(seafood.vasep.com.vn) On May 1, 2021, the UK - Vietnam Free Trade Agreement (UKVFTA) officially took effect. The agreement is expected by the two countries to create more new opportunities in trade and investment relations between Vietnam and the UK in the near future.

(seafood.vasep.com.vn) As of the first half of February 2021, the total value of Vietnam pangasius exports to the UK market reached 3.89 million USD, up by 15.6% over the same period in 2020. It is forecasted that in the next months pangasius exports to this market will continue to have positive double-digit growths compared to the same period last year.

(vasep.com.vn) Over the past 5 years, the UK has been one of the 17 largest tuna export markets for Vietnam. But in 2020, Vietnam's tuna exports to the UK were unstable. The export value of Vietnamese tuna to this market reached nearly 7 million USD, going down by 2% compared to 2019 due to the impact of the Covid-19 epidemic and Britain's departure from the European Union (EU) changed British consumer behavior.

With the average seafood import demand of 4.1-4.5 billion USD/year, Vietnam seafood has great room to increase exports to the UK market thanks to the push from the UKVFTA Free Trade Agreement.