Abstract

The study focuses on analyzing and evaluating the current state of marine economic development at Tra Vinh Province in the period of 2016-2020 across key sectors such as marine capture fisheries and aquaculture, coastal tourism and services, coastal industries and energy, as well as seaport and logistics systems. The outcome indicates that Tra Vinh’s marine economy has achieved significant progress; contributing to the province’s economic restructuring toward industry and services; improving the livelihoods of coastal populations and positively enhancing overall economic growth. Nevertheless, there are several limitations in this improvement including underdeveloped infrastructure, the small scale of processing industry, weak regional linkages and the increasing impacts of climate change. 
Based on the SWOT Analysis, the study shows that in spite of owning great advantages on geographical location, marine resources and development policies, Tra Vinh Province should overcome weaknesses on human resources, technology and resource management. The study proposes some strategies towards sustainable marine economic development, especially impressing solutions about completing coastal infrastructure, developing renewable energy, strengthening regional connectivity, enhancing the quality of manpower and promoting the application of science and technology in the management, exploitation, and protection of marine resources.