Vĩnh Long Province expands high-tech shrimp farming

Vĩnh Long Province expands high-tech shrimp farming

More shrimp farmers in Vĩnh Long Province are adopting digital technologies and automated systems to increase yields, reduce risks and meet growing market demands.

A high-tech white-legged shrimp pond owned by Ngô Văn Thới in Vĩnh Long Province’s Long Thành Commune. — VNA/VNS Photo Thanh Hòa

More shrimp farmers in Vĩnh Long Province are adopting digital technologies and automated systems to increase yields, reduce risks and meet growing market demands.

Ngô Văn Thới in Long Thành Commune’s Tân Thành Hamlet can now monitor his shrimp farming operation through a smartphone.

His family previously raised shrimp under an advanced extensive farming model that relied heavily on natural conditions. About a decade ago, they began transitioning to industrial farming and have now adopted a high-tech model using lined ponds and automated monitoring systems.

The family operates four shrimp ponds on around 3ha of farmland. Each pond is stocked with more than 200,000 white-leg shrimp at a density far higher than under traditional farming methods.

Thới said investment in modern technology had enabled farmers to better control water quality, improve shrimp survival rates and increase productivity.

“High-tech farming requires a larger investment, but we can manage the pond environment much more effectively,” he said.

Thanks to the technology, his family produces three shrimp crops a year. Under favourable conditions, each pond yields about seven tonnes of commercial shrimp per crop.

When white-legged shrimp prices reach nearly VNĐ200,000 (US$7.6) per kilogramme, revenue from each pond exceeds VNĐ1 billion ($38,000), with profits accounting for around 40 per cent of turnover.

The economic efficiency of high-tech farming is encouraging more households in the Cửu Long (Mekong) Delta province to adopt modern production methods.

Multi-stage farming systems using environmental sensors, automatic feeders, bottom oxygen technology and remote management are becoming increasingly common in key farming areas.

Châu Hữu Trị, director of the Agricultural Extension Centre under the province Department of Agriculture and Environment, said many high-tech shrimp farming models were delivering positive results by helping farmers improve management, reduce risks and increase productivity.

The expansion of high-tech shrimp farming models is making an important contribution to the growth of the province’s fisheries sector.

According to the agricultural sector, total aquatic production exceeded 477,000 tonnes in the first months of this year, up 5.4 per cent year-on-year.

Brackish-water shrimp farming remained a key driver of growth, with the stocked area surpassing 90 per cent of the annual target and harvested output exceeding 50 per cent of the plan.

Notably, intensive white-legged shrimp farming expanded by a further 566ha, bringing the total area under high-tech production to nearly 6,000ha and helping improve productivity and production efficiency.

The expansion of these models is helping improve production efficiency while creating a foundation for modern farming zones capable of meeting increasingly strict quality and traceability requirements.

A high-tech white-legged shrimp pond owned by Ngô Văn Thới in Vĩnh Long Province’s Long Thành Commune. — VNA/VNS Photo Thanh Hòa

Despite positive results, shrimp farmers continue to face significant challenges from disease outbreaks, extreme weather and fluctuating prices.

According to the province's Sub-department of Fisheries, Surveillance, Seas and Islands, nearly 530ha of aquaculture areas across the province have been damaged since the beginning of 2026.

Of the total, losses affected more than 234ha of black tiger shrimp and nearly 296ha of white-legged shrimp.

Lê Thị Hạnh Chuyên, deputy head of the sub-department, said monitoring results showed that dangerous disease pathogens were still present in key farming areas, while extreme weather continued to increase risks.

In response, the province is strengthening environmental monitoring and disease surveillance, while guiding farmers to use certified seed stock and improve pond management practices.

Apart from disease risks, investment capital and infrastructure remain major obstacles to the expansion of high-tech shrimp farming.

According to local farmers, a complete high-tech farming system requires investment of several billion đồng to build ponds, install equipment and develop supporting infrastructure.

Chuyên said the province was encouraging wider adoption of multi-stage shrimp farming models, digital technologies for environmental monitoring, biological products and stronger value-chain linkages.

As markets increasingly demand higher product quality, food safety standards and traceability, this farming model is helping create more consistent products that meet the requirements of processors and export markets, according to Chuyên.

The province was also encouraging farmers to join co-operatives and co-operative groups and strengthen links with purchasing and processing companies to stabilise outlets, reduce price risks and develop concentrated farming areas. 

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