Indonesian Parliament Members Strengthen Fisheries and Downstreaming Cooperation with Vietnam

Following the ASEAN Future Forum (AFF) 2026 in Hanoi, Vietnam, Deputy Chair of Commission I of the Indonesian House of Representatives Dave Laksono, together with the Indonesian parliamentary delegation, conducted a series of follow-up meetings in Ho Chi Minh City with various strategic stakeholders. The meeting is part of efforts to strengthen the increasingly close Indonesia-Vietnam relationship, whilst exploring cooperation opportunities in various sectors that have the potential to provide tangible benefits for the economic development and welfare of the people of both countries. One of the main agendas was a meeting with several fisheries companies in Ho Chi Minh City. The meeting discussed cooperation opportunities to increase Indonesia’s fisheries production capacity, expand export markets, encourage technology transfer, and open investment opportunities to strengthen the national fisheries industry. Dave assessed that Indonesia and Vietnam have significant opportunities to strengthen cooperation in the maritime and fisheries sectors. He noted that Vietnam’s experience in developing a competitive fisheries industry can be a valuable lesson for Indonesia in increasing the productivity and competitiveness of the national fisheries sector. Indonesia possesses enormous marine resources. The next challenge is ensuring that this potential can be transformed into higher economic value through strengthening the processing industry, modernising the supply chain, and expanding international market access. He added that the explored cooperation not only aims to increase production but also to strengthen the downstream processing of the fisheries sector so that it provides greater economic benefits for Indonesia. The development of the processing industry, high-value fishery products, and quality improvement are considered important to strengthen Indonesia’s competitiveness in the global market. We want Indonesian fishermen to not just be raw material suppliers, but also to become part of an industrial ecosystem that produces high-value products. Therefore, the downstreaming of the fisheries sector must continue to be strengthened so that its economic benefits can be felt more widely by the community, particularly coastal communities and fishermen. The meeting also opened opportunities for expanding access for Indonesian fishery products to new markets through strengthening business networks and collaboration between industry players from both countries.