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.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) Vietnam’s pangasius industry is facing new opportunities to expand its development space as many localities and businesses begin promoting marine farming models aimed at diversifying farming areas and adapting to climate change. However, for pangasius to truly “go offshore” and develop into a large-scale industry segment, significant challenges related to technology, broodstock, and markets still need to be addressed.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) Vietnam’s tilapia exports in April 2026 reached USD 11 million, up 92% compared to the same period in 2025. This strong growth indicates that Vietnamese tilapia products are continuing to penetrate and expand rapidly in international markets. Cumulative export turnover in the first four months of 2026 reached USD 49 million, up 151% year-on-year.
(seafood.vasep.com) At VietShrimp Asia 2026, disease management trends in shrimp farming are shifting strongly from treatment-based approaches toward proactive prevention through environmental and pond ecosystem control.
(vasep.com.vn) After a period of strong growth, with export turnover reaching USD 38 million in Q1/2026 — up 174% year-on-year — the sector’s rapid expansion clearly reflects growing market opportunities.
(vasep.com.vn) In the first quarter of 2026, Vietnam’s pangasius exports to the ASEAN bloc reached USD 44 million, up 7% compared to the same period in 2025. After falling to the lowest level of the quarter at USD 9 million in February — reflecting the seasonal slowdown in orders after the festive period — exports recovered strongly to USD 18 million in March, the highest monthly value of the quarter. This development shows that import demand for pangasius in ASEAN remains relatively stable despite short-term fluctuations.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) On May 11, 2026, the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) announced a positive comparability finding for Vietnam’s swimming crab fisheries, along with those of Indonesia and Sri Lanka, under the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA). With this decision, seafood and seafood products harvested from Vietnam’s swimming crab fisheries will continue to be eligible for import into the US market.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) After a slowdown in 2025, Vietnam’s tuna exports to Germany showed more positive signs in the first quarter of 2026. However, the recovery remains uncertain as consumer demand in Germany is still cautious, while market competition is increasingly driven by pricing and supply stability.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) After a sharp decline in 2025, Vietnam’s tuna exports to Israel are showing positive signs of recovery in the early months of 2026. According to Vietnam Customs data, export turnover to this market grew steadily month by month in Q1/2026, reaching nearly USD 10 million, up 33% compared to the same period in 2025. However, compared to Q1/2024, this level remains significantly lower, indicating that the recovery is still in its early stage following last year’s strong adjustment.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) Entering 2026, the U.S. whitefish market has shown complex developments as global cod supply continues to tighten, while the U.S. trade environment becomes less stable. In this context, the U.S. market has had to become more flexible in sourcing alternative whitefish. However, relying heavily on Alaska pollock is not a long-term solution, as it is a strictly managed fishery with quotas and sustainability regulations, limiting any rapid increase in output to offset cod shortages.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) Aquaculture, capture fisheries, and seed production activities in Lam Dong in the early months of 2026 continued to show positive signs, with both output and farming area slightly increasing compared to the same period, contributing to maintaining overall industry stability.
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