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) Speaking at the Opening Ceremony of VIETFISH 2026 on August 19 at the Saigon Exhibition and Convention Center (SECC), U.S. Consul General Melissa Brown highlighted the important role of the exhibition in connecting Vietnam’s growing seafood industry with buyers, suppliers, and partners from the United States and around the world.
(vasep.com.vn) Tomorrow, August 19, 2026, the Vietnam International Seafood Exhibition – Vietfish 2026 will officially open at the Saigon Exhibition and Convention Center (SECC) in Ho Chi Minh City. Taking place over three days, from August 19–21, Vietfish 2026 promises to provide a dynamic platform for business networking, trend updates, product experiences and comprehensive cooperation across the domestic and international seafood community.
(vasep.com.vn) The global tilapia market continues to grow, creating significant opportunities for countries with strengths in aquaculture, processing, and exports. Against this backdrop, Vietnam’s tilapia industry is gradually developing toward higher quality, greater product diversification, and broader market reach. At Vietfish 2026, the Vietnam Association of Seafood Exporters and Producers (VASEP), together with the VASEP Tilapia Producers and Exporters Club, will host a joint booth to promote the image and potential of Vietnamese tilapia to domestic and international buyers.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) Vietnam’s seafood exports are heading towards $12 billion this year, potentially the highest level on record. Yet one of the country’s export strengths is facing a growing list of challenges.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) The first six months of 2026 indicate that Vietnam’s tilapia industry is entering a new phase of development, with strong export growth but also greater demands for production scale, quality and international competitiveness.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) Vietfish 2026, the Vietnam International Seafood Exhibition, will officially take place from 19–21 August 2026 in Ho Chi Minh City. As Vietnam’s largest annual seafood trade event, organized by the Vietnam Association of Seafood Exporters and Producers (VASEP), Vietfish 2026 will once again bring together leading seafood companies, industry experts, and international partners from across the global seafood value chain.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) Vietnam’s seafood exports reached USD 1.1 billion in July 2026, up 4.8% compared to the same period in 2025. Cumulative exports in the first seven months of the year totaled nearly USD 6.86 billion, an increase of 11.5% year-on-year. Exceeding the USD 1 billion mark in July further reinforces the prospect that Vietnam’s seafood exports could surpass USD 12 billion in 2026. However, the July figures also send a clear signal that the most favorable growth period may have passed: overall export growth slowed to just 4.8%, pangasius exports fell 6.1%, tuna exports were virtually flat, while exports to the EU, South Korea, and the Middle East all recorded double-digit declines.
(vasep.com.vn) As part of the Vietnam Fisheries International Exhibition (Vietfish 2026), the seminar "Global Seafood Market and the Future Workforce: Trends, Opportunities, and Sustainable Development Pathways for Vietnam's Seafood Industry" will take place from 2:00 p.m. to 4:15 p.m. on August 19, 2026, at Convention Room B, Level 2, SECC, Ho Chi Minh City. This is the first of five specialized seminars at Vietfish 2026, focusing on key issues that are shaping the long-term development of Vietnam's seafood industry.
(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.
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