Great potential, ample room for growth
Speaking at the forum, Mr. Nhu Van Can, Deputy Director of the Directorate of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources Surveillance, highlighted Vietnam’s advantages in developing tilapia thanks to its extensive river systems, reservoirs and vast freshwater-brackish water aquaculture areas. The country currently boasts over 400,000 hectares of freshwater aquaculture land and more than 7,000 reservoirs and hydroelectric lakes, sufficient for establishing large-scale commercial production zones.
According to Mr. Can, tilapia offers strengths in adaptability, reasonable farming costs and high nutritional value, suiting various consumer segments. In the first eight months of 2025, tilapia exports reached $63.3 million, far exceeding the full-year 2024 target of $23 million. “This is a positive signal but the industry must invest systematically in breeds, technology, processing and branding,” he emphasized.
In Hai Phong, efforts to digitize farming zones and assign traceability codes are underway, targeting export standards. Ms. Pham Thi Dao, Deputy Director of the Hai Phong Department of Agriculture and Environment, stated that the locality is positioning tilapia as a key product in its green economy strategy. High-tech farming models such as Biofloc and HDPE cage farming have boosted productivity by 25-30% compared to traditional ponds, while reducing water pollution.
Sustainable development toward a value chain
Vietnam currently has over 40,000 hectares of specialized tilapia farming and 300,000 hectares of polyculture with annual output around 316,000 tons. The infrastructure is maturing, including 300 hatcheries, 80 feed mills and 510 export-standard processing facilities. Major enterprises such as Nam Viet, Viet Nhat, Xuyen Viet and De Heus are integrating production-processing chains, expanding Vietnam’s tilapia market share globally.
However, the sector still faces high production costs, small-scale operations, inconsistent breed quality and weak value-chain linkages. Exports remain concentrated in the U.S and Europe, leaving the industry vulnerable to market fluctuations.
The Directorate of Fisheries identifies tilapia development not merely as a matter of increasing output but for a sustainable value chain linking farmers, enterprises and scientists. By 2030, the target is 400,000 tons of production and $100 million in export value, establishing a national brand “Vietnamese tilapia”.
Key strategies include: planning concentrated farming zones with synchronized infrastructure, developing new-generation breeds (G4), applying Biofloc and RAS technologies, investing in deep processing, diversifying markets and promoting VietGAP, ASC certifications and traceability.
Green pathways and new opportunities
At the forum, the Institute of Aquaculture Research No.1 introduced G4 tilapia breeds with 10% faster growth and 26% higher fillet rates than imported varieties. De Heus Group presented nutritional solutions to cut production costs, while the U.S Soybean Export Council (USSEC) recommended developing tilapia via green, transparent, sustainable supply chains.
Experts view tilapia as the “new spearhead spieces” following the success of pangasius and shrimp, diversifying exports, stabilizing rural livelihoods and advancing the green economy.
Mr. Nhu Van Can affirmed: “If we succeed in improving breeding, technology, production organization and markets, Vietnam can absolutely transform tilapia into a new flagship product, positively contributing to sustainable fisheries development.”
The forum is expected to spark a turning point, helping Vietnam’s fisheries shape a modern, efficient, eco-friendly tilapia industry, positioning it as a strategic export product in the coming years.
(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.
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(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).
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) The United States remains one of the largest export markets for Vietnamese pangasius. In the first four months of 2026, pangasius exports to the US reached USD 106 million, up 4% compared to the same period in 2025. In April 2026 alone, export value totaled USD 38 million, marking a 20% year-on-year increase and the first positive growth recorded after an extended period of decline.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) While Vietnam’s shrimp exports to many major markets continued to post positive growth in the first months of 2026, exports to the United States declined, highlighting growing competitive pressures and trade barriers facing the Vietnamese shrimp industry.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) Egypt is emerging as one of the most promising destinations for Vietnamese tuna exports in 2026. During the first four months of the year, export turnover to this market exceeded USD 7.3 million, marking a sharp increase compared to the same period over the previous two years. As Egypt’s tuna imports continue to recover and demand for canned tuna remains strong, the market is becoming increasingly attractive for Vietnamese tuna processors and exporters.
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