Vietnam's whiteleg shrimp farming expands into low-salinity inland areas, with soft-shell and stunted growth diseases occurring frequently
Vietnam Fisheries Magazine reported on October 21, 2026 that whiteleg shrimp farming continues to expand in area due to high profits, with farming zones moving from high-salinity coastal areas deep into inland regions, where salinity in some areas is only about 3‰; under low-salinity conditions, problems such as soft shells, stunted growth and slow growth are prominent.
An article published in Vietnam Fisheries Magazine (Thuy san Viet Nam) on October 21, 2026 reviewed experience in preventing and controlling soft-shell and stunted growth diseases in whiteleg shrimp (Penaeus vannamei) farming under low-salinity conditions. The article noted that whiteleg shrimp farming brings high profits, so the farming area is increasingly expanding, and stocking density and farming technology levels are also rising.
The change in farming layout is a key focus of the article. In the past, whiteleg shrimp were farmed only in coastal areas with higher salinity; now farming zones have pushed deep into inland areas, with salinity in some places at only about 3‰; in the western Mekong Delta (miền Tây Nam Bộ) region, farmers raise shrimp year-round and still stock postlarvae during the freshwater period (nghịch vụ, i.e., the off-season period).
The article makes clear that farming shrimp in low-salinity environments has higher costs and makes daily management more difficult; whiteleg shrimp usually suffer yield losses and are prone to soft-shell and stunted growth disease, with growth rates slowing.
General Administration of Customs import and export statistics for August 2026 show that, under the HS 0306.17 warm-water shrimp category (penaeid shrimp, including whiteleg shrimp, black tiger shrimp, etc., which is a commodity classification scope rather than a single biological species), August 2026 imports totaled 91,821.925 tonnes, with an import value of USD 435,220,666.0 and an average import price of USD 4,739.83/tonne. For the same period and the same category, another record shows an import value of USD 414,388,318.0 and an average import price of USD 4,623.51/tonne; the figures from different sources are inconsistent.