These results highlight Colombia’s emergence as a promising market in South America, as Vietnamese pangasius exporters continue to diversify beyond their traditional export destinations.
Frozen pangasius is the preferred product in Colombia
In terms of product mix, Colombia currently favors two main categories: frozen whole pangasius (HS code 03032400) and frozen pangasius fillets (HS code 0304). These two product groups account for roughly equal shares of total export value, with each representing approximately 50% of Vietnam’s pangasius exports to Colombia.
This balanced structure indicates that demand in Colombia extends beyond frozen fillets to include frozen whole fish used as raw material for further processing and domestic consumption.
Consumer preferences in Colombia closely resemble those of other Latin American markets such as Mexico and Brazil. These markets generally favor competitively priced frozen raw products that are easy to store and suitable for everyday cooking. By contrast, demand for value-added pangasius products remains limited. Deep-processed products, including breaded, seasoned, or ready-to-eat items, have yet to become major product categories in the region.
Strong growth, but sustainability remains to be assessed
The strong performance of Vietnamese pangasius in Colombia during 2026 has been driven by stable demand for frozen whitefish, Vietnam’s competitive pricing, and its well-established position as a reliable supplier. Vietnam benefits from abundant production capacity, consistent supply, compliance with numerous international certification standards, and price competitiveness within the mass-market segment. These advantages have enabled Vietnamese pangasius to maintain its competitiveness in a market with robust demand for frozen seafood.
In addition, fish consumption in Colombia tends to increase during peak holiday periods, particularly Semana Santa (Holy Week), when seafood consumption traditionally rises. This seasonal demand encourages importers to increase purchases of frozen fish for inventory and distribution.
Nevertheless, the impressive growth recorded during the first five months of the year should be interpreted with caution. The sharp increase may partly reflect a low comparison base in the previous year or the impact of several large shipments during the period. Therefore, further monitoring of export value, export volume, average export prices, and the number of importers will be necessary to determine whether the current growth trend is sustainable.
Overall, Colombia represents a promising market with considerable room for further expansion of Vietnamese pangasius exports. To capitalize on this potential, exporters should continue to leverage their competitive pricing, maintain consistent product quality, offer specifications that meet local market preferences, and gradually strengthen their distribution networks in the country.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) Vietnam’s pangasius exports to Colombia continued their strong upward momentum in May 2026. Export value to the market reached USD 4 million, up 24% compared to the same month in 2025. Cumulative exports in the first five months of 2026 totaled USD 24 million, an impressive 48% increase year-on-year.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) Hai Phong's aquaculture sector is accelerating the adoption of high technologies in aquaculture to adapt to climate change, with red tilapia and tilapia identified as the key cultured species for priority development.
(vasep.com.vn) Vietnam’s seafood exports reached nearly US$1.1 billion in June 2026, up 21.0% year-on-year. Cumulative exports in the first half of 2026 totaled nearly US$5.8 billion, representing a 12.8% increase compared with the same period last year. Exports to China and Hong Kong continued to accelerate, while shipments to the United States rebounded strongly in June. In contrast, exports to the EU, Japan, and the Middle East remained sluggish or recorded slight declines.
(vasep.com.vn) Tilapia is playing an increasingly important role in Vietnam’s aquaculture sector, driven not only by growing market opportunities but also by its ability to meet increasingly stringent requirements on quality, food safety, and traceability. In practice, tilapia farming in Vietnam is not a spontaneous or loosely regulated activity; rather, it operates under a comprehensive legal and technical framework covering the entire value chain—from hatcheries and farming to processing and exports.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) Vietnam’s shrimp exports reached USD 1.9 billion in the first five months of 2026, up 12% compared with the same period last year. Amid continued volatility in the global seafood market, this result demonstrates that the shrimp sector has maintained positive growth momentum, supported by improving demand in several Asian markets, particularly China.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) On June 16, the Department of Agriculture and Environment of Ca Mau Province announced that the locality has established a farming area code for nearly 30,400 hectares of mud crab aquaculture and granted export facility codes to five enterprises eligible to export mud crab officially to markets such as China, Cambodia, Singapore, and the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) The United States remains one of the largest export markets for Vietnamese pangasius. In the first four months of 2026, pangasius exports to the US reached USD 106 million, up 4% compared to the same period in 2025. In April 2026 alone, export value totaled USD 38 million, marking a 20% year-on-year increase and the first positive growth recorded after an extended period of decline.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) While Vietnam’s shrimp exports to many major markets continued to post positive growth in the first months of 2026, exports to the United States declined, highlighting growing competitive pressures and trade barriers facing the Vietnamese shrimp industry.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) Egypt is emerging as one of the most promising destinations for Vietnamese tuna exports in 2026. During the first four months of the year, export turnover to this market exceeded USD 7.3 million, marking a sharp increase compared to the same period over the previous two years. As Egypt’s tuna imports continue to recover and demand for canned tuna remains strong, the market is becoming increasingly attractive for Vietnamese tuna processors and exporters.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) During the first four months of 2026, Vietnam’s pangasius exports to CPTPP member countries reached nearly USD 128 million, accounting for 18% of the country’s total pangasius export value and increasing by 21% compared to the same period in 2025. Demand patterns varied significantly across the bloc: Mexico primarily imported fresh and frozen pangasius products, while Japan and Canada recorded substantial shares of processed products. Australia remained focused on frozen fillets but continued to maintain a portion of processed imports.
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