VIETNAM'S TRADITIONAL SEAFOOD INDUSTRY

First published by Domestika on 6th May 2023. See the original photo story here. 

Vietnam is the world’s third largest exporter of fish products, exporting a record-breaking USD 11 billion of seafood products in 2022. The industry provides more than 4.5 million Vietnamese with jobs. However, since 2023 the industry has suffered setbacks due to several economic factors. High global inflation affected consumption of seafood worldwide; the Chinese market was slow to emerged from its strict Covid lockdown; and greater competition from other countries that have lower costs and prices also took its toll. These problems especially hurt the large processing plants which were unable to get loans to pay for expensive operating costs. However, small-scale fisheries aimed at the domestic market continued to thrive. These photographs, made in Danang in 2022, show the wholesale seafood market in Tho Quang fishing port and the neighbourhood of Man Thai ward, which was once a traditional fishing village, as well as numerous food markets. They reveal just how important seafood, and the seafood industry, is to Vietnamese culture and the economy.