The objective of this study was to investigate ways of improving the selective breeding program for growth related traits in common carp in Vietnam. A base population was established from six carp stocks following a single pair mating scheme. In the current study, we practiced two rearing schemes: i) separate families until the fish were large enough to be physically tagged, and ii) early communal rearing from very soon after hatching. The main aim of the study was to test the relative efficiency of communal early rearing (CER) and separate early rearing (SER) in the context of a Vietnamese common carp selective breeding program. We used microsatellite markers for parental assignment and pedigree reconstruction to investigate ways of further improving the on-going breeding program.