Research on World Agricultural Economy

Under the tightening constraints of European Union IUU regulations and global value chain (GVC) standards, this study investigates the structural determinants of the performance disparity in Vietnam's tuna industry. Integrating the resource-based view (RBV) with a hybrid SWOT-AHP framework, the research analyzes strategic priorities based on a purposive sample of 15 experts, comprising national policymakers and local practitioners in Phu Yen province. This dual-level approach specifically diagnoses the operational gap between central legislative mandates and local implementation realities. Empirical results indicate a defensive strategic posture, with Weaknesses and Threats collectively accounting for 54.3% of the total strategic weight. A defining structural bottleneck is the “IUU-enforcement nexus” (GW_Nexus = 0.1609), which aggregates external regulatory pressure (T11) and internal monitoring deficits (W15). Crucially, the dominance of this compliance burden is confirmed by the fact that its intensity is more than three times higher than the industry's leading strength (S12, GW = 0.04885). These findings confirm a fundamental paradigm shift: industry competitiveness is no longer driven by factor endowments but by institutional compliance capacity. Consequently, the study concludes that sustainable growth requires transcending mere legal enactment to focus on bridging the policy-practice divide through digital enforcement infrastructure and synchronized local resource investment.