Vietnam has used the “International Principles” to adapt legislation and develop its national program toward better management of shrimp farming. In addition to supporting the development of the International Principles for Responsible Shrimp Farming, projects were initiated to turn the principles into practices, which targeted better production, product quality, as well as environmental and socio-economic sustainability. It was reported by small-scale farmers in Tra Vinh province that the principles were difficult to apply and more importantly they focus on ecology and ignore the adaptation and social aspects. As a result, shrimp farmers have been experiencing declining yields and incomes and further clearance of mangroves has been witnessed. Vietnam has lost half of its mangrove forests over the past 30 years, notably to make way for shrimp ponds. This is a worrying trend, as healthy mangroves make important contributions to both climate change adaptation and mitigation, acting as a natural barrier against storms, sea-level rise, and erosion, and have the ability to store and sequester carbon. In addition, the mangrove ecosystem forms a natural habitat for many aquatic and terrestrial species and provides a source of livelihood for coastal communities. To reduce the pressure on mangrove forests, and simultaneously enhance smallholder livelihoods and resilience, this project supported the development and introduction of sustainable aquaculture models which restore and protect mangrove forests, while creating a more sustainable future for local shrimp farmers. We have strived to develop the Sustainable Mangrove-Shrimp Aquaculture Protocol—the first that addressed the challenges of the mangrove social-ecological systems, area of mangrove covers on each farm, the benefit of the local community and adaptation to climate change in Tra Vinh in particular and in the region in general. This project consisted of an in-depth literature review, needs assessment of the local area, and particularly, a capacity-building program centred on the sustainable development of shrimp aquaculture based on the Aquaculture Stewardship Council (ASC) international food standard that requires environmental and social awareness. Our goal was to facilitate this transition toward compliance with international sustainability requirements, as well as enhance public-private partnerships (PPP) between smallholder farmers, private shrimp exporters, and regional policymakers, so as to catalysed transitions to Eco shrimp farming in the region. As a result, the sustainable development of shrimp farming will be pursued and social equity, growth of rural incomes, poverty reduction, sustainable mangrove management can take place in the future.