Vietnamese tra (Pangasius hypophthalmus), which is marketed as basa in the Indian market, has grown leaps and bounds in the last three years, industry players told IntraFish.
Propelled by its low pricing and year round availability, pangasius has made its way into several tiers in the restaurant scene -- coveted because it comes in a deboned, filleted format, and restaurants can use it in a variety of ways, and at almost half the price that local fish demand.
“Indian sea-caught material is going downhill,” said Rustom Irani, president of the state of Maharashtra in the Seafood Exporters Association of India. “There are no conservation efforts in Indian waters, and the fishermen are using smaller mesh size, and catching smaller fish. As a result, there are no good Indian fish for fillets for restaurant use.”
The volumes of pangasius coming into India has “gone through the roof," Irani said, and the following numbers quoted by importer Irfan Khan makes it easy to see why.
“Importers pay around INR 160 (€2.30/$3) to INR 170 (€2.40/$3.10) per kilogram, and market price starts around INR 185 (€2.60/$3.40) and goes up to INR 250 (€3.50/$4.60),” Irfan Khan told IntraFish.
Khan runs Harbour Exports, a major seafood importing company that supplies to middle tier and high end
restaurants and hotel chains across the country, but primarily in the city of Mumbai, India’s financial capital.
“Last year we imported 25 to 30 metric tons of basa every month, whereas before it was barely five metric tons,” he said.
“We expect it to go up to 100 metric tons a month next year -- 90 percent of the hotels and restaurants in Mumbai is now selling basa.”
Price advantage
In 2013, the Vietnamese pangasius production is forecast to fall to 800,000 metric tons, worth $1.5 billion (€1.2 billion).
The Vietnam Association of Seafood Exporters and Producers (VASEP) blames economic crisis for poor outlook, saying changes are needed for recovery.
Vietnam has 300 pangasius exporters, the website noted, but only 70 pangasius processors.
This needs to be addressed and problems solved for the sector to develop and grow pangasius exports by 2014, the association's chairman previously told IntraFish.
More worrisome is the fact that seven out of 10 of Vietnam’s major export markets for the fish, such as the European Union, the United States, China, middle eastern countries and Egypt have decreased imports of the fish due to economic woes and spending cuts.
The reasons behind pangasius's rapid spread and acceptance in India are two-fold: it goes well with marinated spices and sauces that Indian ‘continental’ food is prepared in, especially Chinese food, a massively popular choice for Indians when dining out.
“Restaurant chains such as Mainland China will mention in their menus that they are using imported whitefish,” Khan said.
“It is also used in fish ‘tikka’, skewers and kebabs in restaurants such as Barbeque Nation, and I have seen this fish being served in a battered and fried form in JW Marriott’s restaurant.”
Pangasius is reigning supreme in a market where sellers might keep high-end fish for the al a carte menu, but in the buffet meals, breaking even becomes impossible unless serving cheaper options, industry insiders said.
This is where the imported fish scores.
“Local fish such as seer and pomfret sell at INR 550 (€7.80/$10.10) per kilogram and INR 700 (€9.90/$12.90) to INR 900 (€12.70/$16.60) respectively,” said Alex Ninan, chief executive of Baby Marine International, a seafood exporting company based in the south Indian city of Kochi. “Whereas Vietnamese basa sells at less than half price of INR 200 (€2.80/$3.70).”
(vasep.com.vn) On November 11, 2026, in Can Tho, the Vietnam Association of Seafood Exporters and Producers (VASEP) will organize the Vietnam Seafood Summit 2026 (VSS 2026) under the theme “Seafood Market Outlook 2027–2029: Opportunities and Headroom for Double-Digit Export Growth.”
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) Business leader Do Ngoc Tai, General Director of Tai Kim Anh Seafood Processing Joint Stock Company, was honored by the Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry (VCCI) with the title “Outstanding Vietnamese Entrepreneur – Thanh Giong Cup 2026” at a ceremony celebrating Vietnam Entrepreneurs’ Day (October 13). The event took place on the evening of October 11, 2026, at the National Convention Center in Hanoi.
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(seafood.vasep.com.vn) The EU remains a critical market for Vietnamese shrimp; however, purchasing demand and import patterns are undergoing notable changes. According to Vietnam Customs data, as of September 15, 2026, Vietnam’s shrimp exports to the EU reached nearly $374 million, down 5% year-over-year and accounting for 10.7% of the country’s total shrimp export value. Meanwhile, the EU’s stotal shrimp imports through July 2026 contracted by 7% in volume, exhibiting divergent trends across Southern Europe, Northwestern Europe and Eastern Europe. These dynamics necessitate that Vietnamese enterprises closely monitor individualized market demand, rather than approaching the EU as a monolithic consumer block.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) In the first eight months of 2026, Vietnam’s exports of surimi and fish cakes remained relatively stable year-over-year compared to 2025. Following a contraction in the initial months, export performance demonstrated improvement from June onward, peaking in August. However, the recovery has been uneven, characterized by divergent trends across major markets: robust growth was recorded in China, Japan, Malaysia, the United States, and Taiwan, whereas export volumes to South Korea, Indonesia, and select European markets contracted.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) Pangasius remains one of Dong Thap’s key aquaculture species, with the province focusing on developing an integrated value chain covering seed production, commercial farming, deep processing and by-product utilization. The province is promoting high-tech, circular pangasius farming models featuring reduced water exchange and enhanced biosecurity, aiming to improve production efficiency and strengthen control over raw material quality.
(vasep.com.vn) Vietnam’s seafood exports in September 2026 are estimated at US$1.135 billion, up 11.9% year-on-year, bringing total exports in the first nine months of the year to US$9.103 billion, up 11.4%. Behind this double-digit growth, however, increasingly divergent market trends are emerging: China–Hong Kong and ASEAN posted strong growth, while the U.S., EU and Japan all recorded declines in September.
(vasep.com.vn) In the first eight months of 2026, Brazil became the largest market for Vietnamese tilapia, with export value reaching US$44 million, up 22,142% year-on-year and accounting for 49% of Vietnam’s total tilapia exports. In August alone, exports to Brazil reached US$4 million. However, behind this remarkable growth is a market that is imposing increasingly stringent requirements on imported supplies.
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