The integrated rice-shrimp farming system is one strategy for sustainable development of coastal areas of the Mekong Delta in the context of salinity and drought. This system is divided into two phases: the rice crop in the rainy season with low salinity and shrimp cultivation in the dry season with high salinity. Based on opinions of agricultural experts, group interviews and direct interviews with 80 households in Ca Mau province, this paper presents the current context of integrated rice-shrimp farming systems in the Mekong Delta with the aim of determining a strategy for long-term development of the shrimp industry in Vietnam. The results show that this is appropriate for small-scale farmers and an ecologically efficient model because it uses less fertilizers and pesticides than rice production, instead of applying the principles of a circular economy in the nutrient cycles between shrimp and rice. However, the irrigation systems do not meet the high-level requirement for rice-shrimp production. The researck also indicates that there is a shortage of freshwater for rice crops. More importantly, the quality of shrimp seed is low and rice varieties cannot survive under conditions of high salinity. Finally, it is not effective form an economic perspective due to low productivity, particularly for rice crop. It is necessary to solve problems to ensure development of rice shrimp farming systems that contribute to sustainability of the shrimp industry.