As a country surrounded by the Arctic, Atlantic and Pacific, the Canadian fishing industry is very developed. Canada exports over 75% of seafood products to 80 countries around the world. Although being a net seafood exporter, yet Canadian fisheries still cannot meet the domestic demand, the country still has to increase the import of seafood from other countries, especially tuna.
Specifically, each year the Canadian fisheries harvested more than 3,800 tons of Pacific albacore tuna, but not enough to meet domestic demand. Therefore, the country still has to import tuna from other countries in the world. By the end of 2018, Canada is currently the 12th largest importer of tuna in the world and the sixth largest tuna importer of Vietnam.
Tuna is one of the staple foods in many Canadian families, especially canned tuna. In the past 10 years, Canada imported a lot of processed and canned tuna. The proportion of imports of processed and canned tuna into this country accounts for over 80% of the total volume of imports of tuna products in the past 10 years.
To meet the demand of domestic consumption and tuna production, Canada is importing tuna from over 39 countries in the world, in which ASEAN countries account for more than 79% of the total volume of imports of this country.
Vietnam currently accounts for 10% market share in the Canadian tuna market, while Thailand accounts for 62% and the Philippines accounts for 6%. Notably, Canada has tended to reduce tuna imports from Thailand recently while increasing imports from other suppliers, including Vietnam.
In addition, as a member country participating in the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership Comprehensive Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) Agreement, Canada is increasingly interested in tuna supply from Vietnam.
Specifically, tuna export value of Vietnam has tended to grow continuously from June 2018 until now. In the first 5 months of this year, total tuna export value of Vietnam to Canada reached US$9.8 million, an increase of 93% compared to the same period in 2018. Especially, compared to the same period in 2018, export of processed tuna Vietnam to Canada increased 245%.
Under the commitments in the CPTPP, Canada will abolish the 7% tariff on canned tuna products to 0% as soon as the agreement comes into effect. Therefore, the approval of Vietnam and Canada for CPTPP will be a good opportunity for Vietnamese enterprises to boost export of canned processed tuna to this market.
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IMPORT TAX FOR PROCESSED/CANNED TUNA HS CODE 16041490 IMPORTED INTO CANADA |
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|
Suppliers |
MFN tax |
Preferential tax |
|
Thailand |
7% |
|
|
Vietnam |
7% |
0% ( According to CPTPP) |
|
Philippines |
7% |
3,5% (According to GSP) |
|
Ecuador |
7% |
|
|
Indonesia |
7% |
|
|
Taiwan |
7% |
|
|
USA |
7% |
0% (According to NAFTA) |
|
Italy |
7% |
0% (According to FTA EU – Canada) |
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) Seafood exports are holding double-digit growth, but the opportunities are not spread evenly across product groups and markets. As businesses draw up their plans for 2027, Vietnam Seafood Summit 2026 (VSS2026) offers a chance to look ahead together: what to sell, where to sell it, and how to prepare for growth in the coming years.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) With less than two weeks to go, the Vietnam Seafood Summit 2026 (VSS 2026) will officially take place in Can Tho. Under the theme “Seafood Market Outlook 2027–2029 – Opportunities and Potential for Double-Digit Export Growth,” the Summit is organized by VASEP at a time when seafood businesses are facing rapid market shifts, changing buyer demand, trade policy changes and growing competitive pressure all at once.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) On October 28, 2026, the China Fisheries & Seafood Expo opened in Qingdao, China. The expo takes place over three days from October 28 to 30, 2026. This is a prestigious specialized seafood exhibition organized annually by Sea Fare Exposition Inc.
(vasep.com.vn) In the first nine months of 2026, Vietnam’s tilapia exports to the CPTPP bloc reached $7 million, marking a 51% year-on-year increase. The bloc rstands as the fourth-largest market for Vietnamese tilapia, trailing Brazil, the US, and Saudi Arabia.
(vasep.com.vn) VASEP has officially announced the program for Vietnam Seafood Summit 2026 (VSS 2026), featuring five in-depth sessions covering industry outlooks, trade barriers, buyer demand, the domestic market, and solutions to improve productivity and reduce costs across the seafood value chain.
(vasep.com.vn) Vietnam’s shrimp exports reached US$3.7 billion in the first nine months of 2026, up 11% year on year. Although growth has been supported by China and several markets within the CPTPP, momentum is slowing as exports to the United States and the European Union decline. Tariff pressures, international competition, and raw material challenges are creating significant hurdles for exporters in the final months of the year.
(vasep.com.vn) Markets are changing faster, buyer requirements are becoming more demanding, and trade barriers are growing increasingly complex. In this environment, seafood businesses need more than an understanding of current market conditions. They need a longer-term perspective to answer a critical question: Where will growth opportunities come from in 2027–2029, and what should businesses do now to prepare? This is one of the key reasons why VASEP is organizing Vietnam Seafood Summit 2026.
(vasep.com.vn) In the first eight months of 2026, Vietnam’s pangasius exports to the Middle East reached US$113 million, up 7% year on year from the same period in 2025. Growth has become more pronounced in recent months. In August alone, exports to the region totaled US$20 million, an increase of 24%. This indicates that demand for Vietnamese pangasius in the Middle East is gradually recovering after a slowdown in March, although the pace of recovery varies across markets.
(vasep.com.vn) China’s shrimp imports continued to grow strongly in 2026, while Vietnam’s shrimp exports to the market also recorded notable growth. However, behind these positive figures lie two distinct trends: Chinese consumption is growing more slowly than imports, and lobster accounts for a substantial share of Vietnam’s shrimp exports to China, making its product mix significantly different from those of Ecuador and India. Exporters therefore need to assess each segment carefully to understand the opportunities and risks.
(vasep.com.vn) Changing markets, shifting buyer demand, and increasingly complex trade barriers are raising a key question for Vietnam’s seafood industry: Where will the new growth opportunities lie in 2027–2029?
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
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Tel: (+84 24) 3.7715055 - Fax: (+84 24) 37715084 - Email: vasephn@vasep.com.vn