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) In the Mekong Delta, key pangasius farming provinces such as An Giang, Dong Thap, and Can Tho are accelerating the transition toward a circular economy model, contributing to higher product value and reduced environmental impact. Instead of focusing solely on farming and processing, the pangasius value chain is increasingly utilizing by-products and waste streams to generate added value.
(vasep.com.vn) Vietnam’s scallop exports are entering a phase of impressive growth, as the global market undergoes significant restructuring. In 2025, scallop export value reached nearly USD 66 million, up 49% from USD 44 million in 2024. This upward momentum has continued and accelerated into early 2026, with exports totaling USD 18.1 million in the first two months alone—an increase of 166% year-on-year. This represents an exceptionally high growth rate, reflecting the rapid expansion of a relatively new product segment within Vietnam’s mollusk export portfolio.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) – On March 19, at the Government Headquarters, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh held a meeting with the European Commission (EC) inspection delegation on combating illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing, led by Mr. Fernando Andresen Guimaraes, Head of Unit at the Directorate-General for Maritime Affairs and Fisheries (DG MARE).
(vasep.com.vn) Australia is emerging as one of the most stable and promising growth markets for Vietnamese shrimp. Amid global trade disruptions driven by geopolitical tensions—particularly conflicts in the Middle East—strengthening and expanding into stable markets like Australia has become increasingly important for Vietnam’s shrimp industry.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) In the first two months of 2026, Vietnam’s squid and octopus exports reached over USD 111 million, up 23% compared to the same period in 2025. This result indicates a positive start for the sector, reflecting early signs of demand recovery in multiple markets from the beginning of the year.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) In the first two months of 2026, Vietnam’s fisheries sector maintained positive growth momentum, with shrimp output exceeding 132 thousand tons. This result contributed to a strong increase in seafood export turnover, despite ongoing volatility in the global economy.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) Vietnam’s tilapia exports maintained strong growth momentum in February 2026, with many markets recording sharp increases compared to the same period last year. In February alone, export value reached USD 8.4 million, up 148% year-on-year. Cumulatively, in the first two months of 2026, total tilapia export turnover hit USD 23 million, soaring 242% compared to the same period in 2025.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) In global seafood trade, sensory evaluation is increasingly becoming one of the key “technical barriers” in many importing markets-especially the United States. Issues such as filth, and signs of decomposition/spoilage are often detected through sensory evaluation methods and remain common reasons for seafood import alerts, detentions, or shipment rejections.
Shrimp has been the most important export product of Vietnam’s seafood industry for many years, typically accounting for 35–45% of the country’s total seafood export value. With a well-developed farming, processing, and export system, Vietnam has become one of the world’s leading shrimp exporters.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) As geopolitical tensions in the Middle East continue to escalate, the global food market is facing increasing volatility in logistics costs, energy prices, and supply chains. In the seafood sector, alongside ocean-caught products such as tuna, the surimi-based product group—including fish cakes, crab sticks, fish balls, and other imitation seafood products—has also been affected to some extent by these developments.
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