Vietnam Customs said that in the first half of 2013, seafood exports reached US$2.89 billion, increasing by only 0.3 percent. Shrimp products made up the largest part in total export revenue with US$1.1 billion. Shrimp also got the strongest growth of 8.6 percent among Vietnam’s exported seafood products.
Whiteleg shrimp exports up 71.5 percent
In the first half of 2013, whiteleg shrimp exports only reported a 32.8 percent drop in value in February and increased by 9 percent, 22.9 percent and 18.5 percent in the consecutive three months of the second quarter. Between April and June, export value for this item reached US$230 million averagely. Shrimp sales accounted for 38 percent of the first half’s seafood exports, up 3 percent over the same period of 2012.
Currently, shrimp import volume into some international key markets has not increased but the prices continued to soar. The higher prices were mainly due to poor supply from Thailand – the world’s largest shrimp producer. Between January and June 2013, Thai shrimp production fell deeply as the producers in this country have been affected by EMS and bad weather conditions.
In the context of the economic downturn, whiteleg shrimp is becoming a good choice for consumers in the global market due to its cheaper price. So far, this species represented 41.3 percent of Vietnam’s total shrimp exports, while black tiger shrimp occupied 50.8 percent and marine shrimp 7.9 percent. Whiteleg shrimp just went down 19.5 percent in February and rose 5.8 – 71.5 percent in the following months.
Slow growth in pangasius exports
Though it has shown signal of growth from 1.8 to 40.7 percent in four out of six months, Vietnam pangasius exports value still decreased by 0.5 percent to a total of US$849.5 million in the first half of 2013.
During the first half of 2013, ASEAN, Mexico and Brazil reported a strong rise in imports of pangasius from Vietnam. ASEAN purchase grew from 8.5 – 82.2 percent; Brazil got two-digit growth, especially imports in May and June up more than 110 percent. Mexico also showed positive signs in imports in most months. The rise in exports to these three countries compensated losses from Vietnam’s two key markets, the U.S and the EU.
Since May 2013, the U.S. has passed the EU to be the largest importer of Vietnam pangasius, though Vietnamese companies are imposed high antidumping duty on fish fillets exported to this market. EU purchase of pangasius continued plummeting from 5.3 – 39 percent compared to the compatible time of 2012, making exporters boost their shipments to the U.S. In June 2013, in fact, exports to the U.S. increased by 12.8 percent.
Between January and June 2013, pangasius products sent to the EU was down 14 percent and accounted for 23 percent in total exports.
Sharp decrease in exports of marine products
Vietnamese companies continued to report a sharp decrease of 10 – 27 percent in exports of marine products in many months between January and June 2013. The drop was registered in many subsectors like marine fish, fish paste and surimi, crab, swimming crab and other crustaceans, cephalopod, and bivalve mollusks.
Through June 2013, earnings from marine fish sales went down of 4.2 percent; cephalopods down 22.8 percent; bivalve mollusks down nearly 2 percent; crab and swimming crab down 21.2 percent. Only tuna products got a slight growth of 2.7 percent. However, tuna exports slid 12.5 percent and 26.9 percent in May and June 2013 due to many challenges set by the U.S. and Japanese markets.
During the recent months, Vietnamese exporters found hard to sell marine fish, particularly tuna products, to Japanese market mainly due to the depreciation of yen and stricter food safety policy implemented by the Japanese government.
(vasep.com.vn) Vietnam’s seafood exports reached US$1.14 billion in August 2026, up 6.4% year on year, bringing the total for the first eight months to more than US$8.0 billion, an increase of 11.9%. Monthly export value remained above US$1 billion, but August growth was only around half the rate recorded cumulatively through the first eight months. This indicates that the eight-month result was supported significantly by stronger performance in earlier months, while market conditions are entering a less predictable period.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) Pangasius is attracting growing interest from Japanese seafood companies as prices of many traditional whitefish species remain high and supply becomes increasingly volatile. Notably, seafood group Kyokuyo has recently continued to feature pangasius among its priority products, highlighting its competitive pricing and stable supply.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) As Vietnam’s tilapia industry searches for new growth opportunities, venturing into brackish-water aquaculture could unlock a formidable competitive moat. Bypassing the volume-and-price bloodbath against established global heavyweights, Vietnam could differentiate itself through high-quality tilapia products tailored to specific farming conditions and value-added market segments.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) 2026 is rapidly shaping up to be a formidable stress test for Vietnamese pangasius exports to the United States. While exports to alternative markets maintain a resilient growth trajectory, the U.S market has declined significantly. In the first eight months of the year, pangasius exports to the U.S fell by nearly 14% year-on-year, with August alone recording a decline of more than 50%. The trend shows that difficulties in the U.S. market are not driven solely by weak consumer demand, but also by multiple layers of trade barriers that are intensifying simultaneously, particularly additional import tariffs, anti-dumping duties and growing protectionism for the domestic catfish industry.
(vasep.com.vn) Vietnam’s pangasius exports to Japan are showing positive signals in 2026, indicating that the market is opening up greater opportunities for pangasius products, particularly processed and value-added products. In the first seven months of 2026, Vietnam’s pangasius exports to Japan reached US$31 million, up 20% year-on-year. In July alone, export value reached approximately US$5 million, up 30%.
On July 22, 2026, the Government issued Decree No. 292/2026/ND-CP detailing certain articles and providing measures for the organization and implementation of the Law on Foreign Trade Management. The Decree takes effect on September 5, 2026, replacing Decree No. 69/2018/ND-CP.
(vasep.com.vn) Vietnamese pangasius producer Vinh Hoan has won the top prize at the 2026 Seafood Excellence Asia Awards for its Cured Panga Croquette, highlighting the growing potential of value-added pangasius products in international markets.
(vasep.com.vn) The Global Shrimp Forum (GSF) 2026 is taking place from September 1–3 in Utrecht, the Netherlands, bringing together around 585 delegates from 40 countries, representing approximately 300 companies and organizations across the shrimp supply chain. Representatives from VASEP are attending the event as part of the Vietnamese delegation, strengthening connections with partners across the global shrimp industry.
(vasep.com.vn) At the international B2B seminar (Hosted Buyer Program) held as part of Vietfish 2026, Mr. Nguyen Hoang Pham, Sales Director of Tai Kim Anh Seafood Processing Joint Stock Company, delivered a presentation entitled “Vietnam’s Shrimp Industry: Changing for Sustainability.” From the perspective of a seafood processor, the presentation highlighted that Vietnam’s shrimp industry continues to play a leading role in seafood exports, but is entering a new phase of competition in which change is no longer an option, but a prerequisite for growth.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) VIETFISH 2026 may have concluded after three dynamic days in Ho Chi Minh City, but conversations around the exhibition continue to resonate across international trade media, industry organizations, and the social media channels of participating companies.
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