The United States will support Vietnamese fishermen against illegal intimidation at sea as part of a new memorandum of understanding (MoU) recently signed between Vietnam and the U.S.

The Vietnam Directorate of Fisheries (D-FISH) and the U.S. Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (INL) on Wednesday singed an MoU on strengthening Vietnam’s fisheries management and law enforcement capabilities.

The signing ceremony was attended by U.S. Ambassador to Vietnam Daniel Kritenbrink and D-FISH’s director general Tran Dinh Luan.

The technical assistance provided by the INL within the framework of this MoU is going to help boost the capacity of Vietnam's Directorate of Fisheries and Department of Fisheries Resources Surveillance.

It will further promote cooperation between Vietnam, the U.S., and international law enforcement agencies to aid the sustainable maintenance of marine resources and the fight against illegal fishing.

The U.S. has extensive experience in managing and enforcing fisheries laws and is willing to share it with Vietnam, Ambassador Kritenbrink remarked at the ceremony.

The U.S. looks forward to working with Vietnam to develop a sustainable fisheries sector and to support Vietnamese fishermen against illegal threats at sea, the diplomat stated.

Vietnam’s Directorate of Fisheries has been working with the U.S. since 2015 to improve fisheries law enforcement and management capacity through technical training, study tours, exchange of experience, and other technical assistance activities.

The INL is expected to hand over to Vietnam’s Department of Fisheries Resources Surveillance a training center in Phu Quoc, an island off the southern province of Kien Giang, in February 2021.

This center will significantly improve the capability of the Vietnamese agency as well as fisheries resources surveillance units in the country’s 28 coastal provinces.

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