Positive signals from pangasius exports
In the first 2 months of the year, Vietnam's seafood exports continued to be dominated by the consumption trend of the market in the context of a serious Covid epidemic. Accordingly, the demand is still leaning towards seafood products with reasonable prices, easy to process, long shelf life, suitable for processing and consumption at home such as: frozen small whiteleg shrimp, processed whiteleg shrimp, fish cake, surimi, marine fish fillet/portions, dried anchovies, dried squid, fish sauces ... Meanwhile, the export of frozen whole shrimp products, especially tiger shrimp, decreased due to the high price and tight control of imported frozen food products into the Chinese market. In addition, the Tet holiday also causes the source of raw materials to decline, especially capture items such as tuna, squid, octopus and marine shrimp ... causing the export value to decrease. Besides, export activities in the first 2 months of the year were also limited by high freight of sea transportation.
In February, shrimp export is estimated at nearly 160 million USD, down by 18% year-on-year, and by the end of February, it was over 380 million USD, down slightly by 0.8% year-on-year, mainly because black tiger shrimp exports decreased by nearly 40%. Whiteleg shrimp exports still accounted for an increasingly large proportion of 80% of total shrimp exports with about 304 million, an increase of about 14% over the same period last year while black tiger shrimp accounted for only 10% of the total at about 38 million USD, down by 48%.
Pangasius exports, after a continuous decline in 2020, showed positive signs earlier this year: exports in January increased by 22% reaching 123.5 million USD and in February dropped 17% reaching 90 million USD, bringing accumulated results for 2 months to 214 million USD, up by 1.7% over the same period last year. In January 2021, the export of frozen pangasius fillets increased by 54%, whole pangasius increased by 162%. In addition to Chinese customers, Colombian importers also increased the purchase of whole Vietnamese pangasius. In January 2021, this country mainly imported whole pangasius, pangasius fillet only made up a small percentage.
Except for China and the EU, Vietnam's pangasius exports tended to recover strongly in all markets, in which there was a sharp increase in exports to the US (up by 51% in January 2021) and to CPTPP countries by 38% (to Mexico increased by 73%, to Australia by 45%, to Canada by 42% in January 2021). Exports to other markets (Brazil, Colombia, UK, Russia) all increased from 37-129% in January.
The total export of marine products in January increased by 31.4% to 264 million USD, in February decreased 21% to 156 million USD, bringing the export result in the first 2 months to nearly 420 million USD, up by 5,5%. In particular, exports of tuna and bivalve mollusks both decreased by 11%, cephalopod exports increased slightly by 0.8%, marine fish increased by 15%, while crab exports decreased by 26%.
According to the export momentum in the first 2 months of the year, it is forecasted that the export turnover of Vietnam seafood in March 2021 will reach about US $ 640 million, up by 1.5% over the same period in 2020. Exports to the US, EU and CPTPP countries will maintain the positive signal thanks to the high demand and the push from free trade agreements EVFTA and CPTPP.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) On the afternoon of March 19, Vice Chairman of the Ca Mau Provincial People’s Committee, Le Van Su, chaired a meeting to address bottlenecks and propose solutions to expand the super-intensive whiteleg shrimp farming model using low water exchange and high biosecurity standards (RAS-IMTA).
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) On March 10, 2026, the Ho Chi Minh City People’s Committee issued Decision No. 1377/QD-UBND approving the Aquatic Animal Disease Prevention and Control Plan for the 2026–2030 period. The decision takes effect from the date of signing and replaces previous plans for the 2021–2030 period that had been issued prior to the administrative merger in Ba Ria – Vung Tau, Binh Duong, and Ho Chi Minh City.
(vasep.com.vn) In 2025, Chile imported more than USD 156 million worth of tuna, up 8.1% compared to the previous year and the highest level in the past five years. As the supply structure in this market is rapidly shifting, Vietnamese tuna is facing both opportunities to expand market share and increasing competitive pressure from Thailand, Colombia, and China.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) Vinh Long Province is stepping up efforts to develop brackish water shrimp farming in a sustainable direction, identifying it as a key sector in its agricultural structure. In 2026, the province aims to reach around 71,300 hectares of shrimp farming, with an output of over 314,000 tons.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) Ha Tinh Province is strengthening control over shrimp seed quality to minimize risks for the 2026 spring–summer farming season.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) In February 2026, Vietnam’s pangasius exports reached USD 119 million, down slightly 5% year-on-year. However, thanks to strong performance in January, cumulative exports in the first two months of the year still reached USD 331 million, up 28% compared to the same period in 2025. Export activity slowed somewhat in February due to seasonal factors, particularly the Lunar New Year holiday, which disrupted production and shipments at many seafood processing enterprises.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) Da Nang is accelerating the development of high-tech shrimp farming toward intensive production, disease control, and improved efficiency. Many shrimp farms have invested in automated environmental monitoring systems, continuously tracking indicators such as pH, dissolved oxygen, temperature, and salinity, enabling farmers to promptly adjust pond conditions and reduce disease risks.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) The year 2025 is considered a turning point for Vietnam’s shrimp seed industry as the sector faces the need for strong transformation in technology, production management, and gradual self-sufficiency in broodstock supply. These factors are seen as key to improving seed quality and strengthening the competitiveness of the shrimp industry amid increasingly demanding market requirements.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) In February 2026, Vietnam’s shrimp exports reached nearly USD 310 million, up 17% year-on-year. Cumulatively for the first two months of the year, shrimp export value totaled USD 690 million, an increase of 20% compared with the same period last year. Compared with the 22% growth recorded in January, the pace of increase in February slowed somewhat, reflecting seasonal factors as the Lunar New Year holiday partially disrupted processing and shipment activities. Nevertheless, the nearly 20% growth in the first two months indicates that shrimp orders from Vietnam are maintaining a more positive trend than in the same period last year.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) According to the latest statistics for January 2026, Vietnam’s pangasius export value to major market blocs recorded encouraging growth compared with the same period last year, indicating that consumption demand is gradually recovering.
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