Toan Dao

Contributing Editor reporting from Hanoi, Vietnam

Toan Dao has written about Vietnam’s business community, with a focus on energy and agriculture, for a number of Vietnamese and international outlets for more than 10 years. As a contributing editor for SeafoodSource in Southeast Asia, he also covers other major seafood producers in the region including Indonesia and Thailand.

Published on
January 11, 2023

Vietnam has set lower seafood production and export goals for 2023, acknowledging the toll inflation has taken in denting global demand.

However, China’s State Administration for Market Regulation's announcement of the end of testing chilled and frozen foods for Covid-19 at ports of entry beginning 8 January, as reported by Reuters, has given Vietnamese exporters renewed hope for better-than-expected trading environment in the year to

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Published on
January 6, 2023

The Vietnam Association of Seafood Exporters and Producers (VASEP) forecasts Thailand will be a favorite destination for pangasius exporters from Vietnam in 2023 due to expected growth in food consumption there.

In 2022, most countries in Southeast Asia, including Vietnam and Thailand, were forced to deal with negative impacts from China’s strict Covid-related regulations, fallout from the Russia-Ukraine conflict,

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Published on
January 5, 2023

Vietnam managed to boost its shrimp sales to China in November 2022, even as it faced decreases in its exports to other most of its other major markets, according to Vietnam Association of Seafood Exporters and Producers (VASEP).

VASEP did not provide an explanation for the increase, though it said Chinese authorities have reportedly moved to ease pandemic-related restrictions since early December, with imported cargoes no longer being

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Published on
January 5, 2023

Indonesia has named an ambitious goal for its marine exports in 2023, targting a 20 percent increase in value. 

Tuna, cuttlefish, blue swimming crab, and octopus are the country’s key wild-caught species, while shrimp, crab, and seaweed are its major aquaculture products.

Indonesia aims to establish 136 aquaculture villages by the end of the year after finishing building six in 2021. Trenggono said a number of the villages

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Published on
January 4, 2023

Manila, Philippines-based Asian Development Bank (ADB) has approved separate funds worth total USD 166 million (EUR 155.8 million) to help drive sustainable development of the seafood sector in Indonesia and Cambodia.

ADB announced on 15 December it will provide a USD 93 million (EUR 87.3 million) loan to support smallholder shrimp farming in seven provinces in Indonesia. The funding is for the Infrastructure Improvement for Shrimp

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Published on
January 3, 2023

Thailand is expected to produce 300,000 metric tons (MT) of shrimp in 2023, up 7.1 percent from the estimated 280,000 MT in 2022, according to Thai Shrimp Associaiton President Ekapoj Yodpinit said.

Prolonged bouts with shrimp diseases and unfavorable weather conditions hurt the industry in 2022, but will not set the industry back significantly in 2023, Yodpinit said.

Thailand is set to produce ... 

Photo courtesy of Warakorn

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Published on
January 3, 2023

Singapore-based Barramundi Group announced 27 December, 2022, it has agreed to a strategic partnership with Wild Ocean Australia on its Australia business.

Following the partnership with Wild Ocean, Barramundi Group will continue to develop the “Kimberley Ocean Barramundi Project,” which includes MPA’s 13 seawater sites that will be able to produce 30,000 metric tons (MT) per year of barramundi, the company

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Published on
January 3, 2023

Vietnam is making a big push to rid itself of the European Union’s yellow card, a trade warning first issued in October 2017 after the European Commission decided the Southeast Asian nation had not done enough to counter illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing.

The E.U. is now in the process of conducting a review of Vietnam’s fisheries-related policies to determine whether to rescind the yellow card and resume normal

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Published on
December 21, 2022

The Meloy Fund, a U.S.-based impact investment fund, announced 6 December, 2022 it has invested in JAM Seafoods, a seafood-processing company promoting sustainable fisheries in the Philippines.

Meloy Fund was founded in 2016 to conduct impact investment supporting sustainable coastal fisheries in Indonesia and the Philippines. 

The fund said its latest investment, the value of which has not been revealed, will stimulate

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Published on
December 21, 2022

Chennai, India-based aquaculture technology platform Aquaconnect has raised USD 15 million (EUR 14 million) in a Series A funding round to fuel its business expansion.

The round was led by India’s Lok Capital and participated in by Louis Dreyfus Company Ventures, Suneight Investment, and existing investors such as Omnivore, Rebright Partners, Flourish Ventures, HATCH, and others.

The funds will be allocated towards improving

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