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 |
(vasep.com.vn) In the first quarter of 2026, Vietnam’s shrimp exports reached USD 1.069 billion, up 17.5% compared to the same period in 2025. This is a positive result amid an uneven global shrimp market recovery, intensifying competition among major suppliers, and continued volatility in the international trade environment. However, this growth does not reflect a broad-based recovery across the entire sector, but rather is driven mainly by strong performance in a few markets and specific product segments—most notably lobster exports to China.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) Vietnam’s tuna exports continued to decline in March 2026. Cumulatively, in the first three months of the year, export value reached USD 208 million, down 4% compared to the same period in 2025. The export landscape shows clear divergence across markets: while the U.S. and EU remain challenging, markets such as Russia, the Middle East, Egypt, the Philippines, and Mexico have emerged as growth bright spots.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) In Quang Ngai Province, shrimp farming costs are rising sharply due to लगातार increases in feed, fuel, and input material prices, while farm-gate shrimp prices are declining. This has significantly reduced farmers’ profit margins and increased production risks.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) Vietnam’s tilapia exports are experiencing impressive growth, reflecting expanding global demand as well as the sector’s development potential. However, behind the strong growth figures lie limitations in production capacity and supply chains, highlighting the need for sustainable development in the coming period.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) Vietnam’s pangasius exports to the Middle East in 2025 and early 2026 have shown notable growth. However, escalating geopolitical tensions in the region have increasingly impacted export activities since March. This situation presents a challenge of balancing market expansion opportunities with rising trade risks.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) The Quang Tri Department of Agriculture and Environment has instructed localities to base their stocking schedules on actual conditions in each farming area, while developing plans, allocating resources, and implementing synchronized measures for disease prevention and disaster risk management in aquaculture production.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) In the first two months of 2026, Vietnam’s exports of fish cakes and surimi exceeded USD 45 million, up 7% compared to the same period in 2025, indicating a positive outlook for this product segment amid recovering demand in many markets.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) During the week from April 4th to 10th, 2026, Quang Ngai province intensified its monitoring and law enforcement activities with the determination to eliminate illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing practices.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) Thanh Hoa’s shrimp sector is undergoing a strong transformation by accelerating the adoption of high technology, helping to improve productivity, increase profits, and meet market demands. The province currently has about 4,100 hectares of shrimp farming, with output continuing to rise despite stable farming area, mainly due to the shift from traditional methods to intensive and super-intensive farming.
(vasep.com.vn) Amid ongoing volatility in global seafood trade, Vietnam’s crab exports have made a fairly positive start to 2026. According to Vietnam Customs statistics, export turnover in the first two months of 2026 reached nearly USD 55 million, up 24% compared to the same period in 2025 and more than 2.2 times higher than in the same period of 2024. This indicates that crab exports are entering 2026 with stronger growth momentum, particularly in Asian markets.
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