Many potentials to develop
There are now 276 seafood processing companies in Mekong Delta, representing 47 percent of total number of seafood companies in Vietnam. These processors own 235 processing plants with total production capacity of 1.2 million of MT per year, accounting for 86 percent of nationwide frozen seafood production.
Seafood products from Mekong Delta are sent to 165 countries and territories, in which there main markets are the EU, Japan, the U.S., Canada, Brazil, South Korea, China to bring back an annual revenue of US$5 billion.
Besides exports, seafood sales in domestic market are also highlighted. Many products are processed with high quality and eye-catching designs to meet demands of local consumers. The fish processing creates jobs for millions of local labours in Mekong Delta, consisting of a momentum for the development of fishing and aquaculture activities.
However, raw products still make up a huge proportion in fish production of the region. Currently, frozen pangasius fillets make up of 90 – 98 percent of total pangasius exports. The proportion of value-added items is at 30 – 50 percent of total sales of shrimp, cephalopod and other marine products. The situation reflects that the Mekong Delta's processing industry could be more invested and developed.
In addition, the building of brand name with geographical indication and country of origin for some key export items such as organic shrimp, pangasius, clam, blood cockle, crab were not focused by many producers and exporters.
Due to season-depending raw material supplies, local fish processors sometimes face to lack of raw fish for production. Lack of master planning leads to some crises in raw fish supply, negatively affecting to fish production.
Development orientations
Experts say that from now to 2020, Mekong Delta should focus on developing seafood processing industry through implementing comprehensive and sustainable planning on the base of closed links among all stakeholders in the industry. Furthermore, a network of all seafood producing hubs is also needed to set up to share information and profit throughout the value chain.
Data on raw material supply, consumer markets, pricing and policies must be available to provinces and seafood companies in order to help them timely updated trends and challenges in the market to find flexible and efficient measures to maintain and expand business. Mekong Delta-based provinces need to cooperate in trade promotion and investment attraction in order to build up the brand name with geographical indication key exported seafood such as pangasius, black tiger shrimp or tuna. It is also important to put focus on quality management in the whole production chain.
To reach these targets, Mekong Delta should mobilize the participation of local authorized agencies, fishery associations and companies, and representatives of farmers to build up a center for fishery development in Can Tho city, which is linked with Mekong Delta's fish farming areas and a fishing hub in Kiên Giang. These two hubs will not only create links among provinces' fish producing and trading activities but they also attract foreign investments and ODA funds into regional fishery sector.
For stabilize seafood processing activities, Mekong Delta provinces must strictly control of the investment flow in local processing plants to avoid waste of production capacity of plants through reviews of the planning on sustainable large-scale raw material producing areas as well as investments in building modern processing plants.
Besides, investments in technologies and modern equipments are important to boost the production of value-added products, raising the competitiveness of Mekong Delta seafood. Local export companies are required to control the quality of products in compliance with quality and food safety standards.
Mekong Delta plans to build a center for market research and information in Can Tho to support seafood production and trading activities in the region and beyond. A new center for trade promotion will also be set up to support for promoting seafood products in international markets.
(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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