At the beginning of 2023, the active working atmosphere of seafood enterprises, including pangasius enterprises, showed optimistic signals on the recovery of orders from the markets. On the first working day after the Tet holiday, workers of Hung Ca Co., Ltd. are busy preparing for an export order of 21 containers of pangasius fillets. At Vinh Hoan JSC, nearly 10,000 workers also return to the company to prepare for new orders.
Although in the last quarter of 2022, Vietnam's pangasius exports had fallen to the lowest level of the year with 475 million USD, down 12% compared to the same period in 2021 due to the impact of inflation causing orders from markets to decrease. However, compared to other seafood sectors, pangasius still has a better prospect in 2023, thanks to positive signals from two major markets, China and the US.
The full opening of China has created opportunities for many agricultural export products of Vietnam, including pangasius. With 712 million USD in 2022, pangasius accounts for 40% of Vietnam's seafood exports to China (accounts for the largest proportion). Chinese people tend to prefer pangasius over tilapia. Both importing and exporting seafood is now easier. Freight costs have also dropped below pre-pandemic levels, further facilitating trade.
China's lifting of restrictions on Covid has not been able to bring about a strong recovery for seafood orders in the first month of the year, because the epidemic is still a concern of many people and the restaurant segment has not been able to open yet. Everything changes after a few months, this market will adapt and explode in demand in the consumption segments.
For the US market, the supply and demand of white fish is beneficial for pangasius. Experts and traders in the US market are optimistic about the demand for pangasius and tilapia in the US market in 2023. Both species have reasonable prices and stable supply. Meanwhile, the ban with Russia continues to reduce the supply of cod - a popular white fish in the US. Especially during Lent (from late February to mid-April), demand will increase and will have to be replaced by others such as pangasius, tilapia, pollock.
This year, the US will increase its pollock quota by 16% to nearly 1.5 million tons, but it cannot meet immediate demand. For tilapia, the trade war and Covid epidemic still limit China's exports to the US. Therefore, pangasius still has a bright spot in this market. In the first 11 months of 2022, the US imported 120 thousand tons of pangasius fillets, while tilapia fillets reached 96 thousand tons. This is the first time that pangasius imports to the US have surpassed tilapia.
120 thousand tons of imported fish fillets into the US is also the second highest number since 2007, compared to the record level of over 130 thousand tons in 2016.
In 2022, Vietnam's pangasius exports to the US reached 537 million USD, an increase of 45% compared to 2021, maintaining a positive growth of 23% - 123% in the first 3 quarters of the year, but the increase in inventories caused a decrease in demand in the fourth quarter, so the last quarter of the year exports to the market decreased by 32%.
The US economy has a slight recovery signal, the inventory decreases and supply and demand factors may stimulate orders for pangasius to increase again after the Lunar New Year.
Those expectations can bring confidence in the resilience of pangasius businesses in 2023.
Compiled by Thu Hang
(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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