Lithuania is currently ranked 79th among the world’s largest economies and 36th in the list of wealthiest countries, with an annual GDP per capita of approximately USD 23,723, equivalent to USD 66.45 billion. Each year, Lithuania spends about USD 650 million on seafood imports.
According to ITC statistics, Lithuania is the 12th largest seafood importer in the EU, accounting for 1.2% of the EU’s total seafood import value. In 2022, Vietnam was the 6th largest seafood supplier to Lithuania from outside the EU, accounting for 3.54% of Lithuania’s total seafood import value.
Data from Vietnam Customs show that Vietnam’s tuna export value to this market surged from USD 229 thousand in 2021 to nearly USD 16 million in 2024—an increase of 69 times. In the first five months of 2025 alone, tuna export turnover to Lithuania doubled year-on-year, reaching over USD 8 million.
Frozen tuna meat/loin products (HS code 0304) are the main exports to this market, accounting for 98% of total tuna export value.
Lithuania has been a member of the European Union since 2004. Within the cooperation framework between Vietnam and the EU, legal mechanisms have been established to support economic, trade, and investment collaboration between Vietnam and EU member states. Notably, on June 11–12, 2025, the President of the Republic of Lithuania, Gitanas Nausėda, and his spouse visited Hanoi—marking the first high-level state visit by a Lithuanian head of state to Vietnam in many years. This visit was a highly significant diplomatic event, reflecting the two countries’ commitment to their traditional friendship and multifaceted cooperation, while also opening a new chapter in bilateral relations amid a rapidly changing global context filled with both opportunities and challenges.
In addition, at the seminar titled “75th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Vietnam and Central and Eastern European countries: strengthening relationship, enhancing cooperation, looking to the future,” Deputy Prime Minister Tran Hong Ha outlined five key tasks to elevate Vietnam–CEE relations to a new level. Among them is the need to boost economic cooperation and leverage the Vietnam-EU Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA) to achieve an annual trade growth rate of 10%.
As such, the current expansion of tuna exports to Lithuania by Vietnamese enterprises is on the right track and holds significant potential for growth in the near future. However, to fully realize this potential, businesses are still awaiting the Government’s swift resolution of issues related to Decree 37/2024/NĐ-CP, which provides guidelines for implementing the 2017 Fisheries Law—particularly concerning minimum harvesting sizes and regulations prohibiting mixing of catches. Timely issuance of an amended Decree 37/2024/NĐ-CP would help address difficulties faced by enterprises and fishermen, thus unlocking domestic tuna supply and creating favorable conditions for exporters to take advantage of preferential terms under various Free Trade Agreements (FTAs).
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) Speaking at the Opening Ceremony of VIETFISH 2026 on August 19 at the Saigon Exhibition and Convention Center (SECC), U.S. Consul General Melissa Brown highlighted the important role of the exhibition in connecting Vietnam’s growing seafood industry with buyers, suppliers, and partners from the United States and around the world.
(vasep.com.vn) Tomorrow, August 19, 2026, the Vietnam International Seafood Exhibition – Vietfish 2026 will officially open at the Saigon Exhibition and Convention Center (SECC) in Ho Chi Minh City. Taking place over three days, from August 19–21, Vietfish 2026 promises to provide a dynamic platform for business networking, trend updates, product experiences and comprehensive cooperation across the domestic and international seafood community.
(vasep.com.vn) The global tilapia market continues to grow, creating significant opportunities for countries with strengths in aquaculture, processing, and exports. Against this backdrop, Vietnam’s tilapia industry is gradually developing toward higher quality, greater product diversification, and broader market reach. At Vietfish 2026, the Vietnam Association of Seafood Exporters and Producers (VASEP), together with the VASEP Tilapia Producers and Exporters Club, will host a joint booth to promote the image and potential of Vietnamese tilapia to domestic and international buyers.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) Vietnam’s seafood exports are heading towards $12 billion this year, potentially the highest level on record. Yet one of the country’s export strengths is facing a growing list of challenges.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) The first six months of 2026 indicate that Vietnam’s tilapia industry is entering a new phase of development, with strong export growth but also greater demands for production scale, quality and international competitiveness.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) Vietfish 2026, the Vietnam International Seafood Exhibition, will officially take place from 19–21 August 2026 in Ho Chi Minh City. As Vietnam’s largest annual seafood trade event, organized by the Vietnam Association of Seafood Exporters and Producers (VASEP), Vietfish 2026 will once again bring together leading seafood companies, industry experts, and international partners from across the global seafood value chain.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) Vietnam’s seafood exports reached USD 1.1 billion in July 2026, up 4.8% compared to the same period in 2025. Cumulative exports in the first seven months of the year totaled nearly USD 6.86 billion, an increase of 11.5% year-on-year. Exceeding the USD 1 billion mark in July further reinforces the prospect that Vietnam’s seafood exports could surpass USD 12 billion in 2026. However, the July figures also send a clear signal that the most favorable growth period may have passed: overall export growth slowed to just 4.8%, pangasius exports fell 6.1%, tuna exports were virtually flat, while exports to the EU, South Korea, and the Middle East all recorded double-digit declines.
(vasep.com.vn) As part of the Vietnam Fisheries International Exhibition (Vietfish 2026), the seminar "Global Seafood Market and the Future Workforce: Trends, Opportunities, and Sustainable Development Pathways for Vietnam's Seafood Industry" will take place from 2:00 p.m. to 4:15 p.m. on August 19, 2026, at Convention Room B, Level 2, SECC, Ho Chi Minh City. This is the first of five specialized seminars at Vietfish 2026, focusing on key issues that are shaping the long-term development of Vietnam's seafood industry.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) Vietnamese seafood exports recorded impressive growth, generating nearly 6 billion USD in revenue during the first six months of the year, up 13% compared with the same period last year.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) Fishermen in Ha Tinh are gradually overcoming difficulties to maintain the efficiency of seafood exploitation. In the first six months of 2026, the entire province achieved a production of more than 23,000 tons of seafood, worth more than 1,200 billion VND.
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