Due to the economic recession, consumers in traditional import markets, especially the EU, have cut their spending, Mr. Hoe was quoted by the Thoi Bao Kinh Te newspaper as saying.
Importers are also dealing with obstacles in importing seafood products from Vietnam. In previous years, importers could buy Vietnamese seafood and pay later. However, they now have to pay immediately as their Vietnamese partners are also having financial difficulty, Hoe noted.
Vietnams seafood exporters also encounter fierce competition from India and Thailand, he said.
In addition, some Vietnamese seafood products are facing technical barriers from importing countries. Due to Japans strict regulation on Ethoxyquin residues in shrimp, Vietnams shipments to its biggest shrimp market have fallen sharply, Mr. Hoe noted.
Regarding the Ethoxyquin antibiotic issue, VASEP has urged the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development and the Ministry of Industry and Trade to work with Japanese authorities to raise the permitted level of the antibiotic in Vietnamese shrimp product. It has also requested aquatic feed producers and shrimp farmers to use less Ethoxyquin while and change the cultivation methods, Hoe informed.
Increasing transport fees have also negatively affected the countrys seafood exports, he added.
VASEP Vice Chairman Duong Ngoc Minh also blamed banks mechanism in setting interest rate and credit limit for hindering the cash flows of enterprises, forcing both farmers and enterprises to sell their products at any prices in order to pay off debts.
Mr. Hoe urged farmers and enterprises to tighten control of pangasius export in order to maintain product quality. According to the VASEP, 65 enterprises exporting pangasius to the EU are capable of providing 600,000 tons of pangasius to the global market annually.
Earlier last month, however, the e-newspaper of the Ministry of Industry and Trade reported that seafood exports in the remaining months of 2012 will bounce back thanks to support from the government, especially a VND9 trillion soft loan package to assist pangasius farmers. It is unclear whether farmers have actually received the money yet.
Seafood is one of Vietnams export staples. In the first nine months of this year, the country earned $4.5 billion from seafood export, up 3.5% on year.
(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.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) Da Nang City has fully implemented all recommendations from the European Commission (EC) regarding the fight against illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing, creating an important foundation for the removal of the “yellow card” in the near future.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) In Hoa Vang district (Da Nang City), red tilapia farming is demonstrating clear economic efficiency, becoming a promising livelihood that helps many households increase their income. A notable example is the model of Mr. Huynh Ngoc Nam, who operates two red tilapia ponds covering more than 4 hectares, generating stable annual income.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) In Gia Vien district, tilapia farming—particularly the “duong nghiep” strain—is expanding rapidly and gradually becoming an efficient production model for local farmers. Hatcheries in the area are supplying high-quality, uniform, and disease-free fingerlings, meeting the growing demand for commercial farming.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) On the afternoon of March 19, Vice Chairman of the Ca Mau Provincial People’s Committee, Le Van Su, chaired a meeting to address bottlenecks and propose solutions to expand the super-intensive whiteleg shrimp farming model using low water exchange and high biosecurity standards (RAS-IMTA).
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) On March 10, 2026, the Ho Chi Minh City People’s Committee issued Decision No. 1377/QD-UBND approving the Aquatic Animal Disease Prevention and Control Plan for the 2026–2030 period. The decision takes effect from the date of signing and replaces previous plans for the 2021–2030 period that had been issued prior to the administrative merger in Ba Ria – Vung Tau, Binh Duong, and 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
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Trưởng Ban Biên tập: Bà Phùng Thị Kim Thu
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