After decreasing by 17% in 2021, mainly due to the Zero Covid policy in the China market, since the beginning of 2022 until now, exports to the market have recovered strongly. In January 2022, exports to China & Hong Kong increased by 56%, February exports outperformed with a growth of 138% compared to the same period last year.
In which, in the first two months of the year, Vietnam seafood exports to China more than doubled over the same period, reaching 145 million USD, accounting for 85%. Exports to Hong Kong increased by 46% to 25 million USD, accounting for 15%.
Importers in China and Hong Kong both boosted their orders of Vietnamese pangasius, crab and cephalopod products in the past two months. As for tuna, consumption was only strong in Hong Kong, with a growth of 56%, while China had almost no orders for Vietnamese tuna in the first 2 months of the year.
Although the growth was more modest than other products, shrimp still accounted for a high proportion of 23.4% of the total seafood export to this market, with nearly 40 million USD, up 13%. In which, China consumed nearly 28 million USD, while shrimp exports to Hong Kong reached 12 million USD.
Seafood exports to China & HK in 2021 hit the lowest level in 5 years
Vietnam seafood exports to China & Hong Kong in 2021 decreased by nearly 17% to more than 1.1 billion USD, the lowest level in the past 5 years. The main reason is China's Zero Covid policy, which has caused trade and import clearance activities to be stalled and jammed for most of the past year.
The 3 main products exported to China last year include shrimp (accounting for 36%), pangasius (39%) and other marine fish (14%); these products were all significantly reduced in export value to this market. In which, pangasius exports reached nearly 450 million USD. Shrimp exports to China & Hong Kong reached 412 million USD, dropped by 22%. In which, exports to China decreased by 22%, especially to Hong Kong fell 18%. China has reduced imports of giant tiger prawn from Vietnam by 14%, while imports of whiteleg shrimp still increased by nearly 6%.
Anchovy accounted for a significant proportion of seafood exports to China (6.4%, reaching 63 million USD), but in the past year, there has been a sharp decrease of 37%. In the first two months of this year, anchovy exports continued to decrease by 16%.
However, in 2021, China has sharply increased the import of some fish species. For example, mackerel imports increased by nearly 10 times, yellow stripe scad sales increased by 42%, fish sauce increased by 40%, herring increased by 108%...
Crab exports to China in 2021 fell 23% while exports to Hong Kong increased sharply by 116%.
Complied by Phuong Linh
(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.com.vn) In 2025, Chile imported more than USD 156 million worth of tuna, up 8.1% compared to the previous year and the highest level in the past five years. As the supply structure in this market is rapidly shifting, Vietnamese tuna is facing both opportunities to expand market share and increasing competitive pressure from Thailand, Colombia, and China.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) Vinh Long Province is stepping up efforts to develop brackish water shrimp farming in a sustainable direction, identifying it as a key sector in its agricultural structure. In 2026, the province aims to reach around 71,300 hectares of shrimp farming, with an output of over 314,000 tons.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) Ha Tinh Province is strengthening control over shrimp seed quality to minimize risks for the 2026 spring–summer farming season.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) In February 2026, Vietnam’s pangasius exports reached USD 119 million, down slightly 5% year-on-year. However, thanks to strong performance in January, cumulative exports in the first two months of the year still reached USD 331 million, up 28% compared to the same period in 2025. Export activity slowed somewhat in February due to seasonal factors, particularly the Lunar New Year holiday, which disrupted production and shipments at many seafood processing enterprises.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) Da Nang is accelerating the development of high-tech shrimp farming toward intensive production, disease control, and improved efficiency. Many shrimp farms have invested in automated environmental monitoring systems, continuously tracking indicators such as pH, dissolved oxygen, temperature, and salinity, enabling farmers to promptly adjust pond conditions and reduce disease risks.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) The year 2025 is considered a turning point for Vietnam’s shrimp seed industry as the sector faces the need for strong transformation in technology, production management, and gradual self-sufficiency in broodstock supply. These factors are seen as key to improving seed quality and strengthening the competitiveness of the shrimp industry amid increasingly demanding market requirements.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) In February 2026, Vietnam’s shrimp exports reached nearly USD 310 million, up 17% year-on-year. Cumulatively for the first two months of the year, shrimp export value totaled USD 690 million, an increase of 20% compared with the same period last year. Compared with the 22% growth recorded in January, the pace of increase in February slowed somewhat, reflecting seasonal factors as the Lunar New Year holiday partially disrupted processing and shipment activities. Nevertheless, the nearly 20% growth in the first two months indicates that shrimp orders from Vietnam are maintaining a more positive trend than in the same period last year.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) According to the latest statistics for January 2026, Vietnam’s pangasius export value to major market blocs recorded encouraging growth compared with the same period last year, indicating that consumption demand is gradually recovering.
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