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.
(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.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) As Vietnam’s tilapia industry searches for new growth opportunities, venturing into brackish-water aquaculture could unlock a formidable competitive moat. Bypassing the volume-and-price bloodbath against established global heavyweights, Vietnam could differentiate itself through high-quality tilapia products tailored to specific farming conditions and value-added market segments.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) 2026 is rapidly shaping up to be a formidable stress test for Vietnamese pangasius exports to the United States. While exports to alternative markets maintain a resilient growth trajectory, the U.S market has declined significantly. In the first eight months of the year, pangasius exports to the U.S fell by nearly 14% year-on-year, with August alone recording a decline of more than 50%. The trend shows that difficulties in the U.S. market are not driven solely by weak consumer demand, but also by multiple layers of trade barriers that are intensifying simultaneously, particularly additional import tariffs, anti-dumping duties and growing protectionism for the domestic catfish industry.
(vasep.com.vn) Vietnam’s pangasius exports to Japan are showing positive signals in 2026, indicating that the market is opening up greater opportunities for pangasius products, particularly processed and value-added products. In the first seven months of 2026, Vietnam’s pangasius exports to Japan reached US$31 million, up 20% year-on-year. In July alone, export value reached approximately US$5 million, up 30%.
On July 22, 2026, the Government issued Decree No. 292/2026/ND-CP detailing certain articles and providing measures for the organization and implementation of the Law on Foreign Trade Management. The Decree takes effect on September 5, 2026, replacing Decree No. 69/2018/ND-CP.
(vasep.com.vn) Vietnamese pangasius producer Vinh Hoan has won the top prize at the 2026 Seafood Excellence Asia Awards for its Cured Panga Croquette, highlighting the growing potential of value-added pangasius products in international markets.
(vasep.com.vn) The Global Shrimp Forum (GSF) 2026 is taking place from September 1–3 in Utrecht, the Netherlands, bringing together around 585 delegates from 40 countries, representing approximately 300 companies and organizations across the shrimp supply chain. Representatives from VASEP are attending the event as part of the Vietnamese delegation, strengthening connections with partners across the global shrimp industry.
(vasep.com.vn) At the international B2B seminar (Hosted Buyer Program) held as part of Vietfish 2026, Mr. Nguyen Hoang Pham, Sales Director of Tai Kim Anh Seafood Processing Joint Stock Company, delivered a presentation entitled “Vietnam’s Shrimp Industry: Changing for Sustainability.” From the perspective of a seafood processor, the presentation highlighted that Vietnam’s shrimp industry continues to play a leading role in seafood exports, but is entering a new phase of competition in which change is no longer an option, but a prerequisite for growth.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) VIETFISH 2026 may have concluded after three dynamic days in Ho Chi Minh City, but conversations around the exhibition continue to resonate across international trade media, industry organizations, and the social media channels of participating companies.
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