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) Speaking at the Opening Ceremony of VIETFISH 2026 on August 19 at the Saigon Exhibition and Convention Center (SECC), U.S. Consul General Melissa Brown highlighted the important role of the exhibition in connecting Vietnam’s growing seafood industry with buyers, suppliers, and partners from the United States and around the world.
(vasep.com.vn) Tomorrow, August 19, 2026, the Vietnam International Seafood Exhibition – Vietfish 2026 will officially open at the Saigon Exhibition and Convention Center (SECC) in Ho Chi Minh City. Taking place over three days, from August 19–21, Vietfish 2026 promises to provide a dynamic platform for business networking, trend updates, product experiences and comprehensive cooperation across the domestic and international seafood community.
(vasep.com.vn) The global tilapia market continues to grow, creating significant opportunities for countries with strengths in aquaculture, processing, and exports. Against this backdrop, Vietnam’s tilapia industry is gradually developing toward higher quality, greater product diversification, and broader market reach. At Vietfish 2026, the Vietnam Association of Seafood Exporters and Producers (VASEP), together with the VASEP Tilapia Producers and Exporters Club, will host a joint booth to promote the image and potential of Vietnamese tilapia to domestic and international buyers.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) Vietnam’s seafood exports are heading towards $12 billion this year, potentially the highest level on record. Yet one of the country’s export strengths is facing a growing list of challenges.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) The first six months of 2026 indicate that Vietnam’s tilapia industry is entering a new phase of development, with strong export growth but also greater demands for production scale, quality and international competitiveness.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) Vietfish 2026, the Vietnam International Seafood Exhibition, will officially take place from 19–21 August 2026 in Ho Chi Minh City. As Vietnam’s largest annual seafood trade event, organized by the Vietnam Association of Seafood Exporters and Producers (VASEP), Vietfish 2026 will once again bring together leading seafood companies, industry experts, and international partners from across the global seafood value chain.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) Vietnam’s seafood exports reached USD 1.1 billion in July 2026, up 4.8% compared to the same period in 2025. Cumulative exports in the first seven months of the year totaled nearly USD 6.86 billion, an increase of 11.5% year-on-year. Exceeding the USD 1 billion mark in July further reinforces the prospect that Vietnam’s seafood exports could surpass USD 12 billion in 2026. However, the July figures also send a clear signal that the most favorable growth period may have passed: overall export growth slowed to just 4.8%, pangasius exports fell 6.1%, tuna exports were virtually flat, while exports to the EU, South Korea, and the Middle East all recorded double-digit declines.
(vasep.com.vn) As part of the Vietnam Fisheries International Exhibition (Vietfish 2026), the seminar "Global Seafood Market and the Future Workforce: Trends, Opportunities, and Sustainable Development Pathways for Vietnam's Seafood Industry" will take place from 2:00 p.m. to 4:15 p.m. on August 19, 2026, at Convention Room B, Level 2, SECC, Ho Chi Minh City. This is the first of five specialized seminars at Vietfish 2026, focusing on key issues that are shaping the long-term development of Vietnam's seafood industry.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) Vietnamese seafood exports recorded impressive growth, generating nearly 6 billion USD in revenue during the first six months of the year, up 13% compared with the same period last year.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) Fishermen in Ha Tinh are gradually overcoming difficulties to maintain the efficiency of seafood exploitation. In the first six months of 2026, the entire province achieved a production of more than 23,000 tons of seafood, worth more than 1,200 billion VND.
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