Export orders surged in Q3
Monthly tuna exports to Spain throughout the first 11 months of 2025 did not follow a steady upward trend, but instead spiked sharply at certain points - notably surging by 84% in September and an unprecedented 534% in November. In contrast, export values in several other months fell sharply.
This growth was underpinned by the robust performance of processed tuna product group under HS16, primarily driven by frozen steamed tuna loins, which rose by 16% compared with the same period last year. Conversely, exports of canned tuna to this market plummeted, recording a sharp 57% decline.
Intensifying competition in Spain’s frozen steamed tuna loin segment
Spain is one of the world’s largest seafood markets, characterized by a structural deficit: high domestic demand coupled with insufficient local production, making imports a cornerstone of the industry.
As a major processing hub, competition in Spain is particularly intense within the frozen steamed tuna loin/fillet segment, which supply both canning factories and private-label systems. Supply-chain analysis of Spain’s canned tuna industry relies heavily on non-EU sources for raw materials. Specifically, tuna loins imports are dominated by Ecuador, China and Papua New Guinea, while canned tuna imports are concentrated from Ecuador, Mauritius and El Salvador. Viet Nam currently holds only a modest market share, primarily due to a shortage of raw materials meeting "wholly obtained" origin requirements.
In the current context, this competition has been further amplified by the EU’s tariff preference mechanisms. The Council of the European Union has approved the ATQ for the 2024-2026 period, allowing the EU processing sector to import raw tuna loins from non-EU countries at reduced or 0% duty rates. Consequently, the “race” to integrate into Spain’s supply chain is no longer determined solely by price and quality, but increasingly by the ability to meet raw material specifications, delivery schedules and tariff optimization.
Import trends: tightening budgets drive shift toward convenience
Cost-of-living pressures in Spain are also reshaping consumption patterns. According to the USDA’s 2024 Spain Seafood Report, around one-third of Spanish households have scaled back their fish and meat consumption in response to inflation. Consumers are increasingly seeking more affordable protein sources, favoring canned and frozen and high-convenience products in smaller portion sizes.
This shift has sustained a stable demand for tuna segments destined for processing, packing and private-label retail, while intensifying competitive pressure on the mass-market segment.
2026 outlook
Based on the performance metrics of 2025, the outlook for Vietnamese tuna in Spain for early 2026 points toward a modest growth trajectory. Exports of frozen steamed tuna loins are likely to increase, aligning perfectly with Spain’s role as a processing hub and the EU-wide preference for high-convenience products.
Furthermore, new EU regulations imposing stricter standards on onboard freezing for purse seiners intended for human consumption are likely to constrain the import of certain high-value frozen tuna products, potentially reshaping the competitive landscape.
By contrast, Vietnamese canned tuna exported directly to Spain is unlikely to achieve a rapid breakthrough, given intense competition from competitors with superior tariff advantages such as Ecuador and the Philippines, as well as robust intra-EU supply chains.
For Vietnamese enterprises, the most promising strategic sweet spot in Spain for the coming year will undoubtedly reside in loin, fillet and semi-processed tuna products.
(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).
(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.
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