According to the Vietnam Association of Seafood Exporters and Producers (VASEP), since the beginning of this year, pangasius exports to most markets remained positive with an export turnover of US$425 million, up 15% over the same period last year.
Remarkably, Vietnam pangasius exports to the U.S. were up nearly 50 percent, Mexico up 15.5 percent and Brazil up 26.2 percent from that of the same period last year. Among EU block, Spain is pangasius importer from Vietnam having the highest growth.
According to experts, although fish sales to many markets showed bright outlook, pangasius production and trade are encountering a lot of challenges. The reduction in raw fish price continued to make pangasius farmers worry.
The raw fish price in many provinces in the Mekong Delta is fluctuating at VND23,000-24,000 per kilogram, VND2,000 per kilogram lower than that of two weeks ago. The number of fish in ponds are only 200,000 MT.
With low selling price of raw fish, many farmers can abandon farming ponds, leading to a shortage of raw fish for processing and exporting in the near time. Some fish farmers, who want to continue farming, are facing a lot of bottlenecks such as lack of investment capital and inaccessibility to bank loans because the banks hesitate to lend fish farmers due to high risk.
Another difficulty is shortage of fish seed for restocking due to high mortality rate of seed in many hatcheries. According to many domestic pangasius exporters, raw fish supply from fish farmers can’t meet the demand for processing and exporting. Raw fish supply from fish farmers is estimated to satisfy less than 20 percent of fish processor’s demand this year while enterprises can only meet 50 percent of raw fish for operating through their owned farms.
Besides, pangasius exporters also cope with rocketing production cost and hardly obtain low interest rate loans. In addition, debts from some seafood enterprises forced banks to begin tightening credit control, making it difficult for seafood enterprises to access to capital.
Timely solutions
In the last 9 months of 2012, seafood enterprises and farmers need to cooperate closely with each other in pangasius production and trading. The Government should support capital for fish producers to meet their credit demand for operating. Banks should consider ‘more flexible lending’ for fish farmers such as releasing unsecured loans or lending money based on signed contracts between fish farmers and enterprises instead of loans with mortgage (cultivated land and other assets).
Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development will continue to call for supportive policies of credit from the government. Besides, the close linkage among 4 sides: Government, scientists, enterprises and farmers needs to be intensified in pangasius production to raise fish price and the value of pangasius in importing markets.
Apart from state policies, localities should encourage fish farmers to apply sustainable standards such as VietGAP, GlobalGAP to ensure a stable supply of raw material with high quality.
To strengthen fish exports to new markets, enterprises should obey all terms in the contracts, ensure fish quality, and obey strictly requirements or regulations from seafood importers. This is also a main content which was discussed in the conference of pangasius production in quarter I/2012 held by VASEP in Ho Chi Minh city in April 17th 2012. The conference addressed pangasius producing and exporting situation, raw fish supply, market trend, some measures to develop sustainable pangasius industry.
In the conference, VASEP also gave fish farmers and competent agencies overall information about trend of importing markets and pangasius exports in the first three months of 2012.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) In the first 10 months of 2025, Vietnam’s pangasius export value to China (including Mainland China and Hong Kong) reached $483 million, up 1% compared to the same period in 2024. October alone posted $73 million, a strong 19% increase year-on-year. The Chinese market currently accounts for nearly 27% of Vietnam’s total pangasius export value.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) According to data from Vietnam Customs, the country’s lobster exports posted another strong month in October 2025, reaching $93 million - a 75% increase from the same month in 2024. This performance extends the sector’s impressive growth streak from earlier in the year, pushing cumulative exports for the first 10 months to $712 million, up an extraordinary 135% year-over-year. Within the product mix, green lobster remained the dominant driver, accounting for 98% of total export value, with $700 million recorded in the first 10 months - a 141% jump year-on-year. In contrast, exports of spiny lobster and other lobster varieties declined slightly by 22% and 1%, respectively, indicating that market demand is becoming increasingly concentrated on the most sought-after product line.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) Currently, Da Nang City has no fishing vessels detained, sanctioned by foreign authorities, or criminally prosecuted for IUU fishing violations. Patrols, monitoring of marine fishing activities, and handling of violations have been prioritized by competent forces, significantly reducing nearshore fishing infringements.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) According to statistics from Vietnam Customs, Vietnam’s tuna exports to Israel in the first nine months of 2025 reached just over USD 27 million, down as much as 49% compared to the same period in 2024. This is a steep and prolonged decline for many consecutive months, reflecting changes in import demand as well as shifts in the supply structure of this market.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) The first 700 tons of Vietnamese tilapia ordered and imported by JBS Group will initially be distributed through supermarket chains, the Horeca network and JBS’s product showrooms in Brazil.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) In October 2025, Vietnam’s pangasius exports hit $217 million, representing an 8% increase compared to the same month in 2024. For the first 10 months of the year, total export value has surpassed $1.8 billion, up 9% year-on-year. This growth demonstrates clear positive momentum for the pangasius industry, despite continued declines in certain markets.
In recent days, the Central provinces of Vietnam have been suffering from historic flooding, with prolonged heavy rains, landslides, flash floods, and deep inundation causing extremely serious impacts on tens of thousands of households, as well as many VASEP member exporters located in the region. With the spirit of mutual support and solidarity, and in order to promptly assist residents and member exporters in the affected areas to stabilize their lives and restore production activities, VASEP calls on all seafood exporters, organizations, and individuals to extend supports to the people and member exporters in the flood-hit areas. We urge timely and practical material and spiritual contributions to help member exporters and local communities in the severely affected provinces overcome this difficult period.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) In the final days of October 2025, Vietnam’s domestic raw shrimp market remained generally stable, though slight adjustments were recorded in several sizes across key farming regions.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) Vietnam’s shrimp exports reached USD 498 million in October 2025, up 26% from the same period last year. This is one of the highest monthly revenues since the beginning of the year, reflecting solid demand in major markets and faster shipment schedules by exporters. From January to October, shrimp export value reached USD 3.9 billion, up 22% compared to the same period in 2024.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) On October 31, 2025, the US Court of International Trade (CIT) officially issued an order to suspend the case filed by the National Fisheries Institute (NFI), the National Restaurant Association (NRA), and several US seafood companies against the US Government concerning the implementation of the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA).
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
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Trưởng Ban Biên tập: Bà Phùng Thị Kim Thu
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