performed a task identified as one of the particularly important fronts in the fight against IUU fishing.
On the ship, Colonel Nguyen Van Tung, Deputy Chief of Staff of the An Giang Border Guard Command, Head of Patrol and Inspection Team No.1, intently watched the radar screen and signals on the sea surface. He stated that, implementing the direction of the Ministry of National Defense and the Vietnam Border Guard Command, the An Giang provincial Border Guard Command has developed a peak plan for patrols, inspections, and controls against IUU fishing across the entire coastal waters, tidal flats, river mouths, and near-shore islands of the province. Two patrol teams were established, led by the command’s Deputy Chiefs of Staff, deploying continuously from December 15, 2025, with two peak phases.
“Night patrols are very hard, but this is the time when violations are easily detected. Controlling the night means controlling effectively,” Colonel Nguyen Van Tung said.
On the very first day of deployment, coordinating with the provincial fisheries surveillance force and the Tien Hai Border Post, the patrol team inspected vehicles operating around the Ha Tien archipelago area. Each fishing vessel was approached, each set of documents checked, each vessel monitoring system (VMS) signal verified. In the flashlight beams sweeping across the deck, border guard officers persistently explained to fishermen about permitted fishing zones, the responsibility to maintain VMS 24/24, and the legal consequences of violations.
During the mission, the Patrol and Inspection Team No.1 detected and seized two vehicles violating regulations on seafood exploitation, handing them over to the Tien Hai Border Post for handling in accordance with the law.
According to Senior Colonel Pham Van Thang, Chief of the An Giang provincial Border Guard Command, 2025 marks a clear shift in the unit’s IUU fishing prevention and control work. With the motto “strict control from shore to sea, strict handling from small to large,” the provincial Border Guard Command has increased patrol and inspection density, preventing the formation of “low-lying areas” in law enforcement.
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Officers and soldiers of the An Giang provincial Border Guard Command disseminate regulations related to seafood exploitation to fishermen in the waters of Ha Tien archipelago. |
In 2025 alone, the provincial Border Guard Command organized nearly 1,200 independent patrols with over 5,300 participating officers and soldiers; inspected more than 5,100 vehicles and nearly 29,400 fishermen. At the same time, coordinating with functional forces to organize 53 inter-agency patrols, thereby detecting 67 violations involving 69 fishing vessels; receiving and handling 9 cases of violating foreign waters. The total administrative fine was over VND 14 billion, while 3 cases showing signs of criminal activity were transferred to the police for investigation and prosecution according to regulations.
Boosting information dissemination
Not just handling violations, the An Giang provincial Border Guard Command identified legal dissemination and mobilization of fishermen as a fundamental, long-term solution in preventing IUU fishing. Senior Colonel Nguyen Van Hiep, Political Commissar of the An Giang provincial Border Guard Command, affirmed, “Combating IUU fishing cannot be done by orders or fines alone. It is more important to make fishermen understand, trust, and voluntarily comply with law and regulations.”
From that awareness, dissemination work has not only been carried out in meeting halls, but also brought straight to fishing vessels and wharves. Border guard officers have directly met and exchanged with each vehicle owner and crew-member; flexibly applying many forms suitable for each locality and target group. The content has focused on core regulations on combating IUU fishing, such as permitted fishing zones, installation and maintenance of VMSs, procedures for leaving and entering ports, and legal responsibilities for violations; simultaneously linking with education on the consciousness of protecting sea and island sovereignty, maintaining national image and prestige.
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The An Giang provincial Border Guard Command popularizes against IUU fishing to fishermen. |
Since the beginning of the year, nearly 9,800 officers and soldiers of the An Giang provincial Border Guard Command have participated in more than 7,400 dissemination sessions, distributing tens of thousands of leaflets and legal documents, presenting national flags, portraits of Uncle Ho, and many meaningful gifts to fishermen.
Those numbers are not just on reports but are clearly reflected in the change in fishermen’s awareness. At Tien Hai port, in the afternoon preparing for the year-end sea trip, fisherman Huynh Van Phung, owner of trawler KG-92682-TS, while rechecking the VMS, shared that previously, many people thought IUU fishing regulations were troublesome. But when border guards came to each trawler and wharf to explain specifically, pointing out long-term benefits for aquatic resources and responsibility for sea and island sovereignty, that way of thinking changed. Now he always turns on the VMS 24/24 and feels more secure when going out to sea.
Amid the silent night of the Southwestern waters, ship BP 20-12-05 persistently cut through waves on patrol, casting long lights on the dark water. At that forefront, officers and soldiers of the An Giang provincial Border Guard Command were silently contributing to protecting not only aquatic resources but also the prestige and image of Vietnam in the international arena. “Removing the IUU fishing “yellow card” is not the job of any single force. But at the front line, we define this as an order, a responsibility,” Senior Colonel Nguyen Van Hiep emphasized.
Translated by Minh Anh