According to MARD’s plan, pangasius farming area in the region will be expanded to 7,260 hectares under VietGAP, mainly located in the provinces of An Giang, Dong Thap, Can Tho, Vinh Long, Tien Giang, Ben Tre, Soc Trang, Tra Vinh, Hau Giang which have favorable natural conditions and clean water sources for fish farming. The provinces of Can Tho, An Giang, Dong Thap will farm most with the area of 4,230 hectares. The Mekong Delta is striving to reach a fish output of 1.6 million MT and a revenue of US$2.5-3 billion from exporting this product by 2020, creating jobs for 29,000 workers. The local pangasius sector also set the goal of producing 750,000 – 800,000 MT of finished products in which value added products account for 15 – 20 percent.
By 2015, the region will expand further 5,270 superficies annually for fish farming and aims to reach the output of 1.2 million MT, process 650,000 – 700,000 MT of finished products per annum in which value-added products made up 8 – 12 percent. The locality sets a target of US$2 – 2.3 billion in pangasius export turnover, creating jobs for 21,000 workers.
328 facilities producing fish seed and fries will be built on the area of 2,500 hectares, mostly in the provinces of Dong Thap, An Giang, Ben Tre, Can Tho, Vinh Long, Hau Giang, Tien Giang, Soc Trang, Tra Vinh. By 2015, these facilities are projected to supply 1.9 billion high-quality fish seeds and 2.5 billion ones by 2020.
To achieve the targets, the region has worked out plans to invest in infrastructure at farming areas, upgrade fish hatcheries and high-quality seed producing units, improve the process of producing seed free with diseases. Besides, the locality intensifies to transfer technologies in producing new value-added products to meet demand from domestic and foreign customers, develop sustainable supply chain of fish farming, purchasing, processing and consuming.
The Mekong Delta is now home to 94 pangasius processing plants with a total capacity of nearly 1 million MT per year. Instead of building more frozen fish fillet processing plants by 2020, the delta focuses on upgrading current ones to raise their processing capacity of value-added products.
During the 2014-15 period, local existing factories will strengthen renovating their production lines in order to improve the quality of products as well as reduce production cost. Meanwhile, in the 2016-20 period, they will install modern production lines of processing value-added products with the capacity of 45,000 MT per year. Besides, they will apply new technologies to produce pangasius by-products into small packs for instant use or pharmaceutical or cosmetic products that aim to meet the demand of both domestic and foreign costumers.
To expand foreign markets for pangasius, ministries, authorities and Mekong Delta provinces will work out trade protection measures adaptable to commercial disputes and international technical barriers, especially in the U.S. and European Union markets. Moreover, Vietnamese side should understand the U.S.’s regulations and harmonize VietGAP with standards applied by US catfish farms.
Furthermore, the Mekong Delta provinces should promote the image of Vietnamese pangasius and expand the distribution centers or auction platforms to facilitate trading fish in EU and avoid anti-dumping activities while strengthening trade promotion, expanding pangasius exports to potential markets such as Russia, China, Mexico, Middle East, India and ASEAN.
The provinces will also change the way of export by boosting direct export to distribution systems, and major shopping centers and supermarkets in order to reduce intermediary stages.
(vasep.com.vn) On November 11, 2026, in Can Tho, the Vietnam Association of Seafood Exporters and Producers (VASEP) will organize the Vietnam Seafood Summit 2026 (VSS 2026) under the theme “Seafood Market Outlook 2027–2029: Opportunities and Headroom for Double-Digit Export Growth.”
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) Business leader Do Ngoc Tai, General Director of Tai Kim Anh Seafood Processing Joint Stock Company, was honored by the Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry (VCCI) with the title “Outstanding Vietnamese Entrepreneur – Thanh Giong Cup 2026” at a ceremony celebrating Vietnam Entrepreneurs’ Day (October 13). The event took place on the evening of October 11, 2026, at the National Convention Center in Hanoi.
(vasep.com.vn) The global tilapia market is becoming increasingly segmented, not only among producing countries but also by product type and destination market. Supply is divided into groups with distinct competitive advantages: large volumes of whole fish and frozen fillets from Asia, high-value fresh fillets from Latin America, and substantial domestic consumption in several major producing countries.
(vasep.com.vn) Vietnam’s tuna exports to the UK grew in the first eight months of 2026, despite signs of slowing import demand in the market. However, sharp fluctuations in orders, competition from major suppliers, and new traceability requirements are creating challenges for Vietnamese exporters.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) Vietnam is stepping up efforts to combat illegal fishing, protect marine ecosystems, expand digital monitoring, and develop science-based management to ensure the sea can support communities and the economy for generations to come.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) The EU remains a critical market for Vietnamese shrimp; however, purchasing demand and import patterns are undergoing notable changes. According to Vietnam Customs data, as of September 15, 2026, Vietnam’s shrimp exports to the EU reached nearly $374 million, down 5% year-over-year and accounting for 10.7% of the country’s total shrimp export value. Meanwhile, the EU’s stotal shrimp imports through July 2026 contracted by 7% in volume, exhibiting divergent trends across Southern Europe, Northwestern Europe and Eastern Europe. These dynamics necessitate that Vietnamese enterprises closely monitor individualized market demand, rather than approaching the EU as a monolithic consumer block.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) In the first eight months of 2026, Vietnam’s exports of surimi and fish cakes remained relatively stable year-over-year compared to 2025. Following a contraction in the initial months, export performance demonstrated improvement from June onward, peaking in August. However, the recovery has been uneven, characterized by divergent trends across major markets: robust growth was recorded in China, Japan, Malaysia, the United States, and Taiwan, whereas export volumes to South Korea, Indonesia, and select European markets contracted.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) Pangasius remains one of Dong Thap’s key aquaculture species, with the province focusing on developing an integrated value chain covering seed production, commercial farming, deep processing and by-product utilization. The province is promoting high-tech, circular pangasius farming models featuring reduced water exchange and enhanced biosecurity, aiming to improve production efficiency and strengthen control over raw material quality.
(vasep.com.vn) Vietnam’s seafood exports in September 2026 are estimated at US$1.135 billion, up 11.9% year-on-year, bringing total exports in the first nine months of the year to US$9.103 billion, up 11.4%. Behind this double-digit growth, however, increasingly divergent market trends are emerging: China–Hong Kong and ASEAN posted strong growth, while the U.S., EU and Japan all recorded declines in September.
(vasep.com.vn) In the first eight months of 2026, Brazil became the largest market for Vietnamese tilapia, with export value reaching US$44 million, up 22,142% year-on-year and accounting for 49% of Vietnam’s total tilapia exports. In August alone, exports to Brazil reached US$4 million. However, behind this remarkable growth is a market that is imposing increasingly stringent requirements on imported supplies.
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