The ceremony participants were Mr. Tony Harma - Agricultural Counselor, an Australian Ambassador in Vietnam; Mrs. Erlinda Qurrotu Aina - Representative of the Secretariat of the Action Plan to Combat IUU Fishing in the Asia Pacific Region (RPOA-IUU SEC); Ms. Nguyen Thi Trang Nhung - Head of Science, Technology and International Cooperation Department, Fisheries Surveillance Department; Representatives of the Australian Ambassador in Hanoi and students attending the training course. On the part of Nha Trang University, there was the participation of Associate Professor, Dr. Pham Quoc Hung - Vice Rector of the University, and representatives of relevant departments.

Associate Professor, Dr. Pham Quoc Hung - Vice Rector of the University spoke at the ceremony.

        The IUU project is funded by the Australian Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (DAFF) to be implemented from 2023-2026. The project aims to assist ASEAN nations in developing human resources and creating regional action plans that will encourage responsible fishing practices, including combating illegal fishing, and capacity building for monitoring, control, supervision, and cooperation of fisheries management. The project will organize three training courses, each consisting of two study sessions and field trips.

         In the meeting, the Project Coordination Committee concluded many training activities and field trips, providing practical lessons to enhance the training quality in the next courses. Nha Trang University leadership representatives and the Project Coordination Committee awarded course completion certificates to the students. The first course was completed with 2 training sessions. The first session occurred from May 22, 2023, to June 9, 2023; the second was from November 6 to November 24, 2023. Attending the course were students from Southeast Asian countries, Timor Leste, and Papua New Guinea. The course was led by lecturers from Nha Trang University (Institute of Fisheries Science and Technology; Faculty of Economics; Faculty of Food Technology), experts from the Australian Fisheries Management Authority, and some experts from many countries. 

           During the training course, students were provided with theoretical and practical knowledge related to fisheries monitoring, control, and surveillance activities to effectively solve the problem of IUU fishing in Southeast Asia. Simultaneously, participants had opportunities to introduce and share their knowledge about national, regional, and international legal, and regulatory frameworks for the implementation of MCS to combat IUU fishing. The course also introduced and helped participants identify and apply MCS tools, technologies, and processes to support MCS activities that contribute to effective fisheries management in the region. In addition, trainees learned MCS operation planning skills, and they were guided by the experts in investigating fishing vessels to determine the possibility of IUU fishing and understanding the social aspects of fishing in Southeast Asia, especially the concepts and strategies to improve gender equality within MCS frameworks.