The popularity of pangasius and the efforts of the Vietnamese business community to bring pangasius to the world have helped the industry bring in a large amount of foreign currency each year. With an export turnover of $1.5-2.4 billion/year, pangasius accounts for 16-26% of Vietnam's total seafood export value.
Looking back at the pangasius export picture from 2017 to 2022 and 2023 forecast
Pressured by anti-dumping tax barriers in the US market every year, being "bummed" by the media in the EU because of competition with white fish and other market barriers, but Vietnamese pangasius is still strongly reaching out to the world market and affirming its position. This is thanks to the growth of the Vietnamese pangasius export and processing business community, knowing how to seize market opportunities, overcome challenges and barriers, and build the prestige of Vietnamese products.
Pangasius has become the No. 1 favorite farmed white fish in many markets such as the EU, Mexico, UK, China, Japan, the Middle East countries and increased market share in major markets like USA and Russia.
In the past 6 years, pangasius exports have experienced a period of ups and downs, mainly affected by the Covid pandemic from 2020 to 2021.
Accordingly, in 2020, pangasius exports fell to the lowest level of nearly 1.5 billion USD, down 26% compared to 2019. The strong outbreak of Covid in the world market, especially in the US and EU causing demand to decline and more seriously, the disruption of the global trade logistics chain, the sharp increase in sea freight rates, making pangasius enterprises unable to reach markets as far as the Americas and Europe.
Report on Vietnam pangasius sector in 2017-2022, forecast to 2025
In 2021, the consumption market began to recover, but the continuous outbreak of Covid-19 in Vietnam, especially the peak in the third quarter disrupted the entire commercial seafood production chain. Pangasius suffered the most from the pandemic because it was located in the pandemic center and that time should be the time to speed up export production to serve the year end demand. Therefore, although pangasius exports have recovered by 8%, it only reached over 1.6 billion USD.
2022 is considered the "renaissance" period of Vietnam pangasius industry. Vietnam's pangasius exports have made a strong breakthrough with a record of 2.4 billion USD. After the peak of the epidemic, inventories remained high, production and processing recovered, and demand in all markets increased. Pangasius export prices increased by 20-55%, especially in the US market. The conflict between Russia and Ukraine has caused the supply of white fish in many markets to decrease, creating opportunities for pangasius to increase market share.
Inflation is reducing the demand for seafood in the world market, pangasius exports will also be partly affected. However, with the advantage of stable supply and affordable prices, pangasius exports will be more stable than other commodities and is expected to make a strong breakthrough as soon as the market stabilizes.
In 2023, white fish is forecasted to face a shortage in supply and a sharp increase in the price. As inflation penetrates the world economies, especially in G7 markets, consumers will continue to tighten spending on high-priced food items. Midde-price food items like pangasius will not be significantly affected. Therefore, Vietnamese pangasius still sees an optimistic opportunity in 2023.
In December 2022, VASEP released the Report on Vietnam pangasius sector 2017-2022 , forecast to 2025 to give businesses and readers a big picture of the development of the pangasius production and export during the past 6 years, including markets growth, the position of pangasius in the total consumption of white fish in the world as well as the main import markets, pangasius exporters to each market and leading importers. The report also provides forecasts for 2023 and to 2025 for the pangasius export sector, the context of each main consuming market.
Compile by Thuy Linh
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) In 2025, Vietnam’s tuna exports to Spain increased by 13% compared to 2024. This growth trend has continued into the first two months of 2026. According to Vietnam Customs statistics, export turnover to this market reached nearly USD 3 million in January–February 2026, up 101% year-on-year and significantly higher than the same period in 2024. This development indicates that Spain is once again becoming a notable destination for Vietnamese tuna amid strong demand for tuna raw materials and products in Europe.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) The 2026 brackish water shrimp farming season in the Mekong Delta has started earlier than usual, mainly driven by positive market signals, as shrimp prices in 2025 remained high and supply was limited. Many enterprises and farms in Cần Thơ, Cà Mau, and Vĩnh Long have proactively stocked early to seize opportunities. By early 2026, stocking areas in many localities had reached a high proportion of planned targets, with intensive and high-tech farming models expanding rapidly.
(vasep.com.vn) Vietnam’s tilapia exports to the United States recorded remarkable growth in 2025, opening up major opportunities while also presenting considerable challenges. The U.S. remains the largest importer of Vietnamese tilapia fillets, with export turnover reaching USD 40 million—an increase of up to 499% compared to 2024. This impressive growth reflects strong demand in the U.S. market, as supply from competing countries such as China has been constrained by tariffs and rising production costs.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) Pangasius remains a strategic export commodity in Vietnam’s seafood sector. Entering 2026, the industry faces a strong need to transition from volume-based growth to a value-driven development model, with a focus on quality, food safety, and sustainability.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) Following damage caused by Storm No. 13 in late 2025, brackish water shrimp farming in Gia Lai is being rapidly restored. In key farming areas such as Tuy Phước and Tuy Phước Đông, farmers are focusing on rehabilitating ponds, repairing infrastructure, and treating the environment in preparation for the 2026 crop.
(seafood.vasep.com) Facing the decline in fishery resources, Vietnam is accelerating livelihood transitions for fishermen to reduce fishing pressure and move toward sustainable development. Marine fish stocks have dropped significantly from 4.82 million tons in 2000–2005 to 3.95 million tons in 2016–2020.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) Vietnam’s shrimp industry is entering a period of strong transformation with the emergence of various high-tech farming models, helping improve productivity and competitiveness. Over the past 5–10 years, farming practices have shifted from traditional methods to intensive and super-intensive systems, featuring lined ponds, environmental sensors, automated feeding, and data management.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) With a focus on sustainable development, high-tech application, and climate change adaptation, An Giang Province aims to maintain its brackish water shrimp production in 2026 at a level equivalent to the previous year. Specifically, output is projected to reach over 155,510 tons, serving both domestic consumption and export processing, thereby sustaining the fisheries sector’s key role in the local economic structure.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) In the Mekong Delta, key pangasius farming provinces such as An Giang, Dong Thap, and Can Tho are accelerating the transition toward a circular economy model, contributing to higher product value and reduced environmental impact. Instead of focusing solely on farming and processing, the pangasius value chain is increasingly utilizing by-products and waste streams to generate added value.
(vasep.com.vn) Vietnam’s scallop exports are entering a phase of impressive growth, as the global market undergoes significant restructuring. In 2025, scallop export value reached nearly USD 66 million, up 49% from USD 44 million in 2024. This upward momentum has continued and accelerated into early 2026, with exports totaling USD 18.1 million in the first two months alone—an increase of 166% year-on-year. This represents an exceptionally high growth rate, reflecting the rapid expansion of a relatively new product segment within Vietnam’s mollusk export portfolio.
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