VASEP said at a meeting in HCMC on Aug 2nd 2016 that to fulfill export orders, Vietnam last year had to spend roughly US$1 billion importing unprocessed seafood from 84 markets, with shrimp accounting for 40% of the total.
VASEP chairman Ngo Van Ich said importing more unprocessed seafood is essential to realize the export target of US$10 billion by 2020.
The association said climate change has dealt a blow to aquaculture this year. The area under tiger and white-leg prawn farming has been hit hard, leading to a plunge in output. Therefore, many local processors have relied on shrimp from foreign sources.
According to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, brackish water shrimp output in the Mekong Delta dipped in the first six months, leading prices to go up. Many processing plants ran at 50-60% capacity in the period due to material shortages.
In the second half, shrimp and pangasius output is projected to slide due to unfavorable weather conditions.
The import price of unprocessed shrimp is US$1-2 per kilogram lower than that of local shrimp, so firms will buy shrimp overseas to raise the competitiveness of their products on foreign markets.
Local seafood companies have imported unprocessed shrimp from India and tuna from the Philippines and Indonesia.
Due to an undersupply of unprocessed shrimp, VASEP has revised down its forecast for shrimp exports by US$300 million to US$3 billion this year.
VASEP secretary general Truong Dinh Hoe was quoted by the Vietnam News Agency as saying that the recent saltwater intrusion would send down shrimp supply in the remaining months of this year.
Hoe said shrimp shipments to the U.S. climbed by 13.8% in the first six months, to China and Hong Kong by 41.8%, and the European Union (EU) by 6.5%.
However, exports fell by 9% a year-on-year from Japan, which made up 17.1% of Vietnam’s total shrimp exports in the first half.
Vietnam accounts for 12.4% of the total shrimp imports into the U.S., ranking fourth after Indonesia, India and Thailand. Exports to the choosy market are expected to jump after the Ministry of Industry and Trade clinched an agreement on anti-dumping duty on shrimp imports from Vietnam with the U.S. Department of Commerce and the U.S. Trade Representative.
This year, Vietnam has sold shrimp to 75 markets, down from 81 in 2015. The top 10 importers are the U.S., the EU, Japan, China, South Korea, Canada, Australia, ASEAN, Taiwan, and Switzerland. These markets account for 95% of Vietnam’s total shrimp exports.
Seafood exports brought US$3.15 billion in the January-June period, up 4% year-on-year. Of the total, shrimp contributed US$1.4 billion, rising by nearly 5% versus the year-earlier period.
Beyond frozen pangasius fillets, value-added products like fish cakes, fish balls, and peeled IQF shrimp can meet the demand for convenience in urban supermarkets and restaurants. Compared to premium products from Chile or the EU, Vietnamese seafood offers a price advantage, enabling market share expansion as Brazil prioritizes affordable imports.
The UK seafood industry celebrated a breakthrough on April 1 as Vietnam granted market access for live seafood products, opening new opportunities for growth and trade.
In 2024, Vietnam’s seafood exports exceeded 10 billion USD, with key buyers including China, the US, Japan, the EU, and the Republic Korea. The momentum continued in the first quarter of 2025, with a value of 2.29 billion USD, rising 18.1% year-on-year.
Navico, or Nam Viet Joint Stock Company, stands as one of Vietnam's pioneering enterprises in the farming, processing, and export of aquatic products, particularly pangasius (catfish). Established in 2000 in An Giang Province – the largest aquaculture hub in the Mekong Delta – Navico has solidified its position in the international market through superior product quality and a commitment to sustainable development. On April 4, 2025, Navico signed a green trade credit agreement with United Overseas Bank (Vietnam) (UOB Vietnam), marking a significant milestone in its journey toward green transformation.
According to the Board of Directors' report, IDI successfully maintained its traditional customer base in 2024 while expanding into high-potential markets, particularly the United States, benefiting from a significant reduction in anti-dumping duties.
Recently, Vietnam's La Vong fish cake was ranked number 1 in the list of the world's best white fish dishes by the world-famous culinary website Taste Atlas.
Currently, many households in the suburbs of Ca Mau City are implementing a fairly effective pangasius farming model, bringing in a stable source of income. Unlike the industrial scale in other provinces in the region, the pangasius farming model here is quite simple, low-cost, and is considered a promising direction for farmers.
Over 200,000 ha of Vietnam's shrimp farms are cultivated organically and ecologically, certified by international organizations.
Vĩnh Hoàn Corporation (stock code: VHC – HoSE) has outlined an ambitious business plan for 2025, targeting revenue of VND 13,800 billion (up 10.3% from 2024) and after-tax profit of VND 1,500 billion (up 22.3%). This follows a successful 2024, where the company recorded revenue of VND 12,513 billion (exceeding 109% of the plan) and after-tax profit of VND 1,226 billion (surpassing 123% of the VND 1,000 billion profit target). The 2025 Annual General Meeting of Shareholders is scheduled for April 24 in Ho Chi Minh City to discuss these plans.
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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