Exports to South Korea, Thailand, and Japan decline, while China surges
According to Vietnam Customs, South Korea remained the largest importer of Vietnamese fish cake and surimi in Q1/2026, but export value to this market fell by 21% year-on-year. Exports to Thailand and Japan also declined by 8% and 6%, respectively. These are traditional markets with stable demand, but are currently affected by more cautious consumer spending, intensifying price competition, and tighter import cost controls.
On the other hand, China has emerged as the brightest spot in the first quarter. Exports to this market increased by 17% compared to the same period last year. Several other markets also recorded notable growth, including Taiwan (+92%), the United States (+62%), Lithuania (+28%), Malaysia (+27%), and France (+183%), although their overall volumes remain relatively modest.
Convenience food trends continue to support demand
By market group, ASEAN remained the largest importing region, reaching nearly USD 21 million in Q1, though down 7%. Meanwhile, exports to China & Hong Kong and the EU both increased. This indicates that Vietnam’s fish cake and surimi exports are becoming more diversified, reducing reliance on a few traditional markets.
This trend reflects broader global consumption patterns. As consumers in many countries continue to tighten spending, processed seafood products that are convenient, affordable, and easy to store are gaining an advantage. Fish cake and surimi fit well with this trend, particularly in Asian markets, where demand for processed frozen foods remains relatively strong.
Cautious recovery expected
However, the outlook for this sector in 2026 is not entirely favorable. Price competition remains intense, especially in Northeast Asian markets. In addition, fluctuations in raw material costs, logistics, exchange rates, and rising protectionism in some importing markets are likely to affect the pace of order recovery.
In the short term, Vietnam’s fish cake and surimi exports are expected to continue recovering, albeit gradually. Markets such as China, the EU, Taiwan, and several niche destinations are projected to offer growth potential. Meanwhile, South Korea, Thailand, and Japan will remain important markets, but are unlikely to see strong growth unless consumer demand shows clearer signs of recovery.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) Seafood exports in the first 6 months of the year continued to be a bright spot with a total turnover of 5.7 billion USD, an increase of 11.4% compared to the same period last year. By commodity group, seafood is one of the three groups with a trade balance in the first 6 months of 2026 in a surplus state with 4.13 billion USD, an increase of 17%.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) For many years, Vietnam’s seafood industry has been recognized as one of the country’s key export pillars. Products such as shrimp, pangasius, tuna, squid, octopus, and a wide range of other seafood have reached hundreds of markets worldwide. Yet behind these impressive export figures lies a significant challenge: a substantial share of Vietnam’s seafood export value still comes from minimally processed products, contract manufacturing, and raw material exports—segments characterized by low profit margins and high vulnerability to fluctuations in global prices.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) In the context of a global economy shifting powerfully toward green and sustainable values, Vietfish 2026 is far more than just a commercial trade fair. It has become a strategic rendezvous and a "comprehensive ecosystem"—a convergence of value, knowledge, and sustainable growth opportunities for the entire industry chain.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) Vietnam’s pangasius exports to Colombia continued their strong upward momentum in May 2026. Export value to the market reached USD 4 million, up 24% compared to the same month in 2025. Cumulative exports in the first five months of 2026 totaled USD 24 million, an impressive 48% increase year-on-year.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) Hai Phong's aquaculture sector is accelerating the adoption of high technologies in aquaculture to adapt to climate change, with red tilapia and tilapia identified as the key cultured species for priority development.
(vasep.com.vn) Vietnam’s seafood exports reached nearly US$1.1 billion in June 2026, up 21.0% year-on-year. Cumulative exports in the first half of 2026 totaled nearly US$5.8 billion, representing a 12.8% increase compared with the same period last year. Exports to China and Hong Kong continued to accelerate, while shipments to the United States rebounded strongly in June. In contrast, exports to the EU, Japan, and the Middle East remained sluggish or recorded slight declines.
(vasep.com.vn) Tilapia is playing an increasingly important role in Vietnam’s aquaculture sector, driven not only by growing market opportunities but also by its ability to meet increasingly stringent requirements on quality, food safety, and traceability. In practice, tilapia farming in Vietnam is not a spontaneous or loosely regulated activity; rather, it operates under a comprehensive legal and technical framework covering the entire value chain—from hatcheries and farming to processing and exports.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) Vietnam’s shrimp exports reached USD 1.9 billion in the first five months of 2026, up 12% compared with the same period last year. Amid continued volatility in the global seafood market, this result demonstrates that the shrimp sector has maintained positive growth momentum, supported by improving demand in several Asian markets, particularly China.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) On June 16, the Department of Agriculture and Environment of Ca Mau Province announced that the locality has established a farming area code for nearly 30,400 hectares of mud crab aquaculture and granted export facility codes to five enterprises eligible to export mud crab officially to markets such as China, Cambodia, Singapore, and the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) The United States remains one of the largest export markets for Vietnamese pangasius. In the first four months of 2026, pangasius exports to the US reached USD 106 million, up 4% compared to the same period in 2025. In April 2026 alone, export value totaled USD 38 million, marking a 20% year-on-year increase and the first positive growth recorded after an extended period of decline.
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