Mr. Tran Dinh Luan noted that while the 2026 growth targets are set against a backdrop of significant headwinds, the sector’s overarching approach is to identify risks early in order to formulate appropriate and proactive implementation plans.
To ensure a steady supply of raw materials for export, the Directorate of Fisheries and Fisheries Surveillance will collaborate with local authorities to organize solution-oriented conferences from the beginning of the farming season, focusing on key cultured species as well as new, high-potential species to maintain the industry’s growth momentum.
In parallel, the sector will strengthen environmental monitoring and early warning systems, tighten disease control, expand high-tech and recirculating aquaculture systems, reduce emissions and promote more efficient use of water resources. At the same time, food safety controls will be reinforced across the entire value chain, ensuring compliance with requirements for both domestic consumption and export markets.
The sector will continue to more concretely and forcefully shift from a production-oriented mindset to an economic approach to fisheries, moving away from single-value growth toward multi-value integrated growth. Particular emphasis will be placed on gradually embedding new market requirements, including circular economy, animal welfare, emissions reduction and socio-environmental responsibility - into aquaculture practices.
From an export perspective, Nguyen Hoai Nam, Secretary General of the Vietnam Association of Seafood Exporters and Producers, noted that international markets increasingly require legal compliance for wild-caught products and mandatory farming area codes for aquaculture. However, the issuance of farm codes remains affected by regional planning complexities and administrative decentralization.
Accordingly, VASEP has recommended that the Directorate of Fisheries and Fisheries Surveillance continue to accompany and support enterprises by removing bottlenecks, accelerating implementation and promoting digitalization of certification and verification processes for caught seafood to enhance traceability and simplify export procedures.
The Department of Fisheries and Fisheries Surveillance reported that total aquatic production in 2025 reached 9.95 million tons, up 3% year-on-year. Of this, capture fisheries amounted to 3.83 million tonnes, slightly receding to 99.8% of the previous year's level, while aquaculture reached 6.1 million tons, up 5.1%. Seafood export turnover is estimated at over $11 billion, representing a significant 12.7% jump from 2024.
Entering 2026, Vietnam’s seafood industry is facing a period of both high expectations and mounting pressures. Following the positive recovery in 2025, production and export activities in Q1/2026 demonstrated the strong adaptability of Vietnam’s seafood business community amid continued global trade volatility, intensifying international competition, and increasingly stringent compliance requirements in import markets.
(vasep.com.vn) In the first quarter of 2026, Vietnam’s shrimp exports reached USD 1.069 billion, up 17.5% compared to the same period in 2025. This is a positive result amid an uneven global shrimp market recovery, intensifying competition among major suppliers, and continued volatility in the international trade environment. However, this growth does not reflect a broad-based recovery across the entire sector, but rather is driven mainly by strong performance in a few markets and specific product segments—most notably lobster exports to China.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) Vietnam’s tuna exports continued to decline in March 2026. Cumulatively, in the first three months of the year, export value reached USD 208 million, down 4% compared to the same period in 2025. The export landscape shows clear divergence across markets: while the U.S. and EU remain challenging, markets such as Russia, the Middle East, Egypt, the Philippines, and Mexico have emerged as growth bright spots.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) In Quang Ngai Province, shrimp farming costs are rising sharply due to लगातार increases in feed, fuel, and input material prices, while farm-gate shrimp prices are declining. This has significantly reduced farmers’ profit margins and increased production risks.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) Vietnam’s tilapia exports are experiencing impressive growth, reflecting expanding global demand as well as the sector’s development potential. However, behind the strong growth figures lie limitations in production capacity and supply chains, highlighting the need for sustainable development in the coming period.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) Vietnam’s pangasius exports to the Middle East in 2025 and early 2026 have shown notable growth. However, escalating geopolitical tensions in the region have increasingly impacted export activities since March. This situation presents a challenge of balancing market expansion opportunities with rising trade risks.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) The Quang Tri Department of Agriculture and Environment has instructed localities to base their stocking schedules on actual conditions in each farming area, while developing plans, allocating resources, and implementing synchronized measures for disease prevention and disaster risk management in aquaculture production.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) In the first two months of 2026, Vietnam’s exports of fish cakes and surimi exceeded USD 45 million, up 7% compared to the same period in 2025, indicating a positive outlook for this product segment amid recovering demand in many markets.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) During the week from April 4th to 10th, 2026, Quang Ngai province intensified its monitoring and law enforcement activities with the determination to eliminate illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing practices.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) Thanh Hoa’s shrimp sector is undergoing a strong transformation by accelerating the adoption of high technology, helping to improve productivity, increase profits, and meet market demands. The province currently has about 4,100 hectares of shrimp farming, with output continuing to rise despite stable farming area, mainly due to the shift from traditional methods to intensive and super-intensive farming.
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
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