Key markets such as South Korea, Thailand, China, and Japan all recorded solid growth, with increases ranging from 27% to 40%.
In addition, exporters have made effective inroads into new markets such as Russia, Spain, and the UK, indicating a trend toward expanding market share early in the year.
This growth is partly driven by evolving consumption habits. Modern consumers increasingly favor convenient, ready-to-eat products like imitation crab sticks and fish-based items made from surimi. These products are typically pre-cooked and require no further preparation, making them ideal for fast-paced lifestyles and quick meals.
Amid rising prices for seafood such as shrimp, crab, and fish—caused by overfishing, supply shortages, and environmental concerns—surimi is emerging as a more economical and sustainable option. For instance, the FAO Fish Price Index averaged 112.8 points in December 2024. This cost advantage makes surimi particularly appealing to budget-conscious consumers and the food service sector, especially in regions where seafood is a dietary staple but is becoming increasingly expensive. As a result, global demand for surimi and fish cake products is expected to continue rising.
However, opportunities often come with challenges
Currently, pollock production is on the rise in Russia and the U.S., which is likely to intensify competition in major markets. At the same time, Vietnamese producers and exporters of fish cakes and surimi are facing multiple difficulties. A shortage of raw materials has pushed up input prices, increasing production costs and making it harder for Vietnamese products to stay competitive. Meanwhile, issues related to the issuance of SC and CC certificates for seafood exports remain unresolved, with a backlog of applications hindering operations and export activities.
Vietnam currently has more than 50 companies exporting fish cakes and surimi. The top three exporters—Dalu Surimi, Kicoimex, and Khanh Hoang Seafood—account for 39% of the country’s total export value.
Despite these challenges, positive shifts in the market and consumer trends offer a promising outlook. Vietnamese surimi and fish cake exports are expected to continue gaining momentum in the coming months.
(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.
(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.
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