For the sustainable development of the shrimp industry.

Each year, nearly 50 billion shrimp larvae from Khanh Hoa are shipped to farming areas across the country. Behind its position as the largest shrimp larvae production center in Vietnam lies the increasingly urgent challenge of larvae quality and biosecurity. Because in the shrimp industry value chain, sustainable development does not begin in the pond but in healthy larvae.

From natural advantages to the capital of shrimp breeding.

Over the past 30 years, the shrimp hatchery sector in Khanh Hoa has developed strongly, making the province the largest shrimp hatchery center in the country. Currently, the province has approximately 480 brackish water shrimp hatchery facilities with a supply capacity of nearly 50 billion larvae per year. By 2025, shrimp larvae production is expected to reach 49.98 billion, accounting for more than 30% of the total national shrimp larvae production.

Workers pack post-larval shrimp after completing quality control and quarantine procedures.

Not only is Khanh Hoa a leader in production volume, but it also possesses unique natural conditions. Along the coast from Van Phong, Nha Trang, Cam Ranh to Vinh Hy lies an upwelling area, where warm and cold ocean currents meet, creating a stable water source suitable for producing high-quality aquatic animal larvae. Taking advantage of this, concentrated breeding areas in An Hai, Nhon Hai, Son Hai, and Ninh Van have been established, becoming a source of larvae for many aquaculture areas nationwide. In particular, the disease-free broodstock shrimp production area in Son Hai (Phuoc Dinh commune) is currently the first and only planned area in the country dedicated solely to broodstock shrimp production. Here, Viet Uc Group is implementing a program to domesticate whiteleg shrimp broodstock; Moana Co., Ltd. is developing disease-free tiger shrimp broodstock to serve both the domestic and export markets.

According to Mr. Le Van Que, Chairman of the Khanh Hoa Aquatic Seed Association, the province's greatest advantage lies not only in its production volume but also in the seed production ecosystem that has been developed over several decades. From research and broodstock production to seed production and quarantine, everything is concentrated in Khanh Hoa, creating a foundation for the province to play a leading role in the national shrimp seed industry. However, this position also means greater responsibility in the face of existing disease risks.

Disease outbreaks are no longer just a story of fish ponds.

For many years, shrimp diseases were generally seen as a risk to farmers. However, production realities show that as intensive farming models become more common, stocking densities increase, and seed transportation takes place nationwide, diseases have become a problem for the entire production chain.

Shrimp larvae samples are examined under a microscope to detect pathogens early.

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According to Mr. Nguyen Van Huu, Acting Head of the Aquatic Animal Disease Management Department (Department of Fisheries and Fisheries Inspection), the area of ​​brackish water shrimp farming nationwide will remain almost stable at around 750,000 hectares during the 2021-2025 period, while production will increase from 930,800 tons to over 1.29 million tons, equivalent to an increase of nearly 39%. Along with this growth comes increasing pressure from diseases. Monitoring results of over 131,000 samples nationwide during the 2022-2024 period show that EHP microsporidian disease appeared at the highest rate, approximately 15.8%; white spot syndrome virus (WSSV) at about 4.5%; and acute hepatopancreatic necrosis disease (AHPND) at about 4.1%. In some key farming areas in the south, the rate of EHP infection reached over 30%.

The worrying aspect is that many shrimp diseases now don't cause mass mortality as before, but instead silently reduce growth rates, prolong farming time, and increase production costs. A single infected shrimp can travel thousands of kilometers on transport vehicles to commercial farming areas. Conversely, pathogens from farming areas can also return to hatcheries through water sources, transportation, or intermediate links in the supply chain.

For Khanh Hoa, which supplies more than 30% of the country's shrimp larvae annually, the issue of disease outbreaks cannot be viewed solely from the perspective of handling them when they occur. More importantly, it's about preventing risks right at the beginning of the production chain. In other words, protecting the shrimp industry must start with protecting the quality of the larvae.

Build a "shield" using disease-free breeding stock.

If disease outbreaks are the biggest challenge facing the shrimp industry today, then disease-free broodstock is the most fundamental solution. At the recent workshop "Managing Health and Improving the Quality of Brackish Water Shrimp Broodstock in Vietnam" held in Khanh Hoa, Mr. Tran Dinh Luan, Director of the Fisheries and Aquaculture Inspection Department ( Ministry of Agriculture and Environment ), emphasized that the Vietnamese shrimp industry cannot continue to develop solely in terms of increasing production but must shift to improving quality, reducing disease risks, and building a biosecure production chain. According to him, for sustainable shrimp development, control must begin at the very first stage: broodstock and shrimp larvae. Disease-free broodstock not only improves survival rates but also significantly reduces the cost of medicines, chemicals, and risks during the farming process.

Broodstock shrimp are carefully selected and managed before being used in seed production.

To maintain the reputation of Khanh Hoa shrimp larvae, the local agricultural sector is gradually building multiple layers of biosecurity, starting with strict control over the broodstock. Khanh Hoa is the only locality in the country that has planned concentrated disease-free broodstock production areas; all imported broodstock batches are quarantined and tested for dangerous diseases such as White Spot Syndrome Virus (WSSV), Acute Hepatopancreatic Necrosis Disease (AHPND), Infectious Hepatopancreatic Necrosis Virus (IHHNV), Taura Syndrome Virus (TAV), etc., before being used in production. This is considered the first "technical barrier" preventing pathogens from entering the shrimp larvae production chain.

In parallel, a regular disease surveillance system is in place in shrimp hatchery areas. Currently, 100% of shrimp hatchery facilities in the area are subject to regular monitoring. In 2025, through eight monitoring rounds in concentrated hatchery areas, the authorities did not detect any dangerous diseases in brackish water shrimp larvae; all cases of detected pathogens were handled and destroyed according to regulations.

Currently, the concentrated shrimp hatchery area along the southern coast of the province supplies more than 30% of the country's shrimp seed demand.

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However, according to relevant authorities, the pressure on disease control remains very high. Climate change is causing increasingly volatile farming environments; the transportation of shrimp larvae between localities is increasing; while the requirements of importing markets regarding traceability, biosafety, and sustainable development are becoming more stringent. This necessitates the synchronized control of shrimp larvae quality from production and distribution to commercial farming. Mr. Nguyen Trong Chanh, Deputy Director of the Department of Agriculture and Environment, stated: “Khanh Hoa province identifies the quality of shrimp larvae as a decisive factor in the competitiveness of the shrimp industry. The province is focusing on strict control from broodstock, producing disease-free larvae, applying high technology, and ensuring traceability to build a Khanh Hoa shrimp larvae brand based on high quality, biosafety, and sustainable development.”

In the shrimp industry's value chain, the ponds are where the results are visible, but the success or failure of the entire farming season is often determined very early on, right in the nursery tanks along the coast of Khanh Hoa. Therefore, the story of disease-free shrimp larvae today is not just a local issue but is becoming the key to the sustainable development of Vietnam's shrimp industry in the coming years.

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Source: https://baokhanhhoa.vn/kinh-te/202606/de-nganh-tom-phat-trien-ben-vung-8f52054/