Sea Cucumbers are found in a variety of geographical areas, from the littoral zone to deep sea, and coral reefs around islands.

Sea cucumbers are especially abundant around Cat Ba Island, Co To Island, Bach Long Vi Island, The Gulf of Tonkin, Ly Son Island, Khanh Hoa, Truong Sa Archipelago, Phu Quoc Island, and Tho Chu Island (Dao Tan Ho, 1996).

SCUBA diving is the main method used to catch sea cucumbers. This method places pressure on sea cucumber populations due to the crowded fishermen and high fishing volume, as sea cucumbers normally live in flocks making it easy to catch large quantities. In addition, other fishing methods catch sea cucumbers as bycatch, simultaneously damaging sea cucumber habitat. Examples of such methods include trawl net with undersized mesh, explosives and electrical fishing gear. These fishing methods result in large deaths of sea cucumbers and other living organisms, disrupting the ecosystem balance in that area.

Sea cucumber is a valuable and nutritious food. Sea cucumber meat contains many nutrients in a high percentage such as protein (76%), amino acids (lysine, proline ...) and many trace substances such as P, Cu, Fe..., many vitamins, hormones and active biological subtances such as Saponin Rg, Rh. It also contains few lipids and almost no cholesterol so that it is a kind of ideal food that can be used by obese people and people with blood-lipid disorders. Furthermore, it is also a kind of good medical material especially in traditional care and cure methods. It can be used in treatment of gastritis and stomach ulcers, anemia, nervous breakdown, lack of libido in men, and backache, amongst other things.

For further information on "Use of Sea Cucumbers as nutritious and functional food" and on "Extraction of sea cucumber for medicinal materials", see the Report accessible from the "Source of Information" section.

Marketing
Market in Vietnam: Ho Chi Minh City has the largest market for sea cucumbers. Fresh sea cucumber usually have the intestines removed, is chilled and transported to the city. However, the market for seed consumption (produced by Research Institute III for aquaculture – Nha Trang) is concentrated in places such as Quang Ngai, Ninh Thuan, Phu Yen and Khanh Hoa provinces. At the moment seed availability is still limited but may increase in the future.
In Asian countries, sea cucumber is viewed as a high-class dish, while in European countries it is also valued and served in luxurious restaurants under the name Cucumus marinus.
Cost: Normally, sea cucumbers that weigh from 0.3 – 0.5kg/ind. cost 17-20,000 VND/fresh kg. However, the price is also dependent upon the size, season and species (table 2).
Furthermore, extracted products used for medicinal purposes will be more expensive, for example, a box of Amorvita sea cucumber above cost 225,000 VND.

Trade
Sea cucumbers are an high commercial species group so that they are being caught for sale. Some species are being overfished to satisfy market demands. However, commercial activities of sea cucumbers haven’t checked clearly so that importexport statistical data (import-export yield, importexport cost, etc.) of these species is still unconnected and uncomprehensive through many years. Almost, the commercial data of sea cucumbers is selected from import-export companies of sea cucumbers or from fishmen or from traders.
Sea cucumbers are usually caught in the south of VietNam (Phu Quoc, Ly Son, Con Dao, Tho Chu and Truong Sa Archipelago). Sea cucumbers from these areas are gathered, transported to Ho Chi Minh market and exported to some countries in Asia (China, Hong Kong, Japan, Taiwan, Singapore), Canada, America and Australia. The species are usually exploited and transported to Ho Chi Minh Market including: Holothuria scabra, Thelenota ananas, Bohadschia argus, Holothuria nobilis and Stichopus chloronotus.
Sea cucumbers market in VietNam includes two kind of products: frozen and dried sea cucumber products. The frozen products are very rare. They are cooked, canned for export market. The dried sea cucumbers are common products in VietNam. They are provided to either domestic or overseas market. If dried products are wetted, they are usually sold at local supermarkets. Some export companies of sea cucumbers in VietNam following:
+ HX export company Address: 405/2 Xo Viet Nghe Tinh St., Binh Thanh Dist., Ho Chi Minh City
They are exporting different kind of dried sea cucumbers such as: White teat fish, Flower teat fish, Green fish, Yellow sand fish, White sand fish, Black sand fish, Lolly fish, Curry fish, Pyhon fish, Shark’s skin, Shark’s fin, Fish maw (Globefish, Pangacious fism maw, Lacfish maw...) , Sea horse, etc.
Market: sea cucumber products have been exported to more than 20 countries, such as China, Japan, Korea, Singapore, United States, etc.
Phu Mai company ltd. Address: 192 Van Kiep St., Ward 3, Binh Thanh Dist., Ho Chi Minh city Địa chỉ: 192 đường Vạn Kiếp, Khu 3, Quận Bình Thạnh, Thành phố Hồ Chí Minh
Market: Some countries of northern America, Eastern Europe, Southeast Asia, Eastern Asia In addition, there are some other export companies of sea cucumbers, such as:
Viet Delta industrial Co., ltd. (20/5 Dinh Bo Linh St., Ward 24, Binh Thanh Dist., Ho Chi Minh City), Anbai sea product company ltd. (1 Bach Ma Street, District 10th HoChiMinh-Viet Nam), etc.

Several attempts to protect sea cucumber species in Vietnam have been made, including designated zones for reproduction areas, and banning trawling and the use of explosives. In addition, initiatives were also undertaken on artificial seed production and culture of sea cucumber species. For additional information on Culture of Sea Cucumbers, see the Report accessible from the "Source of Information" section.