Despite a slump in demand from
However, not every seafood producer can confidently sign big contracts like Bianfishco. Avoiding big contracts and receiving smaller ones has become a reality in the country’s seafood industry as exporters worry they will not be able to fulfill the contract due to capital shortage.
Duong Ngoc Minh, chairman of Freshwater Fish Committee under the Vietnam Association of Seafood Exporters and Producers, shared that a shortage of capital and unstable input material are currently tricky problems for most enterprises in the seafood sector.
Receiving smaller export contracts is a solution to avert losses. According to a company in Can Tho City, in order to compete with rivals from
It is expected that the cost for producing seafood will escalate by about 30 per cent. The association had asked the government for capital at favorable interest rates to help seafood producers, but until now it remains a matter of controversy.
Of late, the association has proposed extending credit limits for 20 leading pangasius exporters. These companies currently account for more than 60 per cent of total seafood export turnover of Vietnam and most of them own breeding farms so they are able to ensure material source as well.
Owning breeding farms seems to be the right solution for seafood exporters, however, most firms found it difficult to maintain operations at their breeding farms, mainly because of a financial crunch.
Besides lacking capital, firms also worry about the instability of material source because the country has not developed seafood source sustainably.
Shortage of material had been a persistent issue of the seafood industry for several years, but in the past three years, it has become more serious as more seafood breeders stopped farming due to losses.
In 2012, firms failed to achieve export targets for shrimps because of a deficiency of material as shrimps died enmasse from unknown reasons. If this situation prolongs, it will cause a bad effect to seafood exports this year.
Hence, authorities should start a project for material source as soon as possible to help seafood producers and exporters. Because there is no such project, seafood breeders and exporters have been managing for themselves. So it is not a surprise if they drop their business when they can handle it no longer. Up to now, about 30 per cent of seafood companies have announced bankruptcy and nearly 50 per cent of them in great despair, while the numbers of breeders who quit raising seafood were plenty.
There was an opinion that at first small breeders should associate with each other and comply with regulations on seafood breeding to prevent diseases as well as use of banned medicines to breed seafood.
In particular, the government should help breeders’ access loans at favorable interest rates. According to the Directorate of Fisheries, the industry will need VND301 billion for further development.
This year and following years, the government should take action to decrease the number of bankrupt companies, raise profits for businesses, and help the country’s seafood industry to maintain its position as the fourth largest seafood exporter in the world.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) The year 2025 marked a pivotal milestone for Vietnam’s seafood industry in its restructuring process toward sustainability, transparency, and higher value creation, amid continued uncertainties in the global economic and trade environment. Prolonged inflation in major economies, the rising trend of trade protectionism, and increasingly stringent requirements related to environmental standards, traceability, and social responsibility have posed significant challenges to seafood production and exports. Nevertheless, overcoming these pressures, Vietnam’s seafood sector has gradually demonstrated its adaptability, maintained growth momentum, and laid an important foundation for the next stage of development.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) Amid the increasingly evident impacts of drought and saltwater intrusion, the shrimp-rice production model in Ca Mau province continues to prove itself as a viable direction, contributing to higher farmer incomes, improved soil conditions and the promotion of ecological and sustainable agricultural development.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) The management of fishing vessels, monitoring of fishing activities, and handling of violations in the fisheries sector in Lam Dong province have continued to be implemented in a synchronized and stringent manner, contributing to raising awareness of legal compliance among fishermen and aiming to end illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) Can Tho’s fishery industry sustained steady growth in 2025 with total aquatic and marine output reaching nearly 783,000 tons, fulfilling 100% of the annual target. Aquaculture, capture fisheries and fishing fleet management were further strengthened, aiming for sustainable development in the coming years.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) In 2025, Vietnam’s pangasius export turnover reached nearly USD 2.2 billion, up 8% year-on-year. This result indicates that pangasius exports maintained their growth momentum despite significant volatility in the global market environment. In December 2025, pangasius export value reached USD 200 million, up 10% compared to December 2024. This solid performance in the final month of the year reflects increased import demand for consumption and inventory replenishment in key markets.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) In 2025, Vietnam’s tuna exports to Spain experienced significant fluctuations. According to Vietnam Customs, during the first 11 months of 2025, export turnover for the first 11 months of the year edged up by 0.3% year-on-year, reaching nearly $15 million.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) Deputy Prime Minister Bui Thanh Son has signed Decision No. 16/QD-TTg, dated January 5, 2026, approving the implementation plan for the Vietnam-Israel Free Trade Agreement (VIFTA). Under the plan, in the coming period, ministries, ministerial-level agencies, government-affiliated entities and People’s Committees of provinces and centrally-run cities must institutionalize and execute tasks focused on the dissemination of information regarding VIFTA and the Israeli market; legislative and institutional development, as well as enhancing competitiveness and human resource growth...
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) Beyond achieving double-digit growth, Vietnam’s fish cake and surimi exports are showing a notable year-end "inflection point": the EU his accelerating with nearly twofold growth, China & Hong Kong are rising sharply, while the largest market, South Korea, signaled a slowdown in November. According to Vietnam Customs data, export turnover of fish cake and surimi reached $327 million in the first 11 months of 2025, up 22% year-on-year; November 2025 alone accounted for $35 million, marking a 5% increase. This serves as a critical foundation for exporters to reassess market structures and competitive intensity while finalizing order strategies for 2026.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) Ca Mau, widely regarded as the nation’s “shrimp capital”, continued its strong performance in 2025 as shrimp output reached nearly 600,000 tons, maintaining its position as Vietnam’s leading shrimp-producing locality.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) On December 29, 2025, at the 2025 Pangasius Industry Review Conference held in Can Tho City, the Vietnam Pangasius Association announced that fingerling prices have surged to record levels due to acute supply shortages.
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