Just back from visiting pangasius farms in Vietnam, Chris December, president of QVD Aquaculture in Bellevue, Wash., says one of the biggest current issues is the shrinking credit market for seafood suppliers in Vietnam.
“It makes it difficult to keep a business growing when credit is shrinking,” he says. Banks in Vietnam are re-evaluating their portfolios. If credit is limited or cutoff, he says, the immediate impact is that pangasius farmers can’t buy feed for their fish. Farmers either go out of business, he says, or have to find partners who can provide the capital that banks aren’t willing to loan.
While December anticipates some impact on supply, he says it’s difficult to pin down the numbers because farmers are reticent to divulge just how many fish are in the ponds. “We rely on feed sales to predict what will come out of the water,” he says.
Pangasius supplies are plentiful at the moment, with prices averaging around USD 3, CIF, for top quality product (100 percent white with 5 percent glaze). However, importers need to make the most of the situation, because after September and October when the next harvest takes place there will be far fewer ponds to empty and therefore far fewer fish to process.
Pangasius farmers are already closing their operations down. According to a Vietnamese news report, the area dedicated to pangasius farming in the Mekong Delta has shrunk by about 20 percent compared to this time last year. (The fact that there is plenty of pangasius available now is because farmers are panic selling.)
This situation is unsustainable and it is expected that about 50 percent of farmers will give up after harvesting their next lot of fish.
For farmers to stay in business they need VND 25,000 (USD 1.20) for each kilogram of pangasius they sell. This price then has to work its way through the chain and with a fillet yield of 30 percent, plus the cost of processing and freezing. This would mean a selling price for export of USD 3.80 to 4.00 per kilogram, a substantial rise.
If there is no increase in price for farmers, the further reduction in supplies will naturally lead to more processors cutting back on production, or even shutting down completely.
Already only about 50 percent of the seafood companies that were dealing in pangasius last year are still in business, and around another 100 such companies are expected to halt production after the autumn harvest. Plus, agencies that broker pangasius will also be forced stop operating.
Right now farmers are selling their fish in order to pay off the loans they took out to pay for feed and juvenile fish. Bank interest rates are sky high, ranging from 15 percent to a massive 30 percent, and companies are being given no leeway on paying them back.
This is a real worry as costs are continuing to rise. However, it is the steep increase in the price of feed, particularly that produced by foreign-owned feed mills, that is of most concern to farmers. One Vietnamese press report says that feed prices have increased by 40 percent already this year, and as feed accounts for 60 to 70 percent of the farming costs this is a very heavy burden for farmers to bear.
Regardless of what happens to price and its impact on sales in the future, there are already problems with exports to northern Europe where consumers are reining in their spending because of the economic crisis caused by the plight of the euro. As a result, importers in the Netherlands and Germany are reported to be “sitting on huge piles of pangasius” they cannot sell.
There are also problems in other parts of the world. The United States is now the biggest market for pangasius from Vietnam, but there are doubts that opportunities for increasing sales there are as big as was once thought.
(seafoo.vasep.com.vn) Ca Mau Province is stepping up efforts to protect aquatic resources and promote transparent and sustainable fisheries, joining the country’s efforts to have the European Commission (EC) remove its “yellow card” warning for illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing.
(vasep.com.vn) Vietnam has strengthened its position in China’s massive seafood market, becoming the largest lobster supplier while maintaining a dominant share of the country’s imported pangasius.
(vasep.com.vn) Vietfish 2026 was more than just a larger exhibition space. Through B2B meetings, booth discussions, production-chain visits and post-show feedback, businesses and buyers found something more concrete: suitable suppliers, processing capabilities, technology solutions, new markets and a foundation for building long-term trust and partnerships.
(vasep.com.vn) Vietnam’s tilapia exports to the United States declined significantly in the first seven months of 2026. Cumulative export value reached US$18 million, down 42% from the same period in 2025. In July alone, exports amounted to just US$2 million, plunging 70%, indicating a clear slowdown in import demand from the US market.
(vasep.com.vn) At the seminar “Global Seafood Markets and the Future Workforce: Trends, Opportunities and Directions for the Sustainable Development of Vietnam’s Fisheries Sector,” held as part of VIETFISH 2026, Ms. Shirlene Maria Anthonysamy, Fisheries Officer (Markets) and GLOBEFISH Coordinator at the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), presented initiatives aimed at promoting youth participation in fisheries and aquaculture.
(vasep.com.vn) In the first seven months of 2026, Vietnam’s pangasius exports to the United States reached US$189 million, down 8% year-on-year. In July alone, export value reached US$22 million, down 28%. This trend indicates that U.S. demand for pangasius imports has remained relatively cautious this year, as importers tend to maintain moderate inventory levels and limit stockpiling.
(vasep.com.vn) After three days at the Saigon Exhibition and Convention Center (SECC) in Ho Chi Minh City, the Vietnam International Fisheries Exhibition – VIETFISH 2026 – has successfully concluded, leaving a strong impression in terms of scale, visitor numbers, the quality of business connections, and innovative activities. With more than 14,000 m² of exhibition space, 335 companies, 568 booths, participation from representatives of 17 countries and territories, and nearly 15,000 visitors, VIETFISH 2026 has once again affirmed its role as an important meeting point for Vietnam’s and the global seafood industry.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) Held as part of Vietfish 2026 from August 19–21 at SECC in Ho Chi Minh City, a series of five specialized seminars provided the seafood business community with updates on markets, technology, standards, human resources and cooperation opportunities. With the participation of experts, international organizations, government agencies and businesses from Vietnam and abroad, the seminars created an additional platform for professional exchange alongside the exhibition’s product showcases and business networking activities.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) On the morning of August 19, 2026, the Vietnam International Seafood Exhibition – VIETFISH 2026 officially opened at the Saigon Exhibition and Convention Center (SECC) in Ho Chi Minh City. With 568 booths representing 335 companies, alongside the presence of senior government officials, local authorities, diplomatic missions and international partners, VIETFISH 2026 kicks off three days of business networking, technology exchange and market engagement under the overarching theme “Innovation and Sustainability.”
The Vietnam Association of Seafood Exporters and Producers (VASEP) officially announces that the Vietnam International Seafood Exhibition (Vietfish 2026) will take place from August 19–21, 2026, at the Saigon Exhibition and Convention Center (SECC), Ho Chi Minh City.
VASEP - HIỆP HỘI CHẾ BIẾN VÀ XUẤT KHẨU THỦY SẢN VIỆT NAM
Chịu trách nhiệm: Ông Nguyễn Hoài Nam - Phó Tổng thư ký Hiệp hội
Đơn vị vận hành trang tin điện tử: Trung tâm VASEP.PRO
Trưởng Ban Biên tập: Bà Phùng Thị Kim Thu
Giấy phép hoạt động Trang thông tin điện tử tổng hợp số 138/GP-TTĐT, ngày 01/10/2013 của Bộ Thông tin và Truyền thông
Tel: (+84 24) 3.7715055 – (ext.203); email: kimthu@vasep.com.vn
Trụ sở: Số 7 đường Nguyễn Quý Cảnh, Phường An Phú, Quận 2, Tp.Hồ Chí Minh
Tel: (+84) 28.628.10430 - Fax: (+84) 28.628.10437 - Email: vasephcm@vasep.com.vn
VPĐD: số 10, Nguyễn Công Hoan, Ngọc Khánh, Ba Đình, Hà Nội
Tel: (+84 24) 3.7715055 - Fax: (+84 24) 37715084 - Email: vasephn@vasep.com.vn