Vietnam can surpass Thailand

Crocodiles live in tropical regions and the weather and geographic conditions in Vietnam are very suitable for the animal.

Vietnam does not have a specific strategy for raising crocodiles, although it is a potential market that was developed in Thailand 30 years ago.

Nguyen Ngoc Thanh, Head of the Management Board of the Sai Gon Crocodile Village in District No.12 of Ho Chi Minh City, said it seems quite unreasonable that with such favourable conditions Vietnamese crocodile accounts for only 0.001 percent of the global output.

Many households currently raise crocodiles and have gained initial success, however, to develop Vietnam as a major supplier of crocodile meat and products in the long term requires special attention from ministries and departments.

Vietnam can become a powerful crocodile producer in South East Asia, Thanh said. There is increasing demand for many crocodile products in the world, some of which are used as medicine.

According to the Vietnamese management authority of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), around 600,000 crocodiles are currently being raised in Vietnam by more than 1,000 households in 25 provinces and cities, mainly in south.

Needs management

To develop crocodile sustainably requires investment, strict management and supervision and creating export markets. More importantly, crocodile farming must follow the Government’s regulations and CITES rules

In addition, the Prime Minister’s decision and CITES both ban hunting freshwater crocodiles of the scientific name “Crocodylus siamensis” for domestic use and for export. Therefore raising, purchasing, transporting and exporting crocodile must be strictly controlled.

Raising crocodile in Vietnam has not been promoted so Vietnamese crocodile has not obtained a trademark.

Only farmers who have registered with their local forest management authority, have a large amount of capital and have developed standardized farms can sell their products easily and earn high profits.

Some businesses that have received CITES licenses to export crocodile products include Ton Phat, Hoa Ca, Forimex and Suoi Tien. Products exported to other countries without CITES licenses are illegal and violate CITES regulations.

The Sai Gon Crocodile Village, established in 2003 by the Hoa Ca Crocodile Company and the Xuan Loc Cooperative, is a typical example. It is known primarily for supplying crocodile products. It is also a complex, including a restaurant, an exhibition area, a showroom displaying crocodile products, a processing house and a park.

Visitors to the village will have the chance to visit the breeding farm and a workshop which makes products from crocodile skin, shop at the showroom and enjoy dishes made from crocodile meat.

The village not only sells raw crocodile meat, it also makes a variety of products such as purses, wallets, belts and packs meat for the domestic market and export. It has generated many jobs for farmers in District 12.

The craft village aims to become a well-known trademark in the region and the world.

Thanh said that to make a breakthrough requires a specific strategy. Businesses should not rely only on the market, but must actively turn what we produce into what the market wants. If this can be done a quality trademark for Vietnamese crocodile is within reach.