The project has also opened up new markets for Vietnamese pangasius products.
Before the programme began, pangasius exports had been rising sharply to account for 30 per cent of the country’s total aquaculture exports, but the sector’s development was not steady.
The rapid growth had caused concern among stakeholders and the Government, who were wondering how to ensure the sector’s long-term sustainability.
In 2013, the project, in co-operation with the World Wide Fund for Nature, the Việt Nam Cleaner Production Centre and the Việt Nam Association of Seafood Exporters and Producers, started implementing strategic activities to support pangasius producers and processors in the Cửu Long (Mekong) Delta.
Funded by the EU through its EU SWITCH-Asia programme, the project was undertaken for four years until March 2017, seeking to enhance the global competitiveness of Việt Nam’s pangasius industry, minimise the environmental fallouts and boost responsible production.
Speaking at the closing ceremony of the project, Trần Văn Tớp, vice principal of the Hà Nội University of Science and Technology and chairman of the SUPA Steering Committee, said the project supported over 50 enterprises, 120 farms, 130 households and 12 co-operatives, as well as trained nearly 3,000 participants.
It consulted and trained farmers in increasing the fish’s survival rate and reducing feed costs and environmental effects during the process of hatching and production.
It also technically supported 33 farms and co-operatives in obtaining international sustainable seafood certification, including from the Aquaculture Stewardship Council.
“The project helped processing firms improve their capacity and advised more than 70 plants in resource efficiency and cleaner production, helping them cut electricity consumption by 18-20 per cent and water consumption by 26-30 per cent.”
In this manner, the programme helped 54 pangasius processing plants annually cut production costs by VNĐ2-5 billion (US$87,800- 219,300) per plant and CO2 emissions by 21,000 tonnes.
It also connected producers in Việt Nam with international buyers, especially in the EU, creating better export opportunities, Lê Xuân Thịnh, project manager, Việt Nam Cleaner Production Centre, said.
It collaborated with experts to organise co-creation sessions with consumers in Europe and Việt Nam to help the producers create new products with improved quality and meet consumers’ demands, he said.
Mag.Karim Ben Romdhane, seafood analyst at WWF Austria, said besides helping promote Vietnamese pangasius at the Seafood Expo Global, the world’s largest seafood expo, for the last three years, the WWF also invited European retailers to visit Việt Nam and take a look at certified pangasius farms as a way to attract buying.
There was still a negative image of pangasius in certain parts of Europe, and so WWF and the Vietnamese pangasius industry had to communicate the improvements achieved through the project to European consumers, he said.
“Improvements have been achieved but not communicated to consumers in Europe yet. So I would invest more energy, more money to communicate these improvements to European consumers so that the image of pangasius gradually changes in the next few years.”
Lê Xuân Thịnh suggested establishing an information centre for seafood, especially for pangasius, to promote Vietnamese seafood including pangasius and protest against the media smear campaign in Europe.
He also urged donors to continue assisting the pangasius industry with technical and quality standards.
Trần Đình Luân, deputy director of the General Directorate of Fisheries, hailed the programme’s achievements, saying that the programme had helped producers cut costs, develop new, popular products and, especially, create a closed supply chain.
The directorate was undertaking many activities to help the sector’s development, he said.
Source: VNS
(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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