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.
(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.
(vasep.com.vn) Vietnam’s tuna exports sustained their upward trajectory in August 2026, though the pace remained modest at just 2%. The month saw divergent trends across key markets: the US maintained its leading position, Japan and Canada improved, Russia surged and the EU continued to experience a steep downturn. These developments suggest that exporters are entering the final months of the year amid a market environment marked by greater uncertainty.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) Congalsa has acquired the entire charter capital of Lenger Seafood Vietnam, giving it full ownership of the business and its Nam Dinh processing facility.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) Ninh Binh Province is entering a peak period of action against illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing, focusing on thoroughly addressing violations, closely monitoring fishing vessels at ports and preventing vessels from violating regulations and operating illegally in foreign waters ahead of the European Commission’s (EC) upcoming inspection in 2026.
(vasep.com.vn) The application of biotechnology in seed production is increasingly viewed as a strategic imperative to upgrade pangasius fingerling quality, optimize farming efficiency and anchor sustainable industry development.
(vasep.com.vn) On September 15, 2026, in Can Tho, VASEP and ASC jointly organized a training course titled “New ASC standards: updates and practical implementation guidance for farms, businesses and aquafeed mills”. Beyond briefing stakeholders on updated ASC requirements for aquaculture facilities and feed production, the workshop dedicated substantial floor time to directly addressing on-the-ground compliance bottlenecks encountered by Vietnamese enterprises.
(searfood.vasep.com.vn) Vietnam’s tilapia exports continued to post positive results in the first eight months of 2026, with total export value reaching US$90 million, up 43% year-on-year. However, exports in August alone stood at US$11 million, down 8%, reflecting uneven market developments. Brazil remained the leading market, while Japan recorded notable growth, opening up new opportunities for Vietnamese tilapia products.
(vasep.com.vn) Vietnam’s shrimp exports reached US$3.3 billion in the first eight months of 2026, up 12% year on year. However, growth has begun to slow and become more differentiated across markets, while the U.S. and EU continue to present significant challenges. The latest insights from the Global Shrimp Forum 2026 (GSF 2026), held in early September, also indicate that the final months of the year will remain highly competitive as global supply continues to expand and buyers increasingly focus on quality, product specifications, supply stability and the ability to meet market-specific demand.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) In August 2026, Vietnam’s seafood exports reached $1.14 billion, up 6% year on year. Cumulative eight-month exports rose 11.8% to $8.00 billion, though momentum has cooled compared to the 12.8% growth seen through July. China - Hong Kong and ASEAN are offsetting weakness in the U.S, EU and partly Japan. This divergence will likely widen in Q4 as trade tariffs and traceability requirements directly weigh on new orders.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) Vietnam–Russia relations are entering a new phase of cooperation, with a focus on expanding trade, investment and economic connectivity. Against this backdrop, tuna is emerging as one of the seafood products with significant growth potential in the Russian market. Export data for the first seven months of 2026 show strong growth in Vietnamese tuna exports to Russia. However, turning this momentum into sustainable market share will require businesses to address challenges related to logistics, payment and supply competition.
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