(seafood.vasep.com.vn) Deputy Prime Minister Bui Thanh Son has signed Decision No. 16/QD-TTg, dated January 5, 2026, approving the implementation plan for the Vietnam-Israel Free Trade Agreement (VIFTA). Under the plan, in the coming period, ministries, ministerial-level agencies, government-affiliated entities and People’s Committees of provinces and centrally-run cities must institutionalize and execute tasks focused on the dissemination of information regarding VIFTA and the Israeli market; legislative and institutional development, as well as enhancing competitiveness and human resource growth...
Due to the complementary nature of the Vietnamese and Israeli economies with limited direct competition, VIFTA is expected to expand the export landscape for Vietnam’s key products, particularly seafood.
Under the commitments of VIFTA, Israel will liberalize up to 92.7% of total tariff lines, while Vietnam’s level stands at 85.8%. As a result, most Vietnamese agricultural and seafood products will benefit from preferential tariffs. In the seafood segment, tuna currently stands as Vietnam’s leading export product to Israel, accounting for around 7% of the country’s total tuna import value in recent years. Beyond tuna, products such as shrimp, pangasius, squid and octopus are also considered to have high potential in the Middle Eastern market.
In terms of competitiveness, Vietnamese seafood benefits from a stable supply, large-scale aquaculture and capture fisheries, modern processing capacity and the ability to comply with Middle Eastern market standards, including Halal, Kosher and specific importer requirements. Vietnamese enterprises demonstrate high flexible in processing and packaging, enabling higher value addition and better alignment with multiple retail segments. Evidence of this potential is seen in Vietnam's seafood export turnover to the Middle East, which surged from $198 million in 2020 to $366 million in 2024, underscoring the strong expansion potential of this market.
However, to fully capitalize on the VIFTA, businesses must pay close attention to rules of origin. The Ministry of Industry and Trade of Vietnam has issued Circular No. 11/2024/TT-BCT, detailing origin criteria, including wholly obtained goods, goods produced from originating materials or goods that have undergone sufficient processing or manufacturing in line with specific rules (RVC, CTC, or defined production processes).
Beyond tariff preferences, the Ministry of Industry and Trade is ramping up trade promotion programs, supply chain connectivity and investment facilitation programs, creating favorable conditions for Vietnamese seafood enterprises to access Israel’s advanced deep-processing technologies, thereby enhancing both export quality and value. Enterprises are advised to proactively conduct in-depth research into VIFTA regulations, establish transparent production processes, ensure full traceability and comply with quality and technical standards. At the same time, they should actively leverage support from Vietnam’s overseas trade offices to mitigate risks and pursue sustainable development in the Israeli market.