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) Vietfish 2026, the Vietnam International Seafood Exhibition, will officially take place from 19–21 August 2026 in Ho Chi Minh City. As Vietnam’s largest annual seafood trade event, organized by the Vietnam Association of Seafood Exporters and Producers (VASEP), Vietfish 2026 will once again bring together leading seafood companies, industry experts, and international partners from across the global seafood value chain.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) Vietnam’s seafood exports reached USD 1.1 billion in July 2026, up 4.8% compared to the same period in 2025. Cumulative exports in the first seven months of the year totaled nearly USD 6.86 billion, an increase of 11.5% year-on-year. Exceeding the USD 1 billion mark in July further reinforces the prospect that Vietnam’s seafood exports could surpass USD 12 billion in 2026. However, the July figures also send a clear signal that the most favorable growth period may have passed: overall export growth slowed to just 4.8%, pangasius exports fell 6.1%, tuna exports were virtually flat, while exports to the EU, South Korea, and the Middle East all recorded double-digit declines.
(vasep.com.vn) As part of the Vietnam Fisheries International Exhibition (Vietfish 2026), the seminar "Global Seafood Market and the Future Workforce: Trends, Opportunities, and Sustainable Development Pathways for Vietnam's Seafood Industry" will take place from 2:00 p.m. to 4:15 p.m. on August 19, 2026, at Convention Room B, Level 2, SECC, Ho Chi Minh City. This is the first of five specialized seminars at Vietfish 2026, focusing on key issues that are shaping the long-term development of Vietnam's seafood industry.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) Vietnamese seafood exports recorded impressive growth, generating nearly 6 billion USD in revenue during the first six months of the year, up 13% compared with the same period last year.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) Fishermen in Ha Tinh are gradually overcoming difficulties to maintain the efficiency of seafood exploitation. In the first six months of 2026, the entire province achieved a production of more than 23,000 tons of seafood, worth more than 1,200 billion VND.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) June 2026 brought encouraging signs for Vietnam's tuna exports, with export value rising 20% year-on-year to nearly USD 72 million. However, this increase has yet to offset the prolonged slowdown seen in key markets such as the European Union (EU), where import demand remains weak. The outlook for the second half of the year is expected to become more challenging as freight rates continue to climb.
(vasep.com.vn) As part of the Vietnam Fisheries International Exhibition (Vietfish 2026), the Vietnam Association of Seafood Exporters and Producers (VASEP), in collaboration with the Agency for Domestic Market Management and Development under the Ministry of Industry and Trade, will organize the Domestic Seafood Supply–Demand Matching Program on the morning of August 20, 2026, at the Saigon Exhibition and Convention Center (SECC), Ho Chi Minh City. The program aims to foster direct business connections between Vietnamese seafood producers and processors and domestic distributors, retailers, and foodservice channels.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) The Cooking Show will be one of the most engaging experiential highlights of Vietfish 2026. Taking place over three days, from August 19–21, 2026, at Hall B1, SECC, Ho Chi Minh City, the event will offer visitors a vibrant culinary space where Vietnamese seafood is showcased through its flavors, stories, and real-life culinary applications.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) Vietnam's pangasius exports reached USD 205 million in June 2026, up 5% compared with the same month in 2025. Cumulative export value for the first six months of the year totaled USD 1.1 billion, an increase of 12% year-on-year. Growth was primarily driven by strong demand from China and CPTPP markets, while exports to the United States and Brazil continued to decline.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) In the first six months of 2026, Ha Tinh province continued to implement comprehensive solutions to combat IUU fishing; strictly manage the fishing fleet, control fishing vessels entering and leaving ports, operate vessel tracking devices, trace the origin of seafood, and severely punish violations.
VASEP - HIỆP HỘI CHẾ BIẾN VÀ XUẤT KHẨU THỦY SẢN VIỆT NAM
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