(seafood.vasep.com.vn) The year 2025 marks a clear recovery for the global surimi industry, with strong growth momentum driven by major consuming markets in the Asia–Pacific region. In this context, Vietnam has emerged as a bright spot, as exports of fish paste and surimi reached over USD 257 million in the first nine months, up 26% compared to the same period in 2024.

(seafood.vasep.com.vn) Vietnam’s fish cakes and surimi exports in the first seven months of 2025 showed impressive growth despite global market volatility. According to Vietnam Customs data, surimi exports in July alone reached over $30 million, increase 23% compared to the same period in 2024. This contributed to a total export turnover of more than $195 million for the period, a 28% increase compared to the same period in 2024.

(seafood.vasep.com.vn) Amid Vietnam’s seafood sector’s ongoing shift toward value-added products, surimi – a processed and refined minced fish product – is emerging as a key player in the country’s export strategy. With abundant raw materials and increasingly sophisticated processing techniques, surimi has become a bright spot in Vietnam’s seafood exports, especially during challenging times like the present.

(seafood.vasep.com.vn) In April 2025, Vietnam’s exports of fish cakes and surimi continued their strong recovery, reaching nearly USD 29 million—an increase of 33% compared to the same period in 2024. Cumulatively, in the first four months of 2025, export value for this product group exceeded USD 109 million, up 32% year-on-year.

After a slow start in the first month of the quarter, Vietnam’s fish cake and surimi exports posted consecutive growth in the following two months, bringing total export value in Q1 2025 to over USD 80 million, up 31% year-on-year.

(seafood.vasep.com.vn) In the final quarter of 2024, Vietnam’s surimi and fish cake exports showed consistent growth over the last three months. For the entire year 2024, exports of these products reached USD 298 million, down 2% compared to 2023. However, the final quarter saw more promising signs for the surimi and fish cake export sector, with some markets experiencing notable growth, such as Thailand, China, and Taiwan. Particularly, exports to Taiwan, which had seen continuous declines in the previous two quarters, surged by 301% in this quarter.

(seafood.vasep.com.vn) According to statistics from Vietnam Customs, Vietnam exports of surimi and fish cake continued to decline in May 2024. The export value in this month reached only over 23 million USD, down 25% compared to the same period in 2023. In the first five months of 2024, Vietnam's exports of surimi and fish cake reached over 106 million USD, down 15%.

Vietnam’s largest exporter of pangasius, Vinh Hoan Corporation, has invested in surimi production, including raw material blocks and crab sticks.

(seafood.vasep.com.vn) According to statistics of Vietnam Customs, Vietnam's exports of fish cakes and surimi grew continuously in the first 5 months of 2021. And by the end of May 2021, exports Vietnam's fish cakes and surimi exports reached 160 million USD, up 37% over the same period in 2020.