After a year of public comment period, the draft Decree was submitted to the government on October 14th, 2013. However, there were some issues in this decree cannot bring a leverage to drive Vietnam pangasius industry towards a sustainable development, according to VASEP.
On November 18th, 2013, the Association sent the Prime Minister the Official Letter No.248 on a petition regarding its three recommendations on the decree as the follows:
Pangasius production and exports
Among 236 pangasius exporters in Vietnam, there are currently about 94 companies owning processing plants, but they contributed 90 percent to national pangasius export value. Export companies without processing plants accounted for only 10 percent in value.
These players are purchasing low quality fish to process products and sell them at low price to compete with other suppliers. This leads to negative impacts to the whole pangasiu industry, especially to the image and price of the fish in the global market.
To solve this problem, according to VASEP, only pangasius companies with their own processing plants, which meet regulations on food safety and traceability, are eligible to sell products to foreign markets. The solution is believed to maintain the supply-demand balance as well as efficiency management of pangasius production and exports.
Regulations on water content and glazing in exported pangasius
Currently, Vietnam provides various kinds of pangasius products from frozen fillets to value-added items. However, fish fillets made up of over 90 percent in exports to key markets. Therefore, a set of general quality standards is needed to protect the prestige and image of pangasius fillets in the global market, as well as contribute to preventing over glazing in exported fish.
VASEP required the Prime Minister to assign a ministry to be responsible for setting up the standars and monitoring the implementation of these compulsory standards on product quality in the nationwide.
Regulation on the role of the Association in management of pangasius processors and exporters
In its third recommendation, VASEP requested the Prime Minister to direct the MARD and Ministry of Industry and Trade (MOIT) to reconsider and regulate the Association’s essential roles in monitoring their members’ implementation of regulations relating to pangasius production, export and markets in the Decree.
VASEP was an association for seafood production and export, which has 15 years in supporting seafood companies in the development and maintaining export markets, improving production and global integration capacity and combating against international trade barriers.
VASEP’s members are leading pangasius producers, processors and exporters, which consist of key driven to lead the fish industry towards a sustainable development. These companies have been actively providing more than 60 percent of their needs of raw fish for processing and contributing over 80 percent to national pangasius export value. Many of them are focusing on investments in a closed pangasius value chain, which is seen as the base of a comprehensive pangasius quality and export governance.
(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.
VASEP - HIỆP HỘI CHẾ BIẾN VÀ XUẤT KHẨU THỦY SẢN VIỆT NAM
Chịu trách nhiệm: Ông Nguyễn Hoài Nam - Phó Tổng thư ký Hiệp hội
Đơn vị vận hành trang tin điện tử: Trung tâm VASEP.PRO
Trưởng Ban Biên tập: Bà Phùng Thị Kim Thu
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