Malaysia was also the third largest importer of Vietnam pangasius among ASEAN markets. To 15th October, pangasius export to this destination reached US$17.1 million, a rise of 2.6 percent over the same period of 2011.
Malaysia has now 28 million of people and the market tends to increase seafood import to satisfy rising domestic consumption demand.
This year, South East Asian countries are under pressures of global economic crisis, but Malaysia is seen as a stable market. Its import of seafood products continues to grow in the coming time.
Crustaceans (HS code 0306) were the main import items of Malaysia. This is followed by frozen fish (HS code 0303), fresh fish (HS code 0302), and frozen fish fillets (HS code 0304). Frozen fish fillets just took the fourth largest part in seafood import structure of the country, but getting the fastest growth rate during the period of 2005 – 2012.
According to statistics from International Trade Center (ITC), Malaysia bought US$862.1 million of all fish and seafood products in 2011. In which, China was the biggest supplier. Imports from Vietnam valued at US$ 45.3 million, higher than that in almost every year since 2004. In 2007, Vietnamese exporters earned US$48.8 million from fish sales to this country.
Vietnam is now Malaysia’s fourth provider of seafood products, but it occupies the first place among suppliers of frozen fish fillets to the market. In 2011, shipment of these items brought back US$26.7 million for the country.
Beside imported fish, Malaysia also focuses on developing local fish aquaculture. Malaysia aims to reach 80,000 MT of farmed-fish production during 5 years to respond to domestic demand and export. So that, the country can double seafood export and compete with other producing countries in ASEAN like Thailand, the Philippines, Indonesia and Vietnam.
|
TOP TEN SEAFOOD SUPPLIERS TO MALAYSIA, US$ mil. (Source: ITC) |
||||||||
|
Origin |
2004 |
2005 |
2006 |
2007 |
2008 |
2009 |
2010 |
2011 |
|
China |
63.193 |
94.998 |
108.632 |
117.985 |
90.984 |
162.407 |
222.333 |
273.444 |
|
Indonesia |
65.673 |
65.362 |
64.863 |
93.293 |
98.957 |
103.189 |
123.838 |
156.407 |
|
Thailand |
105.717 |
92.897 |
95.487 |
99.339 |
90.517 |
88.884 |
97.503 |
120.385 |
|
Vietnam |
37.560 |
27.998 |
43.034 |
48.859 |
32.636 |
27.718 |
26.435 |
45.328 |
|
Myanmar |
22.418 |
26.487 |
30.892 |
29.570 |
29.586 |
31.450 |
35.146 |
39.595 |
|
India |
30.407 |
45.409 |
31.377 |
29.467 |
22.714 |
23.795 |
29.127 |
39.343 |
|
Japan |
5.810 |
5.510 |
7.787 |
10.230 |
14.692 |
14.166 |
18.990 |
19.842 |
|
Norway |
4.547 |
4.560 |
8.122 |
10.146 |
10.405 |
11.252 |
14.552 |
18.068 |
|
Pakistan |
13.793 |
11.837 |
12.152 |
12.977 |
13.331 |
13.853 |
10.776 |
17.409 |
|
Mexico |
3.102 |
5.142 |
6.097 |
7.164 |
5.593 |
9.601 |
7.498 |
16.606 |
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) The Quang Tri Department of Agriculture and Environment has instructed localities to base their stocking schedules on actual conditions in each farming area, while developing plans, allocating resources, and implementing synchronized measures for disease prevention and disaster risk management in aquaculture production.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) In the first two months of 2026, Vietnam’s exports of fish cakes and surimi exceeded USD 45 million, up 7% compared to the same period in 2025, indicating a positive outlook for this product segment amid recovering demand in many markets.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) During the week from April 4th to 10th, 2026, Quang Ngai province intensified its monitoring and law enforcement activities with the determination to eliminate illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing practices.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) Thanh Hoa’s shrimp sector is undergoing a strong transformation by accelerating the adoption of high technology, helping to improve productivity, increase profits, and meet market demands. The province currently has about 4,100 hectares of shrimp farming, with output continuing to rise despite stable farming area, mainly due to the shift from traditional methods to intensive and super-intensive farming.
(vasep.com.vn) Amid ongoing volatility in global seafood trade, Vietnam’s crab exports have made a fairly positive start to 2026. According to Vietnam Customs statistics, export turnover in the first two months of 2026 reached nearly USD 55 million, up 24% compared to the same period in 2025 and more than 2.2 times higher than in the same period of 2024. This indicates that crab exports are entering 2026 with stronger growth momentum, particularly in Asian markets.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) Da Nang City has fully implemented all recommendations from the European Commission (EC) regarding the fight against illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing, creating an important foundation for the removal of the “yellow card” in the near future.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) In Hoa Vang district (Da Nang City), red tilapia farming is demonstrating clear economic efficiency, becoming a promising livelihood that helps many households increase their income. A notable example is the model of Mr. Huynh Ngoc Nam, who operates two red tilapia ponds covering more than 4 hectares, generating stable annual income.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) In Gia Vien district, tilapia farming—particularly the “duong nghiep” strain—is expanding rapidly and gradually becoming an efficient production model for local farmers. Hatcheries in the area are supplying high-quality, uniform, and disease-free fingerlings, meeting the growing demand for commercial farming.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) On the afternoon of March 19, Vice Chairman of the Ca Mau Provincial People’s Committee, Le Van Su, chaired a meeting to address bottlenecks and propose solutions to expand the super-intensive whiteleg shrimp farming model using low water exchange and high biosecurity standards (RAS-IMTA).
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) On March 10, 2026, the Ho Chi Minh City People’s Committee issued Decision No. 1377/QD-UBND approving the Aquatic Animal Disease Prevention and Control Plan for the 2026–2030 period. The decision takes effect from the date of signing and replaces previous plans for the 2021–2030 period that had been issued prior to the administrative merger in Ba Ria – Vung Tau, Binh Duong, and Ho Chi Minh City.
VASEP - HIỆP HỘI CHẾ BIẾN VÀ XUẤT KHẨU THỦY SẢN VIỆT NAM
Chịu trách nhiệm: Ông Nguyễn Hoài Nam - Phó Tổng thư ký Hiệp hội
Đơn vị vận hành trang tin điện tử: Trung tâm VASEP.PRO
Trưởng Ban Biên tập: Bà Phùng Thị Kim Thu
Giấy phép hoạt động Trang thông tin điện tử tổng hợp số 138/GP-TTĐT, ngày 01/10/2013 của Bộ Thông tin và Truyền thông
Tel: (+84 24) 3.7715055 – (ext.203); email: kimthu@vasep.com.vn
Trụ sở: Số 7 đường Nguyễn Quý Cảnh, Phường An Phú, Quận 2, Tp.Hồ Chí Minh
Tel: (+84) 28.628.10430 - Fax: (+84) 28.628.10437 - Email: vasephcm@vasep.com.vn
VPĐD: số 10, Nguyễn Công Hoan, Ngọc Khánh, Ba Đình, Hà Nội
Tel: (+84 24) 3.7715055 - Fax: (+84 24) 37715084 - Email: vasephn@vasep.com.vn