According to statistics of Customs Vietnam, the first eight months of 2018, Vietnam’s tuna exports to Middle East countries hit more than US$62 million, up 42% over the same period last year. In particular, Vietnam mainly exported canned/processed tuna products to this market, accounting for 80% of total export value. In comparison with the same period last year, Vietnamese exports of tuna products to this market increased over the same period except for live/fresh/frozen/dried HS code 03 (except for HS code 0304).
|
VIETNAM’S TUNA EXPORTS TO MIDDLE EAST (US$) |
|||
|
Products |
Jan-Aug 2017 |
Jan-Aug 2018 |
Variation (%) |
|
Tuna HS code 03 (1) |
11,831,917 |
12,528,562 |
5.9 |
|
- Live/fresh/frozen/dried tuna (HS code 03, except for HS code 0304) |
746,403 |
82,990 |
|
|
- Tuna (HS code 0304) |
11,085,514 |
12,445,572 |
|
|
Processed tuna HS code 16 (2) |
32,170,673 |
49,914,117 |
55.2 |
|
- Canned tuna (HS code 16) |
14,240,271 |
23,968,643 |
|
|
- Other processed tuna (HS code 16) |
17,930,402 |
25,945,474 |
|
|
Total (1 + 2) |
44,002,591 |
62,442,680 |
41.9 |
|
(Source: Vietnam Customs) |
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Middle East is now the best choice for canned tuna exporters to expand the market while the demand for canned tuna in traditional markets such as the U.S and the EU is slowing down. The reason is that the demand in this region has been increasing continuously in the past few years. The demand for canned tuna in this region is on the rise thanks to the continuous growth in the region's agricultural imports.
Middle East consumes an average of 16 million tuna boxes a year, or about 200 thousand MT. Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Israel are the three largest importers of tuna in recent years, accounting for 21%, 19% and 11%, respectively.
There are 14 countries in the Middle East currently importing tuna from Vietnam, of which Israel and Egypt are the two leading importers of Vietnamese tuna.
Egypt
As the largest importer of tuna in the Middle East, Egypt annually imports about US$130 million of tuna products of all kinds. In particular, canned tuna accounted for 99% of the total value of tuna imports of the country in the past 10 years. 100% of canned tuna products in Egypt are from imports due to the fact that the country does not have a processing plant. Most of the canned/processed tuna products into this country are for domestic consumption, with only a few being exported to Sudan.
Egypt is currently importing tuna from 12 countries around the world. Thailand, Indonesia, Vietnam, the Philippines, China and Italy are the six largest tuna suppliers to the Egyptian market. Out of all the supplies, ASEAN accounts for over 91% of the total value of Egyptian tuna imports.
Vietnam was currently the third largest tuna supplier to the Egyptian market, behind Thailand and Indonesia. Exports of Thai and Indonesian tuna to Egypt decreased, while those of Vietnam increased. The reason is that the price of skipjack increased, thus the country to look for cheaper supplies, including Vietnam.
Israel
Israel was the third largest tuna importing market in the Middle East. In Israel, consumers often use tuna in dishes such as salads, sushi restaurants and are willing to pay high prices for satisfactory products. With the rate of obese people above 20%, the Israeli Ministry of Health has also announced it is encouraging people to eat tuna to supplement their omega-3s and neutral fats. As a result, Israel's tuna consumption is on the rise.
In the region, ASEAN countries are the main source of tuna to this market, accounting for 59% of the total volume of Israeli imports. And the market share of ASEAN in the Israeli market is increasing.
Vietnam ranked the second largest tuna supplier to the Israeli market over the past three years, behind Thailand. If in the canned tuna segment, Vietnamese products are not competitive with the same products from Thailand. In the Israeli frozen tuna segment, Vietnam was the leading and has almost no competitors.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) Seafood exports are holding double-digit growth, but the opportunities are not spread evenly across product groups and markets. As businesses draw up their plans for 2027, Vietnam Seafood Summit 2026 (VSS2026) offers a chance to look ahead together: what to sell, where to sell it, and how to prepare for growth in the coming years.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) With less than two weeks to go, the Vietnam Seafood Summit 2026 (VSS 2026) will officially take place in Can Tho. Under the theme “Seafood Market Outlook 2027–2029 – Opportunities and Potential for Double-Digit Export Growth,” the Summit is organized by VASEP at a time when seafood businesses are facing rapid market shifts, changing buyer demand, trade policy changes and growing competitive pressure all at once.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) On October 28, 2026, the China Fisheries & Seafood Expo opened in Qingdao, China. The expo takes place over three days from October 28 to 30, 2026. This is a prestigious specialized seafood exhibition organized annually by Sea Fare Exposition Inc.
(vasep.com.vn) In the first nine months of 2026, Vietnam’s tilapia exports to the CPTPP bloc reached $7 million, marking a 51% year-on-year increase. The bloc rstands as the fourth-largest market for Vietnamese tilapia, trailing Brazil, the US, and Saudi Arabia.
(vasep.com.vn) VASEP has officially announced the program for Vietnam Seafood Summit 2026 (VSS 2026), featuring five in-depth sessions covering industry outlooks, trade barriers, buyer demand, the domestic market, and solutions to improve productivity and reduce costs across the seafood value chain.
(vasep.com.vn) Vietnam’s shrimp exports reached US$3.7 billion in the first nine months of 2026, up 11% year on year. Although growth has been supported by China and several markets within the CPTPP, momentum is slowing as exports to the United States and the European Union decline. Tariff pressures, international competition, and raw material challenges are creating significant hurdles for exporters in the final months of the year.
(vasep.com.vn) Markets are changing faster, buyer requirements are becoming more demanding, and trade barriers are growing increasingly complex. In this environment, seafood businesses need more than an understanding of current market conditions. They need a longer-term perspective to answer a critical question: Where will growth opportunities come from in 2027–2029, and what should businesses do now to prepare? This is one of the key reasons why VASEP is organizing Vietnam Seafood Summit 2026.
(vasep.com.vn) In the first eight months of 2026, Vietnam’s pangasius exports to the Middle East reached US$113 million, up 7% year on year from the same period in 2025. Growth has become more pronounced in recent months. In August alone, exports to the region totaled US$20 million, an increase of 24%. This indicates that demand for Vietnamese pangasius in the Middle East is gradually recovering after a slowdown in March, although the pace of recovery varies across markets.
(vasep.com.vn) China’s shrimp imports continued to grow strongly in 2026, while Vietnam’s shrimp exports to the market also recorded notable growth. However, behind these positive figures lie two distinct trends: Chinese consumption is growing more slowly than imports, and lobster accounts for a substantial share of Vietnam’s shrimp exports to China, making its product mix significantly different from those of Ecuador and India. Exporters therefore need to assess each segment carefully to understand the opportunities and risks.
(vasep.com.vn) Changing markets, shifting buyer demand, and increasingly complex trade barriers are raising a key question for Vietnam’s seafood industry: Where will the new growth opportunities lie in 2027–2029?
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