The event is part of VASEP’s specific actions to implement its 2025–2030 (7th Term) policy orientation toward expanding the domestic market and responding to the campaign “Vietnamese people prioritize using Vietnamese goods.”
As Vietnam’s seafood industry continues to face difficulties in major export markets like the US, EU, and China—due to technical barriers, tariffs, and volatile demand—effectively tapping into the domestic market of over 100 million people is considered a strategic solution to ensure sustainable product distribution.
The domestic market is not only large in scale but is also seeing rapid growth of the middle class—a consumer group increasingly demanding high-quality, safe, and traceable products. This presents a significant opportunity for Vietnamese seafood enterprises, who possess extensive export experience, to return and serve domestic consumers with internationally certified products.
The conference was attended and chaired by representatives from the Department of Domestic Market Development (under MOIT) and VASEP leaders, along with 120 participants representing local Departments of Industry and Trade, major supermarket chains (Co.opmart, Big C, Winmart, Lotte, Aeon Mall), distributors for the HORECA channel, seafood processors and producers, and media agencies.
The event focused on three main themes:
Supply–demand connection: Retail and distribution systems shared their specific product needs, technical standards, pricing policies, and consumption plans. Meanwhile, producers presented their supply capacity, product portfolios, and logistics plans to meet domestic market demands.
Partnership agreements: Producers and distributors signed memoranda of understanding (MoUs), marking progress in building a stable supply chain for the domestic seafood market.
Product showcasing and sampling: An exhibition area featured a variety of signature Vietnamese seafood products, including canned goods, dried seafood, ready-to-eat foods, value-added products, and processed items. Consumers, partners, and regulators could sample and experience products onsite.
More than 40 exporters from the VASEP’s Club of domestic seafood suppliers and other VASEP members participated in showcasing their products. In addition, 9 distribution companies joined the conference and connected with seafood suppliers.
A highlight of the event was the signing of 16 MoUs between seafood exporters and distributors following a fruitful session of sharing needs and expectations between supply and demand representatives.
A representative from the Department of Domestic market development noted that the Ministry of Industry and Trade has been actively supporting domestic seafood and agricultural consumption through activities such as supermarket sampling, promoting e-commerce, and media support for exporters.
On VASEP’s side, the association has operated the Club of domestic seafood suppliers since 2011. The club now has 27 members supplying a diverse range of products including shrimp, pangasius, tuna, squid, fish sauce, and various ready-to-eat and value-added items for both export and local consumption. Notably, the club has launched a dedicated website at clbhangnoidia.vasep.com.vn with the slogan “Export quality for Vietnamese consumers” to promote products and connect businesses with local buyers.
In his remarks, a VASEP representative emphasized: “The domestic market is not just a temporary solution but a strategic long-term direction for Vietnam’s seafood industry. We hope this conference will provide fresh momentum for businesses to invest more seriously in domestic products while building strong links between producers, distributors, and consumers.”
The event not only helped re-establish the role of seafood in the daily meals of Vietnamese families but also reaffirmed the value of “high-quality Vietnamese products”, aiming to develop a professional, efficient, and sustainable domestic seafood supply chain.
Some photos from the conference:
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) Vietnam’s tilapia industry is maintaining strong growth momentum, with significant room for further expansion in the coming years. In 2025, total tilapia production reached approximately 420,000 tonnes, up 33% from 2024 and 2.2 times higher than in 2015. During 2015–2025, production grew at an average annual rate of around 8.4%. As production and exports continue to expand, food safety control is receiving increasing attention to ensure product quality, meet the increasingly stringent requirements of international markets, and provide a foundation for the sustainable development of Vietnam’s tilapia industry.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) On the afternoon of August 19, 2026, as part of the Vietnam International Seafood Exhibition – Vietfish 2026, the Hosted Buyer Program continued with the seminar “Vietnam Seafood Outlook 2026–2027: A Strategic Sourcing Destination,” followed by 1-to-1 B2B meetings between international buyers and Vietnamese seafood businesses.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) Speaking at the Opening Ceremony of VIETFISH 2026 on August 19 at the Saigon Exhibition and Convention Center (SECC), U.S. Consul General Melissa Brown highlighted the important role of the exhibition in connecting Vietnam’s growing seafood industry with buyers, suppliers, and partners from the United States and around the world.
(vasep.com.vn) Tomorrow, August 19, 2026, the Vietnam International Seafood Exhibition – Vietfish 2026 will officially open at the Saigon Exhibition and Convention Center (SECC) in Ho Chi Minh City. Taking place over three days, from August 19–21, Vietfish 2026 promises to provide a dynamic platform for business networking, trend updates, product experiences and comprehensive cooperation across the domestic and international seafood community.
(vasep.com.vn) The global tilapia market continues to grow, creating significant opportunities for countries with strengths in aquaculture, processing, and exports. Against this backdrop, Vietnam’s tilapia industry is gradually developing toward higher quality, greater product diversification, and broader market reach. At Vietfish 2026, the Vietnam Association of Seafood Exporters and Producers (VASEP), together with the VASEP Tilapia Producers and Exporters Club, will host a joint booth to promote the image and potential of Vietnamese tilapia to domestic and international buyers.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) Vietnam’s seafood exports are heading towards $12 billion this year, potentially the highest level on record. Yet one of the country’s export strengths is facing a growing list of challenges.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) The first six months of 2026 indicate that Vietnam’s tilapia industry is entering a new phase of development, with strong export growth but also greater demands for production scale, quality and international competitiveness.
(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.
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
Giấy phép hoạt động Trang thông tin điện tử tổng hợp số 138/GP-TTĐT, ngày 01/10/2013 của Bộ Thông tin và Truyền thông
Tel: (+84 24) 3.7715055 – (ext.203); email: kimthu@vasep.com.vn
Trụ sở: Số 7 đường Nguyễn Quý Cảnh, Phường An Phú, Quận 2, Tp.Hồ Chí Minh
Tel: (+84) 28.628.10430 - Fax: (+84) 28.628.10437 - Email: vasephcm@vasep.com.vn
VPĐD: số 10, Nguyễn Công Hoan, Ngọc Khánh, Ba Đình, Hà Nội
Tel: (+84 24) 3.7715055 - Fax: (+84 24) 37715084 - Email: vasephn@vasep.com.vn