Key shrimp export products from Vietnam to the UK include peeled and tail-off white leg shrimp, frozen white leg shrimp (PD), steamed or boiled frozen white leg shrimp, fresh or frozen white leg shrimp, and battered white leg shrimp.
In recent years, Vietnam's shrimp exports to the UK have been unstable, with fluctuations in growth. However, the UK is still considered an important market for Vietnamese shrimp, with various trade benefits in the bilateral trade relations between the two countries. From 2018 to 2024, shrimp exports to the UK peaked in 2020 with over 243 million USD, followed by a downward trend, reaching the lowest point in 2023. In 2024, shrimp exports to the UK showed signs of recovery, reaching over 212 million USD.
By January 2025, shrimp exports to the UK continued to maintain the growth momentum of 2024.
Currently, Vietnam has signed two new-generation Free Trade Agreements (FTAs) with the United Kingdom: the CPTPP and the UKVFTA. The combination of these agreements provides favorable conditions for businesses in both countries to maximize trade and investment opportunities, including shrimp exports to the UK.
Shrimp accounts for approximately 10% of total seafood consumption in the UK. In the restaurant or foodservice sector, shrimp is a common ingredient, with around 61% of businesses in this sector using shrimp. Additionally, shrimp is popular in Indian and Chinese restaurants in the UK, used in dishes such as wraps, soups, dumplings, and spring rolls.
In the UK market, Vietnam remains the largest shrimp supplier. However, Vietnamese shrimp faces strong price competition from shrimp from India and Ecuador.
With the tariff advantages offered by the two FTAs, Vietnamese shrimp has a competitive edge over other trade partners such as China, Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, the Philippines, India, Brazil, and others. To benefit from the preferential tariffs under the agreements, Vietnamese seafood products must prove their origin, meet sustainability standards, and adhere to social responsibility requirements.
UK consumers tend to choose products that meet high standards set by UK and EU authorities regarding product quality, origin, sustainability, environmental friendliness, and convenience. Therefore, to increase market share in the UK for seafood in general and shrimp in particular, Vietnamese products must meet the requirements for quality, packaging, appearance, and taste. Companies should also invest in improving production capacity, quality management, and carefully research the market's regulations and standards.
Top 5 Vietnamese Shrimp Exporters to the UK in 2024:
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) On July 9, 2026, the Embassy of Vietnam in Brazil organized the seminar titled “Sharing Information on Vietnam-Brazil Economic, Trade and Investment Relations in the First Half of 2026” to provide updates on bilateral cooperation and strengthen connections among government agencies, industry associations, and business communities of the two countries.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) Seafood exports in the first 6 months of the year continued to be a bright spot with a total turnover of 5.7 billion USD, an increase of 11.4% compared to the same period last year. By commodity group, seafood is one of the three groups with a trade balance in the first 6 months of 2026 in a surplus state with 4.13 billion USD, an increase of 17%.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) For many years, Vietnam’s seafood industry has been recognized as one of the country’s key export pillars. Products such as shrimp, pangasius, tuna, squid, octopus, and a wide range of other seafood have reached hundreds of markets worldwide. Yet behind these impressive export figures lies a significant challenge: a substantial share of Vietnam’s seafood export value still comes from minimally processed products, contract manufacturing, and raw material exports—segments characterized by low profit margins and high vulnerability to fluctuations in global prices.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) In the context of a global economy shifting powerfully toward green and sustainable values, Vietfish 2026 is far more than just a commercial trade fair. It has become a strategic rendezvous and a "comprehensive ecosystem"—a convergence of value, knowledge, and sustainable growth opportunities for the entire industry chain.
(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).
VASEP - HIỆP HỘI CHẾ BIẾN VÀ XUẤT KHẨU THỦY SẢN VIỆT NAM
Chịu trách nhiệm: Ông Nguyễn Hoài Nam - Phó Tổng thư ký Hiệp hội
Đơn vị vận hành trang tin điện tử: Trung tâm VASEP.PRO
Trưởng Ban Biên tập: Bà Phùng Thị Kim Thu
Giấy phép hoạt động Trang thông tin điện tử tổng hợp số 138/GP-TTĐT, ngày 01/10/2013 của Bộ Thông tin và Truyền thông
Tel: (+84 24) 3.7715055 – (ext.203); email: kimthu@vasep.com.vn
Trụ sở: Số 7 đường Nguyễn Quý Cảnh, Phường An Phú, Quận 2, Tp.Hồ Chí Minh
Tel: (+84) 28.628.10430 - Fax: (+84) 28.628.10437 - Email: vasephcm@vasep.com.vn
VPĐD: số 10, Nguyễn Công Hoan, Ngọc Khánh, Ba Đình, Hà Nội
Tel: (+84 24) 3.7715055 - Fax: (+84 24) 37715084 - Email: vasephn@vasep.com.vn