The imminent arrival of Vietnam's inaugural tilapia export shipment at a Brazilian port holds not only commercial significance but also serves as evidence of joint efforts to promote economic and trade cooperation between the two countries, especially as bilateral ties have been upgraded to a strategic partnership and Brazil's recognition of Vietnam as a market economy.
This was affirmed by Vietnamese Ambassador to Brazil Bui Van Nghi in an interview with TTXVN reporters in South America, on the occasion of the first 24-ton container of Vietnamese tilapia departing Ho Chi Minh City's port on November 6 to be exported to Brazil via JBS Group, Brazil's largest food corporation.
Ambassador Bui Van Nghi emphasized that this represents a concrete result of enterprise connections, market expansion and affirmation of the quality of Vietnamese agricultural and aquatic products in the Brazilian and broader Latin American markets.
This is one of 32 containers, totaling 700 tons of tilapia - ordered by JBS, with products set to enter supermarket shelves, the Horeca distribution channel, and JBS’s showrooms in Brazil. The current container is expected to arrive at Santos Port on December 17.
JBS Group currently employs 280,000 personnel, operates 150 factories across many countries and leads the world in beef and chicken production; it is also investing $150 million in two beef processing plants in Vietnam.
According to Ambassador Bui Van Nghi, this event represents a new development in economic and trade cooperation between Vietnam and Brazil, materializing the mutual agricultural market opening agreement between the two countries that Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh and Brazilian President Lula da Silva committed to during their high-level meeting on the sidelines of the expanded BRICS summit in Rio de Janeiro in July 2025.
Both sides agreed to continue opening agricultural markets to each other. Vietnam will open its market to Brazilian beef, while Brazil will open its market to Vietnamese tilapia, tra and basa fish.
Ambassador Bui Van Nghi also stated that the Vietnamese Embassy in Brazil will continue to accompany businesses and localities of both countries, supporting promotion, connections and resolution of difficulties to enable more Vietnamese products to penetrate deeper and wider into the Brazilian and South American markets.
Meanwhile, Marcio Rodrigues, JBS Group's Executive Director in charge of market access, assessed that this event reflects the increasingly solid partnership between JBS and Vietnam, strengthened through specific activities such as investments in Vietnam, job creation and expanded imports of Vietnamese products.
Currently, the two countries are promoting negotiations toward signing a Trade Agreement between Vietnam and the Southern Common Market (MERCOSUR) bloc, in the context of Brazil serving as the rotating chair of the bloc in 2025, while enhancing connections between businesses, associations and relevant ministries and sectors to facilitate bilateral trade development in a direction of market diversification, balanced interests and sustainable development.
(vasep.com.vn) On November 11, 2026, in Can Tho, the Vietnam Association of Seafood Exporters and Producers (VASEP) will organize the Vietnam Seafood Summit 2026 (VSS 2026) under the theme “Seafood Market Outlook 2027–2029: Opportunities and Headroom for Double-Digit Export Growth.”
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) Business leader Do Ngoc Tai, General Director of Tai Kim Anh Seafood Processing Joint Stock Company, was honored by the Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry (VCCI) with the title “Outstanding Vietnamese Entrepreneur – Thanh Giong Cup 2026” at a ceremony celebrating Vietnam Entrepreneurs’ Day (October 13). The event took place on the evening of October 11, 2026, at the National Convention Center in Hanoi.
(vasep.com.vn) The global tilapia market is becoming increasingly segmented, not only among producing countries but also by product type and destination market. Supply is divided into groups with distinct competitive advantages: large volumes of whole fish and frozen fillets from Asia, high-value fresh fillets from Latin America, and substantial domestic consumption in several major producing countries.
(vasep.com.vn) Vietnam’s tuna exports to the UK grew in the first eight months of 2026, despite signs of slowing import demand in the market. However, sharp fluctuations in orders, competition from major suppliers, and new traceability requirements are creating challenges for Vietnamese exporters.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) Vietnam is stepping up efforts to combat illegal fishing, protect marine ecosystems, expand digital monitoring, and develop science-based management to ensure the sea can support communities and the economy for generations to come.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) The EU remains a critical market for Vietnamese shrimp; however, purchasing demand and import patterns are undergoing notable changes. According to Vietnam Customs data, as of September 15, 2026, Vietnam’s shrimp exports to the EU reached nearly $374 million, down 5% year-over-year and accounting for 10.7% of the country’s total shrimp export value. Meanwhile, the EU’s stotal shrimp imports through July 2026 contracted by 7% in volume, exhibiting divergent trends across Southern Europe, Northwestern Europe and Eastern Europe. These dynamics necessitate that Vietnamese enterprises closely monitor individualized market demand, rather than approaching the EU as a monolithic consumer block.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) In the first eight months of 2026, Vietnam’s exports of surimi and fish cakes remained relatively stable year-over-year compared to 2025. Following a contraction in the initial months, export performance demonstrated improvement from June onward, peaking in August. However, the recovery has been uneven, characterized by divergent trends across major markets: robust growth was recorded in China, Japan, Malaysia, the United States, and Taiwan, whereas export volumes to South Korea, Indonesia, and select European markets contracted.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) Pangasius remains one of Dong Thap’s key aquaculture species, with the province focusing on developing an integrated value chain covering seed production, commercial farming, deep processing and by-product utilization. The province is promoting high-tech, circular pangasius farming models featuring reduced water exchange and enhanced biosecurity, aiming to improve production efficiency and strengthen control over raw material quality.
(vasep.com.vn) Vietnam’s seafood exports in September 2026 are estimated at US$1.135 billion, up 11.9% year-on-year, bringing total exports in the first nine months of the year to US$9.103 billion, up 11.4%. Behind this double-digit growth, however, increasingly divergent market trends are emerging: China–Hong Kong and ASEAN posted strong growth, while the U.S., EU and Japan all recorded declines in September.
(vasep.com.vn) In the first eight months of 2026, Brazil became the largest market for Vietnamese tilapia, with export value reaching US$44 million, up 22,142% year-on-year and accounting for 49% of Vietnam’s total tilapia exports. In August alone, exports to Brazil reached US$4 million. However, behind this remarkable growth is a market that is imposing increasingly stringent requirements on imported supplies.
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