According to Seafood Guide, pangasius sales in China increased sharply during the recent New Year holiday, a positive sign for sales during the Lunar New Year holiday in early February.
Before the new year, Chinese consumer spending increased sharply, leading to enterprises stocking up pangasius to secure supply.
Chinese distributors said market demand has begun to increase since the New Year holiday. Currently, they are prioritizing the import of stockpiled goods rather than releasing existing inventory.
Vietnam, the world's largest producer of pangasius, exported over 700 containers of fish to China in December. Each contained 25 tons of frozen and butterfly-cut fillets. Vietnam's total pangasius exports to China amounted to more than 8,600 containers.
According to data from the General Department of Vietnam Customs, pangasius exports to China and Hong Kong in the first 11 months of 2023 reached 529 million USD, down 21% over the same period last year. However, in November alone, turnover recovered strongly by 28% to 39 million USD.
Approaching the end of the year, China tends to increase imports of Vietnamese pangasius to serve the year-end holidays. According to data from Vietnam Customs, pangasius export turnover grew continuously for three consecutive months in September, October and November. In particular, the main export product to this market is frozen whole round pangasius and frozen pangasius fillets.
"These positive signals from the Chinese economy, increased orders, especially the strengthening of bilateral relations between Vietnam and China give reason to be optimistic about Vietnam's pangasius exports to China in the near future" VASEP commented.
Vietnam's Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development forecasts that pangasius output in 2024 increases by 2.8% compared to 2023; The output harvested in the first and second quarters of 2024 still meets the demand for processing and export.
Deputy Minister Phung Duc Tien set the target of total pangasius export turnover in 2024 at 2 billion USD, higher than the estimated figure of 2023 of 1.8 billion USD.
Seafood Guide quoted Mr. Chen Xindong, General Director of Octogone, saying that market demand is shifting to more high-end products.
As of January 1, Vietnam’s pangasius farming regions quoted raw material prices as stable at about 26,000 VND/kg (1.07 USD/kg), equivalent to the end of December.
A Chinese distributor forecasts that wholesale prices and raw material prices will continue to increase due to high demand during the Lunar New Year in early February.
According to Vietnambiz
(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.
(vasep.com.vn) The global tilapia market is becoming increasingly segmented, not only among producing countries but also by product type and destination market. Supply is divided into groups with distinct competitive advantages: large volumes of whole fish and frozen fillets from Asia, high-value fresh fillets from Latin America, and substantial domestic consumption in several major producing countries.
(vasep.com.vn) Vietnam’s tuna exports to the UK grew in the first eight months of 2026, despite signs of slowing import demand in the market. However, sharp fluctuations in orders, competition from major suppliers, and new traceability requirements are creating challenges for Vietnamese exporters.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) Vietnam is stepping up efforts to combat illegal fishing, protect marine ecosystems, expand digital monitoring, and develop science-based management to ensure the sea can support communities and the economy for generations to come.
(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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