Exports continue to decline sharply
From the beginning of the year to September 2025, Vietnam’s tuna export value to Israel recorded sharp decreases ranging from 29% to 69%. In 2024, Israel was Vietnam’s second-largest single tuna import market and the biggest importer among Middle Eastern markets. However, in 2025, exports to this market have dropped significantly.
Israel shifts its import structure
Israel is diversifying its tuna import sources, increasing purchases from Thailand, Ecuador, and the Philippines—countries that have advantages in terms of price and more stable supply amid rising global transportation costs.
Tuna consumption demand in Israel remains stable, especially for canned products, but buyers are becoming more cautious about price and delivery times. Geopolitical tensions in the region and fluctuations in logistics have led importers to prioritize partners with shorter and more stable supply chains.
Exports to Israel face multiple challenges
One of the main reasons for the sharp decline in Vietnam’s tuna exports to Israel in 2025 is logistics disruptions and rising transportation costs, which reduce the competitiveness of long-distance shipments.
Second, Vietnam’s tuna products face strong price competition from Asia-Pacific countries with large processing capacity such as Thailand and the Philippines.
Third, stricter and in some cases unreasonable requirements for traceability and compliance with regulations on illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing are forcing Vietnamese exporters to invest additional time and compliance costs. Instability in raw material supply and delivery times has also led some Israeli importers to temporarily reduce orders or shift to other suppliers.
Vietnam once surpassed Thailand to become Israel’s largest tuna supplier, showing that recovery opportunities remain if competitiveness is improved. To regain market share, Vietnamese exporters need to optimize logistics costs, enhance deep-processing capacity, ensure traceability, and strengthen long-term relationships with importers. The nearly 50% decline in tuna exports to Israel is a clear warning about the risks of dependence on traditional markets, requiring exporters to proactively diversify markets and adapt to new import trends, where sustainability, transparency, and cost efficiency are increasingly prioritized.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) Every day, the seafood processing industry in Ca Mau generates large quantities of shrimp heads and shells during processing operations. In the past, these by-products were largely treated as waste, increasing production costs and posing potential environmental risks. However, thanks to advanced processing technologies, materials once considered waste are now being transformed into high-value products, creating a circular economy model within the seafood industry.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) Vietnam Clean Seafood Corporation has invested in a 280-hectare super-intensive shrimp farming zone in Tran De Commune, Can Tho City, generating export value of approximately VND 3 billion per hectare per year—around 50 times higher than traditional agricultural production.
(vasep.com.vn) Vietnam’s seafood exports reached USD 1.02 billion in May 2026, up 0.6% year-on-year. Cumulative exports in the first five months of 2026 totaled USD 4.67 billion, an increase of 11% compared to the same period in 2025.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) In a rapidly changing global seafood market, timely insights and reliable data are more critical than ever. The Report on Vietnam Seafood Exports in Q1/2026 provides a comprehensive overview of the latest developments in Vietnam’s seafood production, trade performance, and export trends, helping businesses navigate uncertainty and identify new growth opportunities.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) While many major markets continue to experience slow growth, Russia has emerged as a brighter destination for Vietnamese tuna exports in early 2026. Export turnover to this market increased by nearly 55% in the first four months of the year, indicating a clear improvement in demand. Nevertheless, Russia remains a market that should be viewed with both optimism and caution.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) Vietnam’s pangasius exports have shown encouraging signs of recovery in 2026. In the first four months of the year, total export turnover reached USD 720 million, up 17% compared to the same period last year. This result reflects improving demand across many markets, as well as the efforts of Vietnamese pangasius enterprises to maintain production, secure orders, and adapt to changing market conditions.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) In the first four months of 2026, Vietnam’s tilapia exports reached USD 49 million, up 151% compared to the same period in 2025. This impressive growth reflects positive momentum in the tilapia sector, with Brazil emerging as a key driver of growth, while frozen tilapia fillets continued to be the industry's leading export product.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) Vietnam’s tuna exports to the UK have shown positive signs in the first months of 2026. While the UK’s overall tuna imports from the world declined, imports from Vietnam increased strongly, indicating that there is still room for Vietnam to expand its market share. However, behind this growth, competitive pressure remains intense, especially as the UK continues to be a major market for established suppliers such as Ecuador, Mauritius, and Ghana.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) Biofloc technology is being piloted in several rice–shrimp farming models in Ca Mau Province, showing initial positive results in controlling pond environments, improving shrimp seed quality, and supporting sustainable aquaculture development.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) In the first four months of 2026, Mexico, Brazil, and Colombia together contributed USD 108 million to Vietnam’s pangasius exports, accounting for around 15% of the industry’s total export turnover. Amid tightening global whitefish supply and slowing demand in several traditional markets, Latin America is increasingly becoming an important expansion destination for the sector.
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