According to official statistics, Vietnam’s seafood exports reached USD 5.77 billion in the first half of the year. Shrimp remained the country’s leading export product, while Asian markets continued to drive export growth.
According to Vietnam Customs, the country’s seafood exports reached nearly USD 1.1 billion in June 2026. This represented an increase of 20.6% compared with the same month in 2025. In the first half of the year, cumulative export turnover totaled USD 5.77 billion. This was up 12.7% year-on-year. The strong performance provides a solid foundation for this year’s export target. However, challenges related to trade policies, raw material supplies, and logistics costs remain significant.
Among Vietnam’s seafood export markets, China remained the country’s largest single market. Export turnover reached USD 1.39 billion in the first six months of 2026, up nearly 39% year-on-year and accounting for more than 24% of total seafood export value. Combined exports to China and Hong Kong (China) totaled USD 1.47 billion. This was up 36% and represented 25.5% of the total.
The United States ranked next, with seafood exports reaching USD 891 million in the first half of 2026. This was down 0.8% from the same period last year. However, exports to the U.S. surged 43% in June alone, reaching nearly USD 189 million. This suggests that shipments recovered significantly during the final month of the second quarter. The recovery was partly because importers accelerated purchases ahead of potential changes in tariffs and trade policies.
Japan recorded USD 801 million in seafood imports from Vietnam during the first half of 2026, up 2.3% year-on-year. Meanwhile, South Korea imported USD 412 million, an increase of 7%. Exports to Australia reached nearly USD 177 million, up more than 15%. Meanwhile, exports to the European Union (EU) totaled USD 535 million, down 1.1%.
Among regional trade blocs, the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) remained Vietnam’s largest export destination. Seafood exports to CPTPP members reached USD 1.52 billion, up 9.1%. Exports to ASEAN totaled nearly USD 396 million, an increase of more than 20%. These figures indicate that expanding exports to Asian markets, CPTPP members, and neighboring countries has helped offset weaker demand from the United States and the EU.
According to the Vietnam Association of Seafood Exporters and Producers (VASEP), shrimp remained the largest export category, generating USD 2.35 billion. This was up 14.2% year-on-year and accounted for 40.7% of total seafood export turnover. Of this, whiteleg shrimp contributed nearly USD 1.39 billion, up 8.7%. Meanwhile, lobster exports reached nearly USD 585 million, surging more than 44% and making it one of the fastest-growing seafood products.
Pangasius ranked second, with export turnover reaching USD 1.11 billion, up 11.7%. Exports of other fish species also totaled approximately USD 1.11 billion. This represented an increase of 11.4% and reflected a more diversified export structure.
Several smaller product categories also posted strong growth. Squid and octopus exports reached nearly USD 378 million, up 17.9%. Crabs and other crustaceans generated USD 204 million, an increase of 25%, while bivalve mollusks reached nearly USD 153 million, up about 31%.
By contrast, tuna exports totaled nearly USD 455 million, down 1.6%, while fish cakes and surimi declined by 2%. Wild-caught seafood products continued to face challenges related to raw material supplies, catch certification procedures, traceability requirements, and regulations aimed at combating illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing.
According to FAO Globefish, part of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) Fisheries and Aquaculture Division, the global seafood market entered 2026 with several positive signs. These included easing inflation in major economies and relatively stable demand for seafood products. However, tariff policies, geopolitical conflicts, and fluctuations in shipping costs could still rapidly reshape global trade flows.
For Vietnam, container freight rates from Asia to the United States and Europe remain elevated. In early July, shipping rates on the Far East–North America West Coast route stood at around USD 7,100 per FEU. This was up nearly 67% in just one month. Meanwhile, rates on the Far East–Northern Europe route reached approximately USD 5,500 per FEU. This represented an increase of nearly 43%.
Ocean freight charges, refrigerated container surcharges, fuel costs, warehousing expenses, and changes to shipping schedules are directly affecting production costs and delivery capacity for Vietnamese seafood exporters. While shipping lines are adding capacity and gradually restoring routes through the Suez Canal, which could ease freight rates in the second half of the year, the outlook remains highly dependent on the security situation in the Red Sea.
According to VASEP, with seafood exports reaching USD 5.77 billion in the first half of 2026, the industry’s goal of maintaining double-digit export growth this year remains achievable. If the current growth momentum continues and exporters capitalize on stronger demand during the year-end consumption season, total seafood exports could exceed USD 11 billion.
However, reaching the USD 12 billion milestone will require maintaining average monthly exports of more than USD 1 billion throughout the second half of the year. This must be achieved despite continued market uncertainties.
China, CPTPP member countries, ASEAN, and South Korea are expected to remain the main drivers of export growth. Meanwhile, the United States and the European Union continue to pose risks related to tariffs, trade remedy measures, traceability requirements, and IUU regulations. As a result, Vietnam’s ability to approach the USD 12 billion target will depend on the recovery of global demand, trends in freight costs, raw material availability, and the effective utilization of free trade agreements (FTAs).
Vietnamese source: https://congthuong.vn/xuat-khau-thuy-san-khoi-sac-thi-truong-trung-quoc-tang-gan-39-466156.html
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