Agriculture plays an important role in Vietnam's economy. In 2014, it contributed 18.12% to the country’s GDP, accounted for 17.1% of the export value, and employed 70% of the workforce. With a rapid growth rate in recent years, fisheries are considered a strategic agricultural sector. However, apart from laudable achievements, Vietnam's fisheries sector is facing numerous difficulties and challenges in export competition in global markets. The lack of corporate social responsibility (CSR) standard and regulation systems for fisheries sector as well as policies in response to increasingly stringent CSR requirements in foreign markets is blamed for a primary cause. Vietnamese fishery businesses are finding it hard to choose and apply appropriate standards among hosts of sustainable development standards and CSR implementation guidelines in the world such as SA8000, BSCI, COSTCO, SMETA, METRO, WALMART, BAP and ASC.

In a bid to support the Vietnamese aquaculture and processing industry to enhance competitiveness and sustainable development, VBCSD will cooperate with Oxfam Novib to build and deploy the “Strengthening Vietnam aquaculture competitiveness by promoting adoption and exercise of corporate social responsibility” Project from June to December 2015. The project will coordinate with relevant agencies to create CSR standard assessment criteria for the fisheries sector based on the legal framework of Vietnam and international standards as well as field trips and case studies, thus encouraging seafood businesses to integrate CSR into their operation and business plans and CSR compliance policies.