Vietnam is expected to become one of the world’s top shrimp producers thanks to its positive response to the COVID-19 pandemic and its modern shrimp farming models, according to industry insiders.
Robins McIntosh, Executive Vice President of the Charoen Pokphand Foods Public Company Limited, the largest integrated producer of aquaculture shrimp in the world, said shrimp production in the world grew 6-7 percent amid COVID-19 and disruptions to foodstuff supplies across the globe.
High demand in the long term may possibly prompt shrimp aquaculture to expand 10 percent, he added.
Regarding Vietnam’s shrimp sector, he said output has experienced stable growth through the years, from 5-10 percent annually, even 12 percent, due to radical changes in shrimp aquaculture technologies.
In recent years, high-tech shrimp farming models have been developed in the southern and Mekong Delta regions and have yielded higher profits for local farmers.
Under models that use intensive farming, the beds of shrimp breeding ponds are covered with plastic sheets and anti-sunlight nets are hung above. They are also equipped with oxygen-generating facilities.
According to Associate Professor Dr. Chau Tai Tao from Can Tho University, such models are popular in the Mekong Delta. Eighty percent of shrimp farming areas are set aside for wastewater treatment, so these models ensure good quality water for shrimp breeding.
The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development said Vietnam is home to more than 200,000 ha of high-tech shrimp farming, 186,000 ha of which is in the Mekong Delta provinces of Bac Lieu and Soc Trang. The two localities have received large amounts of foreign capital for shrimp processing for export.
High-tech shrimp farming has a success rate of 90 percent and offers far higher profits than traditional shrimp breeding in mud ponds. And the fatality rate among shrimp bred under high-tech models is significantly lower than in traditional farming, local farmers said.
In recent times, Vietnam’s shrimp sector has spared no effort to improve its capacity, though it has had to struggle with COVID-19 and serious saline intrusion.
Chairman of the Soc Trang Provincial People’s Committee Tran Van Lau said that in a bid to have high-yield shrimp output, the province is applying advanced technologies in shrimp farming, promoting intensive farming, and forming value chains.
In the time to come, it is necessary to raise awareness among local farmers of effective shrimp breeding models, while more attention should be paid to improving human resources to meet the requirements of shrimp farming and processing.
Soc Trang this year targets having 51,000 ha of shrimp breeding area and an output of 172,000 tonnes, Lau added.
Meanwhile, Bac Lieu province, which is striving to become a shrimp breeding hub in Vietnam, is investing in a three-phase electrical power system to serve semi-intensive and intensive shrimp farming areas, and instructing local farmers to apply advanced technologies in shrimp breeding to improve the competitive capacity of local shrimp.
Chairman of the provincial People’s Committee Pham Van Thieu said that, last year, the province bred shrimps on an area totalling nearly 130,000 ha, 9,000 ha of which were cultivated under semi-intensive and intensive farming models.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) Vietnamese seafood exports recorded impressive growth, generating nearly 6 billion USD in revenue during the first six months of the year, up 13% compared with the same period last year.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) Fishermen in Ha Tinh are gradually overcoming difficulties to maintain the efficiency of seafood exploitation. In the first six months of 2026, the entire province achieved a production of more than 23,000 tons of seafood, worth more than 1,200 billion VND.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) June 2026 brought encouraging signs for Vietnam's tuna exports, with export value rising 20% year-on-year to nearly USD 72 million. However, this increase has yet to offset the prolonged slowdown seen in key markets such as the European Union (EU), where import demand remains weak. The outlook for the second half of the year is expected to become more challenging as freight rates continue to climb.
(vasep.com.vn) As part of the Vietnam Fisheries International Exhibition (Vietfish 2026), the Vietnam Association of Seafood Exporters and Producers (VASEP), in collaboration with the Agency for Domestic Market Management and Development under the Ministry of Industry and Trade, will organize the Domestic Seafood Supply–Demand Matching Program on the morning of August 20, 2026, at the Saigon Exhibition and Convention Center (SECC), Ho Chi Minh City. The program aims to foster direct business connections between Vietnamese seafood producers and processors and domestic distributors, retailers, and foodservice channels.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) The Cooking Show will be one of the most engaging experiential highlights of Vietfish 2026. Taking place over three days, from August 19–21, 2026, at Hall B1, SECC, Ho Chi Minh City, the event will offer visitors a vibrant culinary space where Vietnamese seafood is showcased through its flavors, stories, and real-life culinary applications.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) Vietnam's pangasius exports reached USD 205 million in June 2026, up 5% compared with the same month in 2025. Cumulative export value for the first six months of the year totaled USD 1.1 billion, an increase of 12% year-on-year. Growth was primarily driven by strong demand from China and CPTPP markets, while exports to the United States and Brazil continued to decline.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) In the first six months of 2026, Ha Tinh province continued to implement comprehensive solutions to combat IUU fishing; strictly manage the fishing fleet, control fishing vessels entering and leaving ports, operate vessel tracking devices, trace the origin of seafood, and severely punish violations.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) Vietnam's tilapia exports reached USD 7 million in June 2026, down 32% compared with the same month in 2025. Nevertheless, thanks to strong growth in the first five months of the year, cumulative tilapia exports in the first half of 2026 totaled USD 69 million, up 67% year on year.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) Sa Giang Import-Export Joint Stock Company, a member of the Vietnam Association of Seafood Exporters and Producers (VASEP), has been honored with the "Famous Brand - Competitive Vietnamese Brand 2026" certification at an award ceremony organized by the Vietnam Intellectual Property Association (VIPA).
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) China imported nearly $1.4 billion worth of Vietnamese seafood in the first half of the year, a 40% increase compared to the same period last year, surpassing the US to become the largest export market for the industry.
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