Fisheries is a very important sector for the development of Vietnam, taking into account its contribution to the achievement of food security, the alleviation of poverty, sustainable livelihood creation, economic growth and in the generation of rural employment. Vietnam has 3,260 km of shoreline with 112 estuaries, 1 million square kilometres of Exclusive Economic Zone, including many islands, bays and lagoons. The total annual allowable and sustainable catch is estimated around 1.5 million tons. Next to the opportunities in the marine environment, there are about 1.8 million hectares of water-surface available and suitable for aquaculture.

The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development of Vietnam estimates the number of people employed in the sector to be around 3.4 million. However, the number is probably even higher, taking in consideration that large numbers of rice-farmers also grow extensively fish in their paddies, canals and in small ponds on their premises.

Although there are many examples of coastal lagoon management world-wide, the situation in the Tam Giang-Cau Hai Lagoon of Thua Thien Hue Province is very specific, taking into account the size of the lagoon (70 km of its length) and the high population density, with about 300 000 people gaining part of their livelihood directly from the lagoon. With a substantial human impact and large variability in the lagoon environment due to interaction of fluvial and tidal regimes, inlet instability and recurrent floods, planning and management must stem from a sound knowledge of the lagoon system and its functioning principles as a whole.

Related to the population relying on lagoon activities, it should be noted that there is an enormous pressure on the aquatic resources by different groups and for various activities, like fishing, aquaculture, transport and tourism. Furthermore, the farmers and industry in the area use the water for their purposes, with the results that accompanying effluents enrich sometimes to an unbearable level but more often contaminate the environment.

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