Artemia culture in the Mekong Delta, Vietnam, is becoming more and more important to satisfy the global demands of cyst production. Nevertheless, Artemia cyst productivity in the Mekong Delta has been fluctuating largely due to not only technical inefficiencies and external factors but also farms’ characteristics. This study employed a data envelopment analysis to evaluate the production efficiencies in correlation with biological and cost inputs of Artemia culture in Vinh Chau and Bac Lieu located in the Mekong Delta. The key factors affecting technical efficiency (TE) were determined using ordinary least squares regression model. The empirical results indicated that production efficiencies of farms in Vinh Chau and Bac Lieu were similar with metatechnology ratios of 0.97 and 0.96 respectively. About 62.8% of surveyed farms were operating in technically inefficient circumstances. Farmers’ experience, educational level and culture technique training participation had positive effects on TE, while climate effects and water problems have been proved to have negative effects on TE. To improve production efficiency, inefficient farms are suggested to have moderately increasing combinations of organic fertilizer, chemical and feed. The use of probiotics should be reduced as it increases production cost and affects TE. Notably, a collaboration of scientists and feed processing companies is recommended to produce a specific formulated feed for Artemia in commercial scales. This study also proposes adaptive policies for local governments and cooperatives to assist coastal famers in the Mekong Delta overcome technical inefficiencies, improve cyst productivity and obtain economic sustainability in Artemia culture.

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The live feed demands of the global aquaculture industry depend highly on Artemia production in the Mekong Delta, Vietnam. However, the production and profitability of Artemia farming in the Mekong Delta have been affected by environmental and technical challenges. This study presents a cost and return analysis on Artemia franciscana farmed in the Mekong Delta, Vietnam by considering the interaction effects of farming scale and production model for improving Artemia production and profitability. The data were obtained from 94 farms, and the key factors affecting profitability were identified according to economic principles and multivariate statistical analysis. The results highlighted that the profitabilities of Artemia farms were significantly affected by farming scale, production model, and the interaction between these factors (p < .001). Farms applying a “cyst and biomass” model achieved more profit compared to those applying a “cyst” model. The greatest profitability was recorded for a small‐scale “cyst and biomass” model. In order to improve profitability, besides applying the “cyst and biomass” model and maintaining optimal stocking densities, a moderate increment of organic fertilizer and chemical inputs are essential to assure better nutrition and water environment for optimal growth of Artemia biomass and their reproductive activities. For further sustainable development, however, good collaboration between scientists and feed processing companies is suggested to commercially produce specific formulated feeds to satisfy Artemia nutritional demands and ensure environmental protection.