Vietnam Fishers Face New Rules, Old Risks in South China Sea

The strongest wave hitting Vietnamese fishing communities today is bureaucratic: Europe’s “yellow card” — imposed by the European Commission to penalize illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing — now runs through conversations like a silent current, James Borton reported for United Press International (UPI).

Vietnam may be celebrating a new U.S. tariff deal — but Washington is expected to intensify scrutiny of traceability, labor conditions, and subsidy practices.

Vietnam is racing against the clock to shed the EU’s yellow card before the Commission’s inspection at the end of 2025.

Missing the deadline could trigger a full red card — effectively shutting off seafood exports worth more than $500 million a year. Now another variable looms: a new U.S.-Vietnam tariff agreement, praised by both governments but offering little clarity about its impact on ordinary fishermen.

Meanwhile, Europe’s warning is already rippling across the Pacific. U.S. trade officials are tracking the same IUU compliance data the EU uses.

Analysts say that if Hanoi fails to lift the yellow card by 2025, Washington could use the EU’s findings to justify tightening tariffs on Vietnamese seafood and other exports.

Vietnam may be celebrating a new U.S. tariff deal — but Washington is expected to intensify scrutiny of traceability, labor conditions, and subsidy practices. If Europe doesn’t clear Vietnam, the U.S. will have a ready-made rationale to raise duties.