The China Fisheries & Seafood Expo has surpassed the North America Seafood Expo to become the second-largest professional seafood trade fair in the world, after the Global Seafood Expo in Barcelona, Spain. In 2024, the fair attracted 1,602 exhibitors (down 4.6% compared to 2023) from 51 countries (compared to 53 countries in 2023). Over three days, the event welcomed 42,000 professional visitors from 136 countries (up from 40,127 visitors from 120 countries in 2023).
The Expo serves as a global platform for seafood exporters to connect, showcase products, and strengthen their brands to both Chinese and international buyers, thereby expanding their presence in the Chinese market.
China is among Vietnam’s top seafood export markets. In 2024, Vietnam’s total seafood export value made an impressive recovery, reaching USD 10 billion. Particularly, China (including Hong Kong) surpassed the United States to become Vietnam’s largest seafood import market, with exports worth USD 1.9 billion, accounting for nearly 19% of the country’s total seafood export value. Many products recorded strong growth, such as shrimp exports, which reached USD 843 million, up 39% year-on-year.
China’s seafood consumption demand remains high and continues to grow thanks to its large population, rapid urbanization, and increasing preference for high-quality products. However, the market also poses challenges due to frequent changes in import regulations. Therefore, regularly updating export requirements, studying consumer segments, and improving product design, packaging, and labeling are essential.
Participation in the China Fisheries & Seafood Expo is an effective opportunity for Vietnamese exporters to update market information, meet potential buyers, and promote products. For this year’s Expo, the Vietnam Association of Seafood Exporters and Producers (VASEP) registered 144 m² for the Vietnam Pavilion under the National Trade Promotion Program, offering a platform for enterprises to display and promote their products. The pavilion area was reduced by 20% compared to 2024 due to global market uncertainties caused by U.S. tariffs, which have affected the overall sentiment in the seafood industry.
A total of 15 Vietnamese exporters joined VASEP at the Vietnam Pavilion, including 7 pangasius exporters, 2 tuna exporters, 2 shrimp companies, and 4 processors/exporters of other seafood products.
After being suspended in 2019, Vietnam’s participation in the China Fisheries & Seafood Expo was re-approved under the National Trade Promotion Program for 2024–2025, marking strong government support for the seafood industry amid difficulties in several traditional export markets since 2023.
Thanks to the state budget support, this year the Vietnam Pavilion secured a prime location—Booth B7-0707, along the main aisle—among other national pavilions from major seafood suppliers such as Ireland, Peru, Ecuador, Chile, South Korea, and Russia.
VASEP used the slogan “Vietnam – a sustainable destination for seafood”, affirming the industry’s commitment to sustainable production, processing, and export in line with both domestic and international market requirements, amid the global trend toward a green and responsible economy.
The exhibition was honored to welcome Mr. Nong Duc Lai, Vietnam Trade Counselor in Beijing, who shared valuable market insights and exchanged information with the VASEP business delegation.
Some photos from the exhibition:
Entering 2026, Vietnam’s seafood industry is facing a period of both high expectations and mounting pressures. Following the positive recovery in 2025, production and export activities in Q1/2026 demonstrated the strong adaptability of Vietnam’s seafood business community amid continued global trade volatility, intensifying international competition, and increasingly stringent compliance requirements in import markets.
(vasep.com.vn) In the first quarter of 2026, Vietnam’s shrimp exports reached USD 1.069 billion, up 17.5% compared to the same period in 2025. This is a positive result amid an uneven global shrimp market recovery, intensifying competition among major suppliers, and continued volatility in the international trade environment. However, this growth does not reflect a broad-based recovery across the entire sector, but rather is driven mainly by strong performance in a few markets and specific product segments—most notably lobster exports to China.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) Vietnam’s tuna exports continued to decline in March 2026. Cumulatively, in the first three months of the year, export value reached USD 208 million, down 4% compared to the same period in 2025. The export landscape shows clear divergence across markets: while the U.S. and EU remain challenging, markets such as Russia, the Middle East, Egypt, the Philippines, and Mexico have emerged as growth bright spots.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) In Quang Ngai Province, shrimp farming costs are rising sharply due to लगातार increases in feed, fuel, and input material prices, while farm-gate shrimp prices are declining. This has significantly reduced farmers’ profit margins and increased production risks.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) Vietnam’s tilapia exports are experiencing impressive growth, reflecting expanding global demand as well as the sector’s development potential. However, behind the strong growth figures lie limitations in production capacity and supply chains, highlighting the need for sustainable development in the coming period.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) Vietnam’s pangasius exports to the Middle East in 2025 and early 2026 have shown notable growth. However, escalating geopolitical tensions in the region have increasingly impacted export activities since March. This situation presents a challenge of balancing market expansion opportunities with rising trade risks.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) The Quang Tri Department of Agriculture and Environment has instructed localities to base their stocking schedules on actual conditions in each farming area, while developing plans, allocating resources, and implementing synchronized measures for disease prevention and disaster risk management in aquaculture production.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) In the first two months of 2026, Vietnam’s exports of fish cakes and surimi exceeded USD 45 million, up 7% compared to the same period in 2025, indicating a positive outlook for this product segment amid recovering demand in many markets.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) During the week from April 4th to 10th, 2026, Quang Ngai province intensified its monitoring and law enforcement activities with the determination to eliminate illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing practices.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) Thanh Hoa’s shrimp sector is undergoing a strong transformation by accelerating the adoption of high technology, helping to improve productivity, increase profits, and meet market demands. The province currently has about 4,100 hectares of shrimp farming, with output continuing to rise despite stable farming area, mainly due to the shift from traditional methods to intensive and super-intensive farming.
VASEP - HIỆP HỘI CHẾ BIẾN VÀ XUẤT KHẨU THỦY SẢN VIỆT NAM
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