Dr. Nguyen Thanh My: Technology Can Reduce Energy Use in Shrimp Farming by 75%

Dr. Nguyen discusses how smart technology is transforming rice and shrimp production with significant reductions in energy, water, and emissions at Forbes Vietnam's 2025 Summit.

According to renowned inventor and Mylan Group chairman Dr. Nguyen Thanh My, integrating modern technology can reduce electricity and water usage by three-quarters. Traditional shrimp farming uses a lot of resources, consuming approximately 8,000 kWh of electricity to produce one ton of shrimp.

At Forbes Vietnam's Sustainability Leaders' Summit 2025 in Ho Chi Minh City on Thursday, Dr. Nguyen told his experience. He noted that around 2020, there was a growing interest in the digital transformation of the shrimp sector. One kilogram of shrimp produced at the time produced more than twice as much carbon dioxide as one kilogram of beef.

When he first saw conventional shrimp farming, he saw several inefficiencies and resource abuses.

He clarified that in order to solve this, they used technology to increase the productive area within the same land footprint, reduce water consumption by 80%, and reduce electrical usage by 75% in shrimp farming. They even turn fermented shrimp excrement into organic fertilizer and use shrimp shells as plant disinfectants.

Additionally, Dr. Nguyen stressed the importance of technology in rice cultivation. Tools for measuring and lowering CO2 emissions in rice cultivation are now available. He thinks that the government should assist the adoption of new technologies by investing in infrastructure or by having big businesses embrace them.

"The infrastructure benefits farmers," he said. Instead of stealing from farmers, their IT companies are able to support themselves by working with the government and large corporations.