According to Vietnam Customs, in 2013, the country exported its shrimp to 88 markets, earning back US$3.1 billion, up 39.1 percent year-on-year. Shrimp exports in the year made a great contribution to compensate for losses from other seafood exports and boost total seafood exports to exceed the target of US$6.5 billion and hit US$6.72 billion, up 9.6 percent year-on-year. Shrimp sales made up 45 percent of the total seafood exports of the country.
Positive growth in shrimp exports to top 10 leading importers
In 2013, Vietnam’s shrimp sales to leading importing markets (the U.S., Japan, EU, China, Australia, Canada, Taiwan and ASEAN) witnessed a sharp increase over 2012. Exports to the U.S. reported the highest growth of 82.5 percent with US$831 million. Exports to EU touched US$409.4 million, representing an increase of 31.3 percent.
Despite being downgraded to the second position in the top Vietnam shrimp importers, shrimp sales to Japan in 2013 increased by 14.7 percent to US$708.7 million. On January 21st 2014, Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare of Japan has officially notified the MRL of Ethoxyquin in Vietnam shrimp imported into the market. The new MRL is fixed at 0.2 ppm against the earlier 0.01 ppm. Besides, Japan decided to lift the regulation of 100 percent Ethoxyquin testing on Vietnam’s shrimp imported into the market. The new decision is expected to improve shrimp exports of Vietnam to the market in 2014.
Vannamei occupied 50 percent of total shrimp exports
In 2013, Vietnam exported US$1.58 billion of whiteleg shrimp, reporting a year-on-year rise of 113 percent and making up 50.7 percent of total shrimp exports while the proportion of exported black tiger shrimp was 42.7 percent with US$1.33 billion, up only 6.3 percent.
Shrimp farmers stocked more whiteleg shrimp in 2013 because of hiking raw shrimp price, high domestic demand and low global supply caused by EMS. Particularly, farmers in the Mekong Delta give priority to rear whiteleg shrimp thanks to its shorter farming period and high productivity and price.
Japan - the 1st largest importer of Vietnam black tiger shrimp
Although Vietnam shrimp exporters faces to Ethoxyquin barriers and strong competition with Indian exporters in Japan market, Vietnam remained to be the largest supplier of black tiger shrimp to the market. In Japan market, Vietnam’s black tiger shrimp is more competitive than that from India thanks to its high quality and reasonable price.
|
Top 10 largest importing markets of Vietnam black tiger shrimp in 2013 |
|||||
|
No. |
Markets |
Value (US$) |
No. |
Markets |
Value (US$) |
|
1 |
Japan |
293,955,881 |
6 |
|
73,227,418 |
|
2 |
China & Hong Kong |
281,311,926 |
7 |
Switzerland |
44,545,931 |
|
3 |
The U.S. |
228,847,006 |
8 |
Germany |
38,636,635 |
|
4 |
|
82,078,873 |
9 |
South Korea |
29,235,460 |
|
5 |
Taiwan |
74,188,668 |
10 |
France |
24,621,337 |
The U.S. ranked the 1st in importing vannamei shrimp from Vietnam
In 2013, the U.S. increased importing shrimp from Vietnam and India because of increase in their whiteleg shrimp production and low vannamei supply from Thailand caused by EMS.
Through October 2013, Vietnam shrimp imports by the U.S. hit 46,522 MT, up 44.8 percent over the same period of 2012 (32,125 MT). While the market sourced 78,104 MT of Indian shrimp from 49,774 MT in the first 10 months of 2012, up 57 percent.
|
Top 10 largest importing markets of Vietnam whiteleg shrimp in 2013 |
|||||
|
No. |
Markets |
Value (US$) |
No. |
Markets |
Value (US$) |
|
1 |
The U.S. |
589,722,692 |
6 |
The U.K |
51,584,535 |
|
2 |
Japan |
322,980,719 |
7 |
|
47,573,414 |
|
3 |
South Korea |
179,924,816 |
8 |
|
38,886,545 |
|
4 |
China & Hong Kong |
87,715,470 |
9 |
Belgium |
31,748,339 |
|
5 |
Germany |
51,849,792 |
10 |
France |
21,963,939 |
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) In the first eight months of 2026, Vietnam’s tuna exports to Lithuania surpassed $14 million, up 8% year on year. While the increase remains modest, it is notable given the continued pressure on Vietnamese tuna exports to the EU as a whole. More importantly, export turnover to Lithuania has shown a clearer recovery in recent months, making the market a destination worth monitoring for Vietnamese businesses in Europe.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) Vietnam’s squid and octopus exports exceeded $527 million in the first eight months of 2026, marking a 15% year-on-year increase. This growth is particularly notable given the strong baseline established in 2025, when export turnover for the same period reached $458 million, a 13% rise from 2024.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) Vietnamese pangasius is gaining traction in Japan, where competitive prices and reliable supplies have helped the fish enter professional distribution channels and a major sushi chain.
(vasep.com.vn) A circular economy does not create a “new type of shrimp” or a new certification. Its value lies in helping the shrimp value chain use resources more efficiently, stabilize production, generate additional value from by-products and build the data and evidence needed to meet increasingly stringent market requirements. This was the perspective shared by VASEP at the Public-Private Partnership (PPP) Forum on Promoting a Circular Economy in the Shrimp Industry in the Mekong Delta, held in Can Tho on September 21.
(vasep.com.vn) Vietnam’s pangasius exports to CPTPP markets reached $264 million in the first eight months of 2026, up 12% year-on-year and accounting for 17% of the nation’s total pangasius export turnover. In August alone, export value reached $34 million, inching up 3%.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) Golden pompano is being selected as a high-value species for the development of high-tech marine aquaculture in Lam Dong Province. In 2026, the provincial Agricultural Extension Center launched a golden pompano farming model using circular HDPE cages in Lien Huong Commune, opening opportunities to apply technology to marine farming at a scale suited to local coastal conditions.
(vasep.com.vn) Vietnam’s shrimp exports reached $3.3 billion in the first eight months of 2026, up 12% year on year. However, growth momentum is moderating and market divergece is becoming more pronounced, while the US 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 place greater emphasis on quality, product specifications, supply consistency and the ability to meet market-specific demand.
(vasep.com.vn) Vietnam’s pangasius exports continued to grow in August 2026, bringing total export value in the first eight months of the year to US$1.5 billion, up 10% year-on-year. August exports alone reached US$205 million, up 6%. However, market performance has become increasingly divergent, with China and Brazil posting positive growth while the U.S. continued to record a sharp decline.
(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.
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