January has brought in a promising start for 2025, with a slight increase of 3% in seafood exports compared to the same time last year. The total export value hit over $774 million, setting a positive tone for the year ahead.
Key highlights from exports in January
The main driver of this increase? Higher demand from China during the Lunar New Year celebrations. The Chinese market, in particular, has shown a surge in imports of high-end seafood products like lobster, crab, and clams. Notably, lobster exports to China reached a staggering $70 million in January, nearly half of Vietnam's seafood exports to China for the period, marking a ninefold increase from last year. Similarly, exports of crab to China skyrocketed 18 times, hitting $18.5 million in the same month.
Thanks to the boost in lobster exports, Vietnam’s total shrimp exports have surged by 24%, providing an important boost not only for China but also for other ASEAN markets. These markets remain crucial for Vietnam’s seafood industry, and such growth is vital in maintaining the sector’s positive trajectory.
Declining exports and global market uncertainty
While some products like pangasius, tuna, cephalopod, and other items have seen a decline in exports, this is relatively typical for this time of year. Experts are watching closely as global seafood trade is largely influenced by shifting policies, particularly U.S. tariff regulations. With the new administration in place, it’s still early to determine how these tariffs will impact the seafood industry, both for Vietnam and other global players.
Experts estimate that it will take 3 to 6 months to get a clearer view of how the U.S. market will evolve in response to these policies. During this time, we can expect both exporters and U.S. importers to ramp up trade activity. This could lead to an uptick in exports to the U.S. in the coming months. However, there are challenges ahead—rising transportation and logistics costs could be a concern, especially for popular items like shrimp and pangasius.
The competition and emerging trends
While Vietnam’s position in the Chinese seafood market remains strong, competition is heating up. With local Chinese products and competitors from countries like India, Ecuador, and Canada vying for space in markets like the U.S., Europe, and ASEAN, it’s going to be tough. Additionally, with new import tariffs from the U.S. affecting China and Canada, the dynamics are shifting, and it’s unclear how the global seafood market will adapt.
In the face of this competition, Vietnamese businesses need to stay flexible and responsive to changes in the market. Here are a few recommendations:
Recommendations for Vietnamese seafood businesses
(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).
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
Giấy phép hoạt động Trang thông tin điện tử tổng hợp số 138/GP-TTĐT, ngày 01/10/2013 của Bộ Thông tin và Truyền thông
Tel: (+84 24) 3.7715055 – (ext.203); email: kimthu@vasep.com.vn
Trụ sở: Số 7 đường Nguyễn Quý Cảnh, Phường An Phú, Quận 2, Tp.Hồ Chí Minh
Tel: (+84) 28.628.10430 - Fax: (+84) 28.628.10437 - Email: vasephcm@vasep.com.vn
VPĐD: số 10, Nguyễn Công Hoan, Ngọc Khánh, Ba Đình, Hà Nội
Tel: (+84 24) 3.7715055 - Fax: (+84 24) 37715084 - Email: vasephn@vasep.com.vn