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) Vietnam is stepping up efforts to combat illegal fishing, protect marine ecosystems, expand digital monitoring, and develop science-based management to ensure the sea can support communities and the economy for generations to come.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) The EU remains a critical market for Vietnamese shrimp; however, purchasing demand and import patterns are undergoing notable changes. According to Vietnam Customs data, as of September 15, 2026, Vietnam’s shrimp exports to the EU reached nearly $374 million, down 5% year-over-year and accounting for 10.7% of the country’s total shrimp export value. Meanwhile, the EU’s stotal shrimp imports through July 2026 contracted by 7% in volume, exhibiting divergent trends across Southern Europe, Northwestern Europe and Eastern Europe. These dynamics necessitate that Vietnamese enterprises closely monitor individualized market demand, rather than approaching the EU as a monolithic consumer block.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) In the first eight months of 2026, Vietnam’s exports of surimi and fish cakes remained relatively stable year-over-year compared to 2025. Following a contraction in the initial months, export performance demonstrated improvement from June onward, peaking in August. However, the recovery has been uneven, characterized by divergent trends across major markets: robust growth was recorded in China, Japan, Malaysia, the United States, and Taiwan, whereas export volumes to South Korea, Indonesia, and select European markets contracted.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) Pangasius remains one of Dong Thap’s key aquaculture species, with the province focusing on developing an integrated value chain covering seed production, commercial farming, deep processing and by-product utilization. The province is promoting high-tech, circular pangasius farming models featuring reduced water exchange and enhanced biosecurity, aiming to improve production efficiency and strengthen control over raw material quality.
(vasep.com.vn) Vietnam’s seafood exports in September 2026 are estimated at US$1.135 billion, up 11.9% year-on-year, bringing total exports in the first nine months of the year to US$9.103 billion, up 11.4%. Behind this double-digit growth, however, increasingly divergent market trends are emerging: China–Hong Kong and ASEAN posted strong growth, while the U.S., EU and Japan all recorded declines in September.
(vasep.com.vn) In the first eight months of 2026, Brazil became the largest market for Vietnamese tilapia, with export value reaching US$44 million, up 22,142% year-on-year and accounting for 49% of Vietnam’s total tilapia exports. In August alone, exports to Brazil reached US$4 million. However, behind this remarkable growth is a market that is imposing increasingly stringent requirements on imported supplies.
(vasep.com.vn) Vietnam’s tuna exports sustained their upward trajectory in August 2026, though the pace remained modest at just 2%. The month saw divergent trends across key markets: the US maintained its leading position, Japan and Canada improved, Russia surged and the EU continued to experience a steep downturn. These developments suggest that exporters are entering the final months of the year amid a market environment marked by greater uncertainty.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) Congalsa has acquired the entire charter capital of Lenger Seafood Vietnam, giving it full ownership of the business and its Nam Dinh processing facility.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) Ninh Binh Province is entering a peak period of action against illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing, focusing on thoroughly addressing violations, closely monitoring fishing vessels at ports and preventing vessels from violating regulations and operating illegally in foreign waters ahead of the European Commission’s (EC) upcoming inspection in 2026.
(vasep.com.vn) The application of biotechnology in seed production is increasingly viewed as a strategic imperative to upgrade pangasius fingerling quality, optimize farming efficiency and anchor sustainable industry development.
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