In 2016, Saudi Arabia stayed as the 8th largest buyer of Vietnam pangasius with the value of US$51.3 million, accounting for 3% of Vietnam’s total pangasius exports. In the first three months of 2017, Vietnam’s pangasius exports to this market reached US$12.3 million, up 13.8% over the same period last year and accounted for 3.3%. With this proportion, Saudi Arabia continues to be a potential importing market of Vietnam pangasius in the West Asia.
According to ITC statistics, the growth rate of pangasius imports into Saudi Arabia was quite good, in spite of a drop two years ago. In 2016, imports of pangasius took up the largest share of catfish imports into Saudi, followed by tilapia meat (HS code 030493); frozen tilapia (HS code 030323), fresh/chilled tilapia (HS code 030271). In addition, this market also imports some other whitefish products such as fresh/chilled hake (HS code 030254), frozen cod (HS code 030363), and Alaska pollock meat (HS code 030494).
In 2016, Vietnam was the biggest supplier of whitefish to Saudi Arabia, accounting for 43% of the total imports, followed by Myanmar, Egypt, Taiwan, Bangladesh and Thailand. Besides pangasius and tilapia from Vietnam, Saudi Arabia also imports frozen pangasius (HS code 030324), tilapia (HS code 030461) from Myanmar; frozen tilapia (HS code 030323) from Thailand, fresh/chilled tilapia (HS code 030271) from Egypt. However, in 2016, the import price of pangasius into Saudi Arabia decreased by US$1.65-US$1.8 per kg in 2015 to US$1.45-US$1.5 USD per kg.
In QI/2017, difficulties in some main importing markets such as the U.S, the EU made Vietnam’s pangasius exporters shift to the Americas, Asia, including Saudi Arabia.
|
Whitefish imports into Saudi Arabia, 2012 - 2016 (Thousand US$) |
|||||
|
Products |
2012 |
2013 |
2014 |
2015 |
2016 |
|
Tilapia meat (HS 030493) |
17,011 |
1,868 |
15,806 |
37,695 |
26,383 |
|
Frozen tilapia (HS 030323) |
7,462 |
5,886 |
12,243 |
24,886 |
17,975 |
|
Frozen pangasius (HS 030324) |
364 |
325 |
4,768 |
20,323 |
17,765 |
|
Fresh/chilled tilapia (HS 030271) |
7,733 |
13,142 |
28,173 |
27,832 |
16,213 |
|
Frozen pangasius fillets (HS 030462) |
1,588 |
16,568 |
21,075 |
5,821 |
6,372 |
|
Fresh/chilled pangasius fillets (HS 030432) |
891 |
751 |
1,337 |
4,459 |
6,205 |
|
Fresh/chilled hake (HS 030254) |
- |
- |
105 |
318 |
1,093 |
|
Frozen tilapia fillets (HS 030461) |
118 |
41 |
- |
- |
241 |
|
Frozen cod (HS 030363) |
- |
- |
101 |
- |
160 |
|
Alaska Pollock meat (030494) |
- |
- |
- |
113 |
123 |
|
Frozen cod fillets (HS 030471) |
- |
43 |
208 |
41 |
77 |
|
Fresh/chilled pangasius (HS 030272) |
- |
- |
- |
- |
35 |
|
Fresh/chilled tilapia (HS 030431) |
101 |
116 |
- |
- |
35 |
|
Tilapia meat (HS 030451) |
- |
- |
314 |
- |
21 |
|
Total |
35,268 |
38,740 |
84,502 |
121,488 |
92,713 |
|
Source: ITC |
|||||
Written by Ta Ha
Compiled by Dieu Thuy
(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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