This strong performance continues the upward trajectory seen in 2024, when exports of shelled mollusks totaled USD 218 million, up 72% year-on-year. These figures reflect not only the growing global demand but also the improving production capacity and export competitiveness of Vietnam’s mollusk industry.
Clams remained the leading export product within the shelled mollusk category, earning more than USD 14 million—up 41% compared to USD 10 million in the same period of 2024. Vietnamese clams have demonstrated strong competitiveness in international markets.
Among other mollusk products, snails and scallops achieved remarkable growth. Snail exports surged by 673%, rising from USD 2 million in the first two months of 2024 to USD 14 million during the same period in 2025. Scallop exports also increased sharply by 479%, from USD 2 million to USD 10 million.
Mussels and basket clams also showed promising growth, with exports increasing by 128% and 65%, respectively. In contrast, oyster exports declined by 43%, from USD 3 million to USD 2 million. Abalone exports dropped dramatically to just USD 623, down 99% compared to the same period last year (USD 96,579).
Diverse product portfolio and expanding market reach
Vietnam’s mollusk exports comprise a wide range of value-added products that are well received by international markets, including IQF boiled clam meat, half-shell boiled clams, whole clams, frozen scallop adductor muscles, frozen ark clam meat, and canned clam meat.
Vietnamese shelled mollusks are exported to traditional markets such as China, the European Union, Japan, the United States, and South Korea. In recent years, Vietnamese enterprises have also been expanding into new territories including Eastern and Northern Europe, the Middle East, Africa, North and South America, and other parts of Asia.
With the strong growth achieved in 2024 and the early months of 2025, Vietnam’s shelled mollusk exports show significant potential for breakthrough development throughout the remainder of the year.
However, the industry is currently facing several challenges. These include declining seed quality, overstocking beyond the planned farming zones, and environmental degradation in farming areas—all of which undermine the reliability of raw material supply.
To ensure sustainable development of the mollusk sector, supportive policy mechanisms in investment and credit access are urgently needed for organizations and individuals engaged in mollusk production, processing, and trade. Ensuring price stability and profitability for farmers, alongside the establishment and expansion of specialized, high-quality mollusk farming zones, is critical for long-term sectoral resilience and growth.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) On July 9, 2026, the Embassy of Vietnam in Brazil organized the seminar titled “Sharing Information on Vietnam-Brazil Economic, Trade and Investment Relations in the First Half of 2026” to provide updates on bilateral cooperation and strengthen connections among government agencies, industry associations, and business communities of the two countries.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) Seafood exports in the first 6 months of the year continued to be a bright spot with a total turnover of 5.7 billion USD, an increase of 11.4% compared to the same period last year. By commodity group, seafood is one of the three groups with a trade balance in the first 6 months of 2026 in a surplus state with 4.13 billion USD, an increase of 17%.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) For many years, Vietnam’s seafood industry has been recognized as one of the country’s key export pillars. Products such as shrimp, pangasius, tuna, squid, octopus, and a wide range of other seafood have reached hundreds of markets worldwide. Yet behind these impressive export figures lies a significant challenge: a substantial share of Vietnam’s seafood export value still comes from minimally processed products, contract manufacturing, and raw material exports—segments characterized by low profit margins and high vulnerability to fluctuations in global prices.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) In the context of a global economy shifting powerfully toward green and sustainable values, Vietfish 2026 is far more than just a commercial trade fair. It has become a strategic rendezvous and a "comprehensive ecosystem"—a convergence of value, knowledge, and sustainable growth opportunities for the entire industry chain.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) Vietnam’s pangasius exports to Colombia continued their strong upward momentum in May 2026. Export value to the market reached USD 4 million, up 24% compared to the same month in 2025. Cumulative exports in the first five months of 2026 totaled USD 24 million, an impressive 48% increase year-on-year.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) Hai Phong's aquaculture sector is accelerating the adoption of high technologies in aquaculture to adapt to climate change, with red tilapia and tilapia identified as the key cultured species for priority development.
(vasep.com.vn) Vietnam’s seafood exports reached nearly US$1.1 billion in June 2026, up 21.0% year-on-year. Cumulative exports in the first half of 2026 totaled nearly US$5.8 billion, representing a 12.8% increase compared with the same period last year. Exports to China and Hong Kong continued to accelerate, while shipments to the United States rebounded strongly in June. In contrast, exports to the EU, Japan, and the Middle East remained sluggish or recorded slight declines.
(vasep.com.vn) Tilapia is playing an increasingly important role in Vietnam’s aquaculture sector, driven not only by growing market opportunities but also by its ability to meet increasingly stringent requirements on quality, food safety, and traceability. In practice, tilapia farming in Vietnam is not a spontaneous or loosely regulated activity; rather, it operates under a comprehensive legal and technical framework covering the entire value chain—from hatcheries and farming to processing and exports.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) Vietnam’s shrimp exports reached USD 1.9 billion in the first five months of 2026, up 12% compared with the same period last year. Amid continued volatility in the global seafood market, this result demonstrates that the shrimp sector has maintained positive growth momentum, supported by improving demand in several Asian markets, particularly China.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) On June 16, the Department of Agriculture and Environment of Ca Mau Province announced that the locality has established a farming area code for nearly 30,400 hectares of mud crab aquaculture and granted export facility codes to five enterprises eligible to export mud crab officially to markets such as China, Cambodia, Singapore, and the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
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