At the European Seafood Exposition (ESE), many pangasius importers refused to close deal with Vietnam suppliers at US$2.7 per kilogram (FOB, Ho Chi Minh City). At VND22,000 – 24,000 per kilogram of domestic raw fish, even if fish could be sold at US$2.7, both pangasius processors and farmers would only reach breakeven. In fact, some other companies insist on keeping offers at high level of US$3.2 – 3.5 per kilogram. In their opinion, pangasius products are currently traded in supermarket chain at US$13 per kilogram, so fish importers and retailers still reach a great deal if they accept to purchase pangasius at US$3.5. However, European purchasers hesitated to buy fish due to low fish consumption in the region.
Fish consumption in the EU is weakening. According to International Trade Center (ITC), shipment of seafood (HS code 03) to the market in January 2012 totaled US$2.56 billion, a drop of nearly 9 percent from the same month last year. On the one hand, the drop in import value was caused by financial difficulties in European countries. On the other hand, other EU’s seafood suppliers, particularly Thailand, reduced shipments to this market because of less attractive export price.
In the first months of 2012, Thailand’s export of all varieties of fish to the EU fell about 10 percent, in which tilapia reported the strongest drop.
Statistics from Thailand Customs and Thai Frozen Food Association (TFFA) showed that in January and February 2012, shipment of frozen and fresh tilapia from Thailand to the EU was down 99.73 percent from the same period of 2012. However, fish’s average export price went up to Baht90,000 per MT. Export volume of tilapia fillet was also dropped 93 percent, but average export price was 5 times higher than that of the first two months of 2011.
According to Vietnam Customs, the number of Vietnam exporters to the EU decreased sharply from the same period of 2011, especially many companies stopped to ship to the block although it was considered as their main and traditional market.
An exporter shared that the EU accounted for 50 percent of the company’s total exports. However, since early 2012, it has stopped supplying fish to the market because consumption of fish remained weak there and importers offered a very low price while the firm tried to sell fish at more than US$3.0 per kilogram. “Stanstill business with the EU makes us difficult, but we accept to wait and hope for a new period of higher fish price. We accept the difficult time to keep the real value for pangasius”.
Pangasius is a famous and special fish of Vietnam which is seen as an alternative for the world’s main whitemeat fish species. The fish became more and more popular and gains lots of confidence of consumers in the EU and global market. In the tough economic situation when European consumers have to cut expenses in every way, they are still looking for a good quality fish with reasonable prices like pangasius. Therefore, EU importers and retailers have to keep pangasius on supermarket shelves if they want to attract customers.
Should Vietnam pangasius exporters stop supply fish to the EU within a month to wait the market to recover? And why not US$3.5 per kilogram for pangasius fillet?
(vasep.com.vn) On November 11, 2026, in Can Tho, the Vietnam Association of Seafood Exporters and Producers (VASEP) will organize the Vietnam Seafood Summit 2026 (VSS 2026) under the theme “Seafood Market Outlook 2027–2029: Opportunities and Headroom for Double-Digit Export Growth.”
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) Business leader Do Ngoc Tai, General Director of Tai Kim Anh Seafood Processing Joint Stock Company, was honored by the Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry (VCCI) with the title “Outstanding Vietnamese Entrepreneur – Thanh Giong Cup 2026” at a ceremony celebrating Vietnam Entrepreneurs’ Day (October 13). The event took place on the evening of October 11, 2026, at the National Convention Center in Hanoi.
(vasep.com.vn) The global tilapia market is becoming increasingly segmented, not only among producing countries but also by product type and destination market. Supply is divided into groups with distinct competitive advantages: large volumes of whole fish and frozen fillets from Asia, high-value fresh fillets from Latin America, and substantial domestic consumption in several major producing countries.
(vasep.com.vn) Vietnam’s tuna exports to the UK grew in the first eight months of 2026, despite signs of slowing import demand in the market. However, sharp fluctuations in orders, competition from major suppliers, and new traceability requirements are creating challenges for Vietnamese exporters.
(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.
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