Vietnam is the world’s third largest fish exporter, with an aquaculture sector employing roughly 670.000 people, thus making this sector a key ingredient in Vietnam’s rapid economic growth.  Despite its success and high growth rates, the Vietnamese aquaculture sector is currently facing a number of substantial challenges, which threaten its otherwise bright future. One such challenge is the increasing demand from export markets for high quality, safe and clean aquatic products, as exemplified by a recent agreement between the Vietnamese government and the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF), which stipulates that 50% of all pangasius farms will have to comply with international standards by 2015. Requirements the Vietnamese sector will not be able to meet unless it receives a long waited upgrading of equipment, processes and know-how.

In order to help the sector meet these challenges, five leading Danish aquaculture technology companies have joined forces and developed the idea of a Danish Aquaculture Technology Excellence Centre (VIDATEC), which aims to become a Danish-Vietnamese platform for advancing new aquaculture technology, practices and training, with a focus on increasing the quality of Vietnamese seafood production.

The project is innovative due to the novel idea of developing a joint platform between Danish and Vietnamese partners, with the aim of furthering the capacity of the Vietnamese aquaculture sector. Moreover, in line with a larger trend within the Danish business community, as well as the ambitions of the Danish Government and DANIDA, the project has a strong CSR focus and sector development approach.

As a first step on the way to achieving the goals of the project, a feasibility study will be conducted by leading Danish aquaculture companies and Vietnam Seafood Exporters and Producers (VASEP), which will include an assessment of the expected spill-over effects for the local community, including thousands of fish farmers in the Mekong Delta area.