This protective barrier of the U.S. Congress is causing business losses for not only Vietnamese seafood exporters but also those from other ASEAN countries. The analysis was said in the margin of the U.S - Vietnam conference on agriculture cooperation in Washington DC.
At the conference, experts from Vietnam introduced American enterprises opportunities to cooperate and invest into the fields of agriculture, forestry and fishery in Vietnam, especially potentials in aquaculture.
Most American representatives evaluated that with a great contribution of over 20 percent to GDP and increasing export value, which is expected to reach US$30 billion by 2015, the agricultural sector of Vietnam show high potentials for foreign investors.
However, one of the biggest obstacles in commercial exchanges between Vietnam and the U.S. are now trade barriers including unfair antidumping and countervailing taxes.
Currently, the most concern of Vietnamese agricultural and seafood exporters to the American market is the catfish inspection program developed and implemented by U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). Exports of Vietnamese pangasius to the U.S. may be stopped for a long period to prepare to meet U.S. new requirements.
Furthermore, the catfish inspection program will also impact on other seafood supplying countries to the U.S.
Robert DeHann, Vice president of National Fishery Institution (NFI), said that the USDA catfish program is a manner to protect benefits of a small part in U.S. fishery industry.
"We really worry that this program, if implemented in the coming years, will cause an immediate ban of some seafood products imported from many countries, especially Vietnam. We asked the U.S. government to repeal this duplicative program and I knew that Vietnam sent the same request to the U.S competent authorities. And other ASEAN countries having seafood trade with the U.S. must join hand to call for this repeal. If not, their products of other species and varieties will also be regulated by this program sooner or later", he highlighted.
Under the newly adopted Farm Bill 2014, USDA will set up a Catfish Office to monitor the inspection of catfish and require imported products to meet standard for farming and processing activities, which is currently imposed to American companies to ensure food safety.
According to the General Secretary of Vietnam Association of Seafood Exporters and Producers (VASEP), the catfish program will block imports of pangasius and catfish from ASEAN countries into the U.S. "So far no country in ASEAN can meet standard set by the USDA. This is an unfair requirement to protect domestic producers", he added.
U.S. trade barriers are obstacles in economic relations between Vietnam and the U.S. Vietnam will continue to call for the repeal of the USDA catfish program. It is also preparing for trade disputes under the WTO.
So far, there is no report on risks and impacts of imported pangasius on consumers' health in the U.S. The switch of inspection responsibility from Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to USDA, which leads to implementation of unfeasible standards to imported products, is clearly a protectionist manner.
Though being approved in early 2014, the new Farm Bill has to wait for a long time to be implemented. Standards developed by the USDA have not been finally issued until December instead of April as fixed by the U.S. Congress.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) Although Germany’s tuna imports have declined, Vietnam’s tuna exports to the market continue to show positive signs. Notably, export value recovered strongly in Q3/2026, and German import data also show Vietnamese products strengthening their position amid competition among suppliers.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) Seafood exports are holding double-digit growth, but the opportunities are not spread evenly across product groups and markets. As businesses draw up their plans for 2027, Vietnam Seafood Summit 2026 (VSS2026) offers a chance to look ahead together: what to sell, where to sell it, and how to prepare for growth in the coming years.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) With less than two weeks to go, the Vietnam Seafood Summit 2026 (VSS 2026) will officially take place in Can Tho. Under the theme “Seafood Market Outlook 2027–2029 – Opportunities and Potential for Double-Digit Export Growth,” the Summit is organized by VASEP at a time when seafood businesses are facing rapid market shifts, changing buyer demand, trade policy changes and growing competitive pressure all at once.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) On October 28, 2026, the China Fisheries & Seafood Expo opened in Qingdao, China. The expo takes place over three days from October 28 to 30, 2026. This is a prestigious specialized seafood exhibition organized annually by Sea Fare Exposition Inc.
(vasep.com.vn) In the first nine months of 2026, Vietnam’s tilapia exports to the CPTPP bloc reached $7 million, marking a 51% year-on-year increase. The bloc rstands as the fourth-largest market for Vietnamese tilapia, trailing Brazil, the US, and Saudi Arabia.
(vasep.com.vn) VASEP has officially announced the program for Vietnam Seafood Summit 2026 (VSS 2026), featuring five in-depth sessions covering industry outlooks, trade barriers, buyer demand, the domestic market, and solutions to improve productivity and reduce costs across the seafood value chain.
(vasep.com.vn) Vietnam’s shrimp exports reached US$3.7 billion in the first nine months of 2026, up 11% year on year. Although growth has been supported by China and several markets within the CPTPP, momentum is slowing as exports to the United States and the European Union decline. Tariff pressures, international competition, and raw material challenges are creating significant hurdles for exporters in the final months of the year.
(vasep.com.vn) Markets are changing faster, buyer requirements are becoming more demanding, and trade barriers are growing increasingly complex. In this environment, seafood businesses need more than an understanding of current market conditions. They need a longer-term perspective to answer a critical question: Where will growth opportunities come from in 2027–2029, and what should businesses do now to prepare? This is one of the key reasons why VASEP is organizing Vietnam Seafood Summit 2026.
(vasep.com.vn) In the first eight months of 2026, Vietnam’s pangasius exports to the Middle East reached US$113 million, up 7% year on year from the same period in 2025. Growth has become more pronounced in recent months. In August alone, exports to the region totaled US$20 million, an increase of 24%. This indicates that demand for Vietnamese pangasius in the Middle East is gradually recovering after a slowdown in March, although the pace of recovery varies across markets.
(vasep.com.vn) China’s shrimp imports continued to grow strongly in 2026, while Vietnam’s shrimp exports to the market also recorded notable growth. However, behind these positive figures lie two distinct trends: Chinese consumption is growing more slowly than imports, and lobster accounts for a substantial share of Vietnam’s shrimp exports to China, making its product mix significantly different from those of Ecuador and India. Exporters therefore need to assess each segment carefully to understand the opportunities and risks.
VASEP - HIỆP HỘI CHẾ BIẾN VÀ XUẤT KHẨU THỦY SẢN VIỆT NAM
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