Southeast Asia Information Port (www.dnyxxg.com) – In the first four months of 2026, Vietnam's seafood exports achieved a positive recovery, reaching US$3.7 billion, a year-on-year increase of nearly 15%, steadily progressing towards the annual target of US$12 billion. However, seafood enterprises still face multiple challenges, including raw material shortages, labor costs, production costs, and international trade barriers.
In terms of product performance, shrimp and basa fish became the main export drivers: shrimp exports reached approximately US$1.5 billion, an increase of 15%, accounting for over 40% of total exports. This benefited from the recovery of some Asian markets, but the company had to compete on price with countries like Ecuador and India, and exports to the US were affected by trade barriers such as anti-dumping duties and administrative reviews. Basa fish exports reached US$734 million, an increase of 19%, maintaining its position as the second largest export category. Markets were concentrated in China, ASEAN, and the Middle East, but technical barriers continued to rise. Conversely, tuna exports decreased by 6% year-on-year, to approximately US$286 million, pressured by both raw material shortages and technical barriers. The market is showing a divergent trend: exports to the Chinese market grew by over 50%, but recovery in some markets is slow, and exports to the US declined by over 7%, highlighting the increasing pressure from trade barriers.
Exporting companies indicated that growth opportunities still exist in 2026: global demand for aquatic products is stable, but import dependence in the US, EU, Japan, and China is high; consumption patterns are shifting towards convenient, high-value, and traceable products; free trade agreements such as CPTPP, EVFTA, and UKVFTA provide tariff preferences and market expansion opportunities, and supply shortages in some regions also create opportunities for Vietnamese products to increase their market share.
To achieve their annual targets, companies are calling for targeted support from the government and ministries: reforming systems and mechanisms, reducing compliance costs; ensuring the supply of raw materials for export processing; and strengthening market expansion and international trade dispute response capabilities. In the long term, it is necessary to formulate an overall plan for raw material development, improve seedling quality, control diseases, reduce aquaculture costs, promote the transformation of aquaculture from extensive to intensive farming, expand aquaculture areas, and achieve self-sufficiency in broodstock (currently 90% relies on imports) to fundamentally enhance the industry's competitiveness. (End)
