The Farm Bill 2014 was lately approved by the U.S. Senate; accordingly, the inspection of catfish will be shifted from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), said Nguyen Duy Khien, Head of American market Department, under Vietnam Ministry of Industry and Trade.
Unfeasible standards
The FDA has been undertaking inspections of pangasius products imported from Vietnam accidently and it has not delivered quality certificates for passed items. However, with the new rule, the USDA will inspect all steps in the pangasius production chain in Vietnam. Especially, the agency focuses on the control of quality and food safety in processing facilities. Vietnamese processors and exporters would be granted the quality certificate to export products the market if they meet all standards which are applied for American companies. These are such unfeasible requirements, which are pushing Vietnam pangasius into trouble.
The U.S. and the EU are two main markets for Vietnamese pangasius. In 2013, Vietnam pangasius exports to the U.S., valued at US$380 million. Pangasius took a major part in American market. U.S. imports of frozen pangasius fillets has seen strong remarkable rise since 2007. In 2012, the country sourced 213.8 million of pounds of catfish, up 255 percent compared to 60.1 million of pounds in 2007. The American farmed catfish production was 300.1 million of pounds in 2012, down 40 percent against 496 million of pounds in 2007. Market shares of this kind of fish was on the decrease while those of pangasius from Vietnam increase from 37 percent in 2007 to 76 percent in 2012. In 2012, American consumers ate 0.73 kilogram of imported pangasius averagely, up 105 percent against 2009 because price for domestic catfish rose highly.
It is clear to note that Vietnamese pangasius is more and more popular in the U.S. However, this trend may be curbed by the new rule.
The U.S. sets up stricter technical barriers to attempt to hinder the increasingly high growth in imports of pangasius from Vietnam. In this case, the willingness of quality control is not a real reason.
If the rule is implemented, pangasius products from Vietnam are hard to meet its unfeasible standards, which even create challenges to the American catfish industry. Pangasius farming in Vietnam is different from catfish farming in the U.S, which requires high production costs. This means that the U.S. aims to shut the door on Vietnamese fish, a Vietnamese fish exporters said.
An Giang and Dong Thap are two main pangasius producing hubs in Vietnam in terms of farming area and production. Currently, Dong Thap remains superficies for pangasius farming at about 1,200 hectares, for annual production of 350,000 MT. Over years, most of local pangasius farmers are investing in farm management system in order to ensure the quality of raw fish for processing to export. Products from Vietnam have been welcomed by many consumer markets. However, with the new rule, it takes Vietnamese players a long time to meet the U.S. new standards, leading to higher input costs
The Vietnam Ministry of Industry and Trade has sent an official letter to the U.S. relevant agencies to protest the unfair rule of the U.S. Farm Bill 2014.
(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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