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.
(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.
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