The taxonomic position of a novel marine, heterotrophic, gliding, halotolerant and light-pink-pigmented bacterium, designated strain KMM 6221(T), was examined by using a polyphasic approach. 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis indicated that strain KMM 6221(T) is affiliated with the genus Echinicola, a member of the phylum Bacteroidetes, with levels of similarity of 94.7-95.0 % to strains of Echinicola pacifica. Growth of strain KMM 6221(T) was observed with 0-15 % NaCl and at 6-44 degrees C. The DNA G+C content of strain KMM 6221(T) was 45.9 mol%. On the basis of molecular distinctiveness supported by phenotypic and chemotaxonomic data, strain KMM 6221(T) is considered to represent a novel species of the genus Echinicola, for which the name Echinicola vietnamensis sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is KMM 6221(T) (=DSM 17526(T)=LMG 23754(T)).