According to statistics of Vietnam Customs, Vietnamese export turnover to the EU reached $144m in 2021, a growth of 6.4% compared to the previous year. Although yearly export value records an expansion, some monthly statistics did show a downward trend compared to 2020, especially for the last few months of the year when Covid-19 broke out.
In 2021, Vietnam was the 7th largest supplier of tuna for EU markets, following Ecuador, Seychelles, the Philippines, Papua New Guinea, China, and Mauritius. Due to the costly ocean freight costs in 2021, there was a shrink in the EU’s imports of tuna from Asian countries, namely China, the Philippines, Indonesia, and Thailand, in contrast to the rising imports from African or Central American countries like Seychelles, El Salvador, and Ecuador.
Moving on to 2022, Vietnamese tuna exports to most countries in the EU have recovered. Export turnover of January 2022 approximated $15m, almost doubled that for January 2021. Exports to many markets recorded a surging growth rate of 3 to 4 digits, including Lithuania (at 1,938%), Netherlands (at 243%), Belgium (at 215%), etc.
It is expected that the upward trend of tuna exports to the EU will continue for this year. As the economies of the Euro are growing strongly again and reaching the same size as the end of 2019 - the time before the Covid-19 pandemic, it has boosted the demand for tuna in recovering EU countries. In addition, the tariff preferences as agreed in the Free Trade Agreement between Vietnam and the EU (EVFTA) resumed in the first months of 2022 are creating a driving force to promote Vietnam's tuna exports to this market.
However, this year, due to the escalating conflict between Russia and Ukraine, Vietnamese tuna processing and exporting enterprises will continue to face challenges such as increased transportation costs and production costs (the price of preprocessed fish, sunflower oil, etc.) increased. These issues are expected to affect product prices and reduce the competitiveness of tuna enterprises in target markets such as the EU.
Currently, the whole country has 48 enterprises participating in exporting tuna to the EU market, in which Tuna Vietnam, Bidifisco, and Nha Trang Bay are the 3 largest tuna exporting companies to the EU market, accounting for 57% of the total tuna export value to this market in 2021.
| VIETNAMESE EXPORTS OF TUNA TO THE EU, JAN 2022 | ||||
| No | Market | Jan 2022 | % | Growth |
|
1 |
Netherlands |
3.478 |
23.3 |
242.8 |
|
2 |
Germany |
2.034 |
13.6 |
53.3 |
|
3 |
Lithuania |
1.499 |
10.0 |
1,937.50 |
|
4 |
Belgium |
1.456 |
9.7 |
215.2 |
|
5 |
Spain |
1.398 |
9.3 |
227.4 |
|
6 |
Italy |
1.318 |
8.8 |
-45.8 |
|
7 |
Rumania |
1.312 |
8.8 |
179.1 |
|
8 |
Croatia |
0.441 |
2.9 |
22.1 |
|
9 |
Denmark |
0.381 |
2.5 |
215.2 |
|
10 |
Sip |
0.379 |
2.5 |
|
|
11 |
France |
0.319 |
2.1 |
-15.8 |
|
12 |
Greece |
0.266 |
1.8 |
183.9 |
|
13 |
Portugal |
0.247 |
1.7 |
-45.6 |
|
14 |
Slovenia |
0.135 |
0.9 |
61.3 |
|
15 |
Sweden |
0.122 |
0.8 |
4.8 |
|
16 |
Czech |
0.121 |
0.8 |
214.3 |
|
17 |
Finland |
0.05 |
0.3 |
-43 |
| Total | 14.956 | 100 | 81.5 | |
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) Currently, Da Nang City has no fishing vessels detained, sanctioned by foreign authorities, or criminally prosecuted for IUU fishing violations. Patrols, monitoring of marine fishing activities, and handling of violations have been prioritized by competent forces, significantly reducing nearshore fishing infringements.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) According to statistics from Vietnam Customs, Vietnam’s tuna exports to Israel in the first nine months of 2025 reached just over USD 27 million, down as much as 49% compared to the same period in 2024. This is a steep and prolonged decline for many consecutive months, reflecting changes in import demand as well as shifts in the supply structure of this market.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) The first 700 tons of Vietnamese tilapia ordered and imported by JBS Group will initially be distributed through supermarket chains, the Horeca network and JBS’s product showrooms in Brazil.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) In October 2025, Vietnam’s pangasius exports hit $217 million, representing an 8% increase compared to the same month in 2024. For the first 10 months of the year, total export value has surpassed $1.8 billion, up 9% year-on-year. This growth demonstrates clear positive momentum for the pangasius industry, despite continued declines in certain markets.
In recent days, the Central provinces of Vietnam have been suffering from historic flooding, with prolonged heavy rains, landslides, flash floods, and deep inundation causing extremely serious impacts on tens of thousands of households, as well as many VASEP member exporters located in the region. With the spirit of mutual support and solidarity, and in order to promptly assist residents and member exporters in the affected areas to stabilize their lives and restore production activities, VASEP calls on all seafood exporters, organizations, and individuals to extend supports to the people and member exporters in the flood-hit areas. We urge timely and practical material and spiritual contributions to help member exporters and local communities in the severely affected provinces overcome this difficult period.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) In the final days of October 2025, Vietnam’s domestic raw shrimp market remained generally stable, though slight adjustments were recorded in several sizes across key farming regions.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) Vietnam’s shrimp exports reached USD 498 million in October 2025, up 26% from the same period last year. This is one of the highest monthly revenues since the beginning of the year, reflecting solid demand in major markets and faster shipment schedules by exporters. From January to October, shrimp export value reached USD 3.9 billion, up 22% compared to the same period in 2024.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) On October 31, 2025, the US Court of International Trade (CIT) officially issued an order to suspend the case filed by the National Fisheries Institute (NFI), the National Restaurant Association (NRA), and several US seafood companies against the US Government concerning the implementation of the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA).
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) An Giang’s fisheries sector has maintained stable growth momentum during the first nine months of 2025, making an important contribution to the province’s socio-economic development. Despite facing numerous challenges, the province is implementing various measures to enhance production efficiency, expand markets, and promote sustainable fisheries development toward deeper integration into the global economy.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) Vietnam’s pangasius export value in September 2025 reached USD 181 million, up 5% compared to the same period in 2024. The overall trend for the pangasius industry remains positive, with total exports in the first nine months of 2025 reaching nearly USD 1.6 billion, an increase of 9% year-on-year.
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