Vietnam pangasius fillets marinated with pepper and spices
Export is still need improvement
Before that, at the end of 2020, the Vietnam Association of Seafood Exporters and Producers (VASEP) forecasts that the growth of the pangasius industry this year will be 5% with the export value at 1.6 billion USD. To achieve this goal, there are 4 issues that the pangasius industry needs to solve, including efforts to remove difficulties with the Chinese market, anti-dumping tax in the US market, increasing production of value added products and developing the domestic market to reduce dependence on exports.
According to pangasius production, processing and trading enterprises, in 2020, the Covid-19 epidemic severely affected exports, raw pangasius’ price in the Mekong Delta dropped from 26,500 VND/kg in March 2019 to 18,500 - 18,800 VND/kg in June 2020, by the end of 2020 it gradually inched up to 21,000 - 21,500 VND/kg and has been stablizing until now.
Mr. Truong Tien Dung, General Director of Saigon Aquatic Products Trading Joint Stock Company (APT), said "In 2020, exports declined dramatically, especially at the end of the year, export to China was congested. This year, exports to China have resumed normal, orders from the US and European markets have also increased".
According to Mr. Nguyen Van Kich, Chairman and General Director of Cafatex Corporation (Hau Giang), the situation of the pangasius industry this year is very unpredictable due to uncertain factors. Firstly, the Covid-19 epidemic in import markets remains complicated, and exports depend on pandemic control. Secondly, China, the leading market for pangasius imports, is not stable in terms of demand, and recently there is the problem in controlling Covid-19 epidemic for imported frozen goods.
Strive to conquer domestic customers
There was a large amount of export output that brought in billions of dollars in recent years, but in the domestic market, consumption of pangasius is still modest. In recent years, in order to pave the way for pangasius to return to the "home yard", businesses have organized many programs and activities to introduce processed pangasius products to consumers, typically pangasius buffet program. Along with that, businesses are diligent in researching and developing many preliminary processed and refined products from this nutritious and healthy fish.
"Products from pangasius are quite diversified, in addition to fillets, sliced, cleaned whole fish, fish can also be dried and refined ... serving both domestic and export markets. Dried pangasius products and dried basa fish have been positively received by the domestic market, especially during the flood and storm months in the Central region and after Lunar New Year "- APT General Director stated and added that dried basa fish and some products as well as the company's dried freshwater fish are produced under a closed process in a modern factory and exported to Europe, being vacuum preserved and branded as the company, so they are consumed well.
Mr. Pham Duc Cuong, co-founder of Uni-Sea Co., Ltd. (Hanoi) - specializing in basa fillets marinated with pepper sauce, said that after 10 years of researching on how to deodorize fish, he decided to choose basa fish for commercialization. "Basa fish has an export background, so the quality management process is very good, meeting the requirements of the most demanding markets in the world but the price is moderate, so there is a large ability to increase the value.”
(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.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) – On March 19, at the Government Headquarters, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh held a meeting with the European Commission (EC) inspection delegation on combating illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing, led by Mr. Fernando Andresen Guimaraes, Head of Unit at the Directorate-General for Maritime Affairs and Fisheries (DG MARE).
(vasep.com.vn) Australia is emerging as one of the most stable and promising growth markets for Vietnamese shrimp. Amid global trade disruptions driven by geopolitical tensions—particularly conflicts in the Middle East—strengthening and expanding into stable markets like Australia has become increasingly important for Vietnam’s shrimp industry.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) In the first two months of 2026, Vietnam’s squid and octopus exports reached over USD 111 million, up 23% compared to the same period in 2025. This result indicates a positive start for the sector, reflecting early signs of demand recovery in multiple markets from the beginning of the year.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) In the first two months of 2026, Vietnam’s fisheries sector maintained positive growth momentum, with shrimp output exceeding 132 thousand tons. This result contributed to a strong increase in seafood export turnover, despite ongoing volatility in the global economy.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) Vietnam’s tilapia exports maintained strong growth momentum in February 2026, with many markets recording sharp increases compared to the same period last year. In February alone, export value reached USD 8.4 million, up 148% year-on-year. Cumulatively, in the first two months of 2026, total tilapia export turnover hit USD 23 million, soaring 242% compared to the same period in 2025.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) In global seafood trade, sensory evaluation is increasingly becoming one of the key “technical barriers” in many importing markets-especially the United States. Issues such as filth, and signs of decomposition/spoilage are often detected through sensory evaluation methods and remain common reasons for seafood import alerts, detentions, or shipment rejections.
Shrimp has been the most important export product of Vietnam’s seafood industry for many years, typically accounting for 35–45% of the country’s total seafood export value. With a well-developed farming, processing, and export system, Vietnam has become one of the world’s leading shrimp exporters.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) As geopolitical tensions in the Middle East continue to escalate, the global food market is facing increasing volatility in logistics costs, energy prices, and supply chains. In the seafood sector, alongside ocean-caught products such as tuna, the surimi-based product group—including fish cakes, crab sticks, fish balls, and other imitation seafood products—has also been affected to some extent by these developments.
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
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