Vietnam’s vice minister of agriculture, Vu Van Tam, delivered the ministry’s diplomatic note to Saudi Arabia’s ambassador to Vietnam, Dakhil Al Johani, in a meeting in Hanoi on 7 February
Tam said Vietnam was surprised about the temporary suspension, which he said contains aspects that violate international trading laws.
Saudi Food and Drug Authority (SFDA) on 30 January temporarily suspended imports of fish, crustaceans, and other products of aquatic animal origin from Vietnam due to the presence of two diseases in the Southeast Asian nation.
The ban, effective 23 January, was based on the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE)’s "Quarterly Aquatic Animal Disease Report (Asia-Pacific Region) April - June 2017," which shows that white spot disease and acute hepatopancreatic necrosis disease are present in Vietnam, SFDA said in its notification of emergency measures.
Prior to the issuance of the ban, SFDA dispatched a technical team to Vietnam to observe control measures applied by the Vietnamese government for export facilities of fish, crustaceans, and other products of aquatic animal origin, and following its inspection, the team recommended the ban, according to the note.
Nguyen Nhu Tiep, director of the Vietnamese Agriculture Ministry’s National Agro-Forestry-Fisheries Quality Assurance Department, said Saudi Arabia’s decision was “not reasonable.” SFDA has not sent Vietnam any feedback after its inspection, he said. In addition, white-spot disease is present in shrimp in Saudi Arabia, too, according to Vietnam’s Department of Animal Health. Thus, under regulations of the OIE, Saudi Arabia must prove the safety level of the disease in its country before imposing a ban on imports of shrimp from other countries, Tiep said.
Furthermore, Saudi Arabia’s ban on cooked shrimp products from Vietnam goes against OIE’s rules and international practices, Tiep said, given that the cooking process destroys any disease risk.
Tiep added his opposition to the fact that while Saudi Arabia’s inspection team had only carried out inspections at a few Vietnamese pangasius companies, the SFDA had instituted an import ban on all seafood products from Vietnam. He noted that Saudi Arabia was the only country to have instituted such a ban out of the 160-plus countries and territories to which Vietnam ships seafood, including many with stringent requirements for biosecurity, disease safety, and food security.
The Saudi Arabian ambassador said he shared Vietnam’s concerns over the ban and that he would hand over the diplomatic note to SFDA and work with relevant agencies to make sure the issue does not affect the two countries’ overall trading ties.
Saudi Arabia has also suspended imports of aquaculture products from Bangladesh and Myanmar and farmed fish from India.
(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.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.
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