Marine fish, tuna, shrimp, squid and octopus were the most imported products in terms of value. Taiwan remained Vietnam’s biggest supplier of ocean tuna and other marine fish like eel, frozen whole halfbeak, shark, and headless swordfish.
In the first quarter, Vietnamese enterprises continued to purchase trout from Norway, including fresh, whole, chilled fish with size of 5 – 6 kilogram and 6 – 7 kilogram; ordinary gutted fish with size of 6 – 7 kilogram; smoked sliced fish of 10 kilogram/box. Vietnam also bought other marine fish species such as flounder, snapper fillets and pollock from South Korea to process for supply contract with foreign partners.
Thailand, India and Indonesia were Vietnam companies’ main suppliers of mollusk species (HS 0307), sardine, mackerel, perch, and grouper. Australia kept exporting live lobster and abalone to Vietnam.
Currently, these above countries are increasingly importing raw material in order to diversify products to export and strengthen competitiveness in international markets. Referring to Thailand Customs’ statistics, in January – February 2013, the country’s imports of frozen fish (excluding fillets and fish meats with HS 0307) soared 50 – 120 percent in value over the same period of the last year. Purchase of mollusk (HS 0307) was up of 5 – 6 percent, fish with HS 0302 up 3 – 10 percent.
In 2012, China and Indonesia have also boosted imports of a large range of fish species for processing and export. Chinese purchase of crustacean (HS 0306) went up of 36.7 percent in value; fish with HS 0302 up 61 percent; fish with HS 0304 up 37 percent; live fish up 120 percent; and fish with HS 0305 up 3.5 percent.
|
Seafood imports by Vietnam, Jan – Mar 2013 |
|||||
|
No. |
Origin |
Value (US$) |
No. |
Origin |
Value (US$) |
|
1 |
Taiwan |
16,265,630 |
13 |
Russia |
2,584,077 |
|
2 |
Japan |
12,566,748 |
14 |
The U.K. |
1,821,263 |
|
3 |
Norway |
12,429,834 |
15 |
Malaysia |
1,807,743 |
|
4 |
India |
12,340,805 |
16 |
Myanmar |
1,125,931 |
|
5 |
Chile |
8,294,946 |
17 |
Canada |
1,080,763 |
|
6 |
Poland |
7,582,743 |
18 |
Singapore |
680,039 |
|
7 |
Thailand |
4,982,570 |
19 |
The Philippines |
328,517 |
|
8 |
South Korea |
4,735,510 |
20 |
The Netherlands |
85,050 |
|
9 |
Indonesia |
4,503,027 |
21 |
Saudi Arabia |
74,808 |
|
10 |
China |
3,843,906 |
Others |
28,815,638 |
|
|
11 |
The U.S. |
3,779,126 |
Total |
133,027,220 |
|
|
12 |
Denmark |
3,298,546 |
|||
|
Seafood imports by the U.S, Jan – Feb 2012/2013, thousand US$ Source: ITC |
|||||
|
HS code |
Products |
2012 |
2013 |
||
|
January |
February |
January |
February |
||
|
0304 |
Fillet/nugget/fresh/chilled/frozen fish |
509,406 |
427,747 |
449,472 |
401,001 |
|
0306 |
Other crustaceans |
439,085 |
333,574 |
401,354 |
319,011 |
|
0302 |
Fresh/chilled fish (excluding fish with HS 0304) |
101,983 |
107,064 |
109,891 |
106,894 |
|
0307 |
Mollusk |
71,468 |
64,229 |
72,427 |
62,130 |
|
0303 |
Frozen fish (excluding fish fillets and other fish meat with HS 0304) |
57,676 |
44,762 |
53,748 |
40,898 |
|
0305 |
Salted/smoked fish and fishmeal ingredients |
24,106 |
24,014 |
20,485 |
22,859 |
|
0301 |
Live fish |
6,051 |
6,018 |
6,095 |
6,258 |
|
0308 |
Live/fresh/chilled aquatic boneless animals and mollusk |
3,233 |
2,418 |
3,637 |
5,005 |
(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.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) As part of Vietfish 2026, the International Seafood Hosted Buyer Program has been designed as a dedicated B2B matchmaking initiative for selected international buyers. The program provides opportunities to meet directly with Vietnamese seafood companies, gain market insights, and experience Vietnam's seafood supply chain firsthand.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) A Story from Cà Mau’s Coast It’s 5 AM in Cà Mau. Minh, a third-generation fisherman, is ready to set sail. But unlike his father and grandfather, his boat no longer runs on an old diesel engine that burns fuel and clouds the sky with smoke. Instead, it’s powered by a hybrid engine that saves 40% fuel—funded by an ESG program from a major seafood exporter.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) Vietnam's pangasius industry is shifting its focus from increasing production volume to enhancing value-added products in order to meet the increasingly stringent requirements of export markets. In An Giang Province—the country's leading hub for pangasius farming and processing—businesses and farmers are prioritizing product quality, traceability, food safety, and sustainable development rather than expanding output.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) Following strong growth in 2025, Vietnam’s tuna exports to Sweden continued to edge higher during the first five months of 2026. However, the picture is far from straightforward. Orders have fluctuated significantly from month to month, indicating that this market remains cautious, with purchasing decisions closely tied to actual demand and the import cycles of Nordic distributors rather than to a steady upward trend.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) China’s shrimp imports in the first five months of 2026 continued to surpass the same period in 2025, indicating that demand in the world’s largest seafood-consuming market remains strong. However, behind the growth figures lies an increasingly competitive landscape: Ecuador dominates the competitively priced whiteleg shrimp segment, India remains the second-largest supplier, while Vietnam stands out in the lobster segment but still needs to strengthen its advantages through quality, traceability, and reliable supply.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) Lobster exports to China continued to surge in the first half of this year, putting the lobster industry on the verge of reaching an export value exceeding $1 billion.
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