In the first seven months of this year Vietnam’s seafood exports rose 4.4 per cent compared to the same period last year, with turnover of $3.6 billion.
Seafood exports faced some difficulties earlier in the year. From the second quarter, however, the signs have been positive, especially for shrimp and pangasius exports.
Demand for imported shrimp has increased in the US since April, which is good news for Vietnam’s exporters. Ecuador, a major shrimp exporter, is likely to see lower output due to earthquakes and disease.
Meanwhile, the US Department of Commerce (DOC) increased the average duty on shrimp imports from India to 4.98 per cent from the previous 2.96 per cent, according to ICRA Limited, an Indian credit ratings agency. Thailand is also losing its prestige in the global shrimp market.
Global shrimp volumes are forecast to decline, pushing up prices by 10 to 15 per cent. This represents a great opportunity for Vietnam to increase the value of its shrimp exports to the US.
The US and Vietnam signed an agreement in July resolving disputes over US anti-dumping duties on Vietnamese shrimp. The two agreed on a framework to resolve two WTO disputes, DS404 and DS492, in which Vietnam objected to the US’s anti-dumping measures.
As a result, the Minh Phu Seafood Corporation, Vietnam’s largest shrimp exporter, will no longer be subject to anti-dumping duties when exporting to the US. In a DOC decision, Minh Phu’s dumping margin was found to be zero or not significant in three consecutive administrative reviews. It will be refunded part of the anti-dumping duties it had deposited in previous years, estimated to be in the millions of dollars.
The implementation of the Vietnam-South Korea Free Trade Agreement (VKFTA) has also had a positive impact on Vietnam’s shrimp exports.
In the first year of the agreement’s implementation 10,000 tons of Vietnamese shrimp will enjoy a tax rate of zero per cent. The figure for Thailand, Indonesia and Malaysia is 5,000 tons. Over the next five years the figure for Vietnam will increase to 15,000 tons. This gives Vietnam’s shrimp more advantages than in the ASEAN-South Korea FTA, with a 5,000-ton figure on shrimp from all ten ASEAN countries.
VASEP said that the export of other major seafood items would also see good results over the remaining months of the year. It forecast export turnover of $7.1 billion, an 8 per cent increase compared to 2015.
Shrimp exports will earn $3.2 billion, up 11 per cent, tuna $500 million, up 10 per cent, and squid $450 million, up 5 per cent. Pangasius exports, meanwhile, will earn $1.6 billion, down 4 per cent compared to 2015.
VASEP General Secretary Truong Dinh Hoe said that Vietnam’s seafood exports will face a shortage of shrimp supplies over the remaining months of the year due to the impacts of saltwater intrusion. Other seafood may also be affected due to problems in offshore fishing.
Vietnamese seafood companies will need import $1 billion worth of pangasius, shrimp, and squid to meet demand for exports.
(vasep.com.vn) Vietnam’s seafood exports reached US$1.14 billion in August 2026, up 6.4% year on year, bringing the total for the first eight months to more than US$8.0 billion, an increase of 11.9%. Monthly export value remained above US$1 billion, but August growth was only around half the rate recorded cumulatively through the first eight months. This indicates that the eight-month result was supported significantly by stronger performance in earlier months, while market conditions are entering a less predictable period.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) Pangasius is attracting growing interest from Japanese seafood companies as prices of many traditional whitefish species remain high and supply becomes increasingly volatile. Notably, seafood group Kyokuyo has recently continued to feature pangasius among its priority products, highlighting its competitive pricing and stable supply.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) As Vietnam’s tilapia industry searches for new growth opportunities, venturing into brackish-water aquaculture could unlock a formidable competitive moat. Bypassing the volume-and-price bloodbath against established global heavyweights, Vietnam could differentiate itself through high-quality tilapia products tailored to specific farming conditions and value-added market segments.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) 2026 is rapidly shaping up to be a formidable stress test for Vietnamese pangasius exports to the United States. While exports to alternative markets maintain a resilient growth trajectory, the U.S market has declined significantly. In the first eight months of the year, pangasius exports to the U.S fell by nearly 14% year-on-year, with August alone recording a decline of more than 50%. The trend shows that difficulties in the U.S. market are not driven solely by weak consumer demand, but also by multiple layers of trade barriers that are intensifying simultaneously, particularly additional import tariffs, anti-dumping duties and growing protectionism for the domestic catfish industry.
(vasep.com.vn) Vietnam’s pangasius exports to Japan are showing positive signals in 2026, indicating that the market is opening up greater opportunities for pangasius products, particularly processed and value-added products. In the first seven months of 2026, Vietnam’s pangasius exports to Japan reached US$31 million, up 20% year-on-year. In July alone, export value reached approximately US$5 million, up 30%.
On July 22, 2026, the Government issued Decree No. 292/2026/ND-CP detailing certain articles and providing measures for the organization and implementation of the Law on Foreign Trade Management. The Decree takes effect on September 5, 2026, replacing Decree No. 69/2018/ND-CP.
(vasep.com.vn) Vietnamese pangasius producer Vinh Hoan has won the top prize at the 2026 Seafood Excellence Asia Awards for its Cured Panga Croquette, highlighting the growing potential of value-added pangasius products in international markets.
(vasep.com.vn) The Global Shrimp Forum (GSF) 2026 is taking place from September 1–3 in Utrecht, the Netherlands, bringing together around 585 delegates from 40 countries, representing approximately 300 companies and organizations across the shrimp supply chain. Representatives from VASEP are attending the event as part of the Vietnamese delegation, strengthening connections with partners across the global shrimp industry.
(vasep.com.vn) At the international B2B seminar (Hosted Buyer Program) held as part of Vietfish 2026, Mr. Nguyen Hoang Pham, Sales Director of Tai Kim Anh Seafood Processing Joint Stock Company, delivered a presentation entitled “Vietnam’s Shrimp Industry: Changing for Sustainability.” From the perspective of a seafood processor, the presentation highlighted that Vietnam’s shrimp industry continues to play a leading role in seafood exports, but is entering a new phase of competition in which change is no longer an option, but a prerequisite for growth.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) VIETFISH 2026 may have concluded after three dynamic days in Ho Chi Minh City, but conversations around the exhibition continue to resonate across international trade media, industry organizations, and the social media channels of participating companies.
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