Vietnam has a medium human development index (HDI) with a ranking of 127 out of 187 [26], and compared with other seafood exporting countries in Southeast Asia the country has weaker institutions and managerial capacities [27]. Its aquaculture industry is also increasingly vulnerable to public and private standards that emphasize environmental and social sustainability

as well as food safety criteria imposed by regulators in Japan, the European Union, and the United States [28]. This paper investigates what certification might mean for small producers in the global South, drawing on data from central Vietnam as a case example. The paper begins by examining aquaculture and certification schemes operating

within Vietnam, paying particular attention to three main standards operating, or soon to be operational, for farmed shrimp (the Global Partnership for Good Agricultural Talazoparib cell line Practice (GLOBALG.A.P), the Aquaculture Stewardship Council׳s (ASC) Shrimp Aquaculture Dialogue (ShAD), and Vietnam׳s national standard, the Vietnamese Good Aquaculture Practices (VietG.A.P)). From here current aquaculture practices in central Vietnam are explored, enabling for a comparison of everyday practices with certification requirements outlined in Vietnam׳s national standard. Research findings suggest that standard 3-MA cell line compliance for small producers would be extremely arduous, even though this segment of fish farmers makes up the bulk of Vietnam׳s aquaculture production. One potential response Dapagliflozin could be the development of a separate aquaculture standard for small

producers, as part of Vietnam׳s national standard. The paper concludes by proposing prioritized requirements for small producers across social, environmental, economic and management dimensions as a starting point for discussions on small producer certification in Vietnam, and beyond. The methodological approach is two fold: (1) understanding certification in Vietnam generally, and then comparing three main standards that cover shrimp aquaculture to assess the requirements of each standard across social, environmental, economic, and management criteria; and, (2) case specific research with small producers in central Vietnam to assess the viability of standards within a particular context. The standards compared were the: (a) GLOBALG.A.P. Integrated Farm Assurance Aquaculture Module: Control points and compliance criteria, version 4.0 edition 4.0-2 March 2013; (b) recently completed ASC Shrimp Standard (ShAD), version 1.0 March 2014; and (c) VietG.A.P. Guidelines July, 2011. Coverage of specific requirements was assessed by the degree of emphasis placed on each criterion within the standard (how often the issue was mentioned, the level of detail, and the length allocated to the subject).