Mr. Nguyen Thanh Loc, Chairman of the Ho Chi Minh City Fisheries Association, most seafood processing enterprises in Ba Ria - Vung Tau area focus on products derived from wild-caught raw materials such as octopus, cuttlefish, anchovies, sardines and skipjack tuna. After processing, products mainly fall into two categories: frozen seafood (whole, filleted or breaded) and dried seafood (dried squid, sun-dried or without seasoning dried seafood).
“However, over 90% of exported products are still marketed under foreign importers’ brands. Vietnamese enterprises primarily play the role of subcontractors, without building their own supply chains or distribution systems. This results in thin profit margins and makes it difficult to directly accessing EU consumer demand.” Mr. Loc emphasized.
Notably, the processing capacity of Vietnamese enterprises is by no means inferior. Machinery and equipment are imported from Japan, South Korea, Germany and the Netherlands, while the workforce is abundant and highly skilled. However, indirect personnel responsible for sales and international market remain weak, lacking practical experience and confidence to independently expand in the EU.
As a result, over the past five years, export turnover to the EU for many enterprises in Ba Ria - Vung Tau has plummeted by 70-80%. Quite a few members of the Fisheries Association have had to shift to other markets, accepting lower profit margins.
In contrast to many subcontractors, HaiVuong Group (HVG) - a Vietnam’s leading tuna enterprise, presents a picture of both opportunities and challenges in EU integration.
According to Mr. Nguyen Van Du, Director of Vietnam Tuna Co., Ltd. (HVG), the group’s revenue in 2024 reached $301 million with the EU contributing nearly $68 million (22.78%). With five modern factories, cold storage capacity of over 30,000 tons and over 3,000 skilled workers, HVG exports more than 60,000 tons of finished products annually, reaching over 40 countries.
“The enterprise has met numerous international standards such as HACCP, BRC, Dolphin Safe and MSC, along with a transparent traceability system from fishing vessels to the dining table. The EVFTA helps HVG take advantage of tariff advantages, enhancing competitive.” Mr. Du stated.
However, HVG still faces significant challenges. The IUU yellow card remains the biggest non-tariff barrier, subjecting exports to the EU to strict monitoring. Additionally, high production costs, global logistics fluctuations and intense competition from Thailand, Indonesia and South America further erode profitability.
Mr. Du emphasized that to maintain market share in the EU, enterprises need comprehensive support: from lifting the IUU yellow card to establishing green transition investment funds, European trade promotion centers and developing a communication strategy to build the Vietnamese seafood brand.
According to the Ho Chi Minh City Fisheries Association, for enterprises to overcome difficulties, the government needs to urgently address impractical regulations in fisheries management while also creating mechanisms to support human resources specialized in international market development.
At the enterprise level, linking production–processing–distribution chains is essential to build collective strength instead of fragmented efforts. Some long-established exporters such as Baseafood, Hai Viet and Coimex are expected to act as “locomotives” to lead and support others in penetrating the EU market.
“As long as the IUU bottleneck is not resolved and we fail to establish our own distribution systems, our modern machinery and skilled workforce cannot be transformed into real value in the EU market” said Mr. Nguyen Thanh Loc, Chairman of the Ho Chi Minh City Fisheries Association.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) The year 2025 marked a pivotal milestone for Vietnam’s seafood industry in its restructuring process toward sustainability, transparency, and higher value creation, amid continued uncertainties in the global economic and trade environment. Prolonged inflation in major economies, the rising trend of trade protectionism, and increasingly stringent requirements related to environmental standards, traceability, and social responsibility have posed significant challenges to seafood production and exports. Nevertheless, overcoming these pressures, Vietnam’s seafood sector has gradually demonstrated its adaptability, maintained growth momentum, and laid an important foundation for the next stage of development.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) Amid the increasingly evident impacts of drought and saltwater intrusion, the shrimp-rice production model in Ca Mau province continues to prove itself as a viable direction, contributing to higher farmer incomes, improved soil conditions and the promotion of ecological and sustainable agricultural development.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) The management of fishing vessels, monitoring of fishing activities, and handling of violations in the fisheries sector in Lam Dong province have continued to be implemented in a synchronized and stringent manner, contributing to raising awareness of legal compliance among fishermen and aiming to end illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) Can Tho’s fishery industry sustained steady growth in 2025 with total aquatic and marine output reaching nearly 783,000 tons, fulfilling 100% of the annual target. Aquaculture, capture fisheries and fishing fleet management were further strengthened, aiming for sustainable development in the coming years.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) In 2025, Vietnam’s pangasius export turnover reached nearly USD 2.2 billion, up 8% year-on-year. This result indicates that pangasius exports maintained their growth momentum despite significant volatility in the global market environment. In December 2025, pangasius export value reached USD 200 million, up 10% compared to December 2024. This solid performance in the final month of the year reflects increased import demand for consumption and inventory replenishment in key markets.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) In 2025, Vietnam’s tuna exports to Spain experienced significant fluctuations. According to Vietnam Customs, during the first 11 months of 2025, export turnover for the first 11 months of the year edged up by 0.3% year-on-year, reaching nearly $15 million.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) Deputy Prime Minister Bui Thanh Son has signed Decision No. 16/QD-TTg, dated January 5, 2026, approving the implementation plan for the Vietnam-Israel Free Trade Agreement (VIFTA). Under the plan, in the coming period, ministries, ministerial-level agencies, government-affiliated entities and People’s Committees of provinces and centrally-run cities must institutionalize and execute tasks focused on the dissemination of information regarding VIFTA and the Israeli market; legislative and institutional development, as well as enhancing competitiveness and human resource growth...
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) Beyond achieving double-digit growth, Vietnam’s fish cake and surimi exports are showing a notable year-end "inflection point": the EU his accelerating with nearly twofold growth, China & Hong Kong are rising sharply, while the largest market, South Korea, signaled a slowdown in November. According to Vietnam Customs data, export turnover of fish cake and surimi reached $327 million in the first 11 months of 2025, up 22% year-on-year; November 2025 alone accounted for $35 million, marking a 5% increase. This serves as a critical foundation for exporters to reassess market structures and competitive intensity while finalizing order strategies for 2026.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) Ca Mau, widely regarded as the nation’s “shrimp capital”, continued its strong performance in 2025 as shrimp output reached nearly 600,000 tons, maintaining its position as Vietnam’s leading shrimp-producing locality.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) On December 29, 2025, at the 2025 Pangasius Industry Review Conference held in Can Tho City, the Vietnam Pangasius Association announced that fingerling prices have surged to record levels due to acute supply shortages.
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