According to the Vietnam Association of Seafood Exporters and Producers (VASEP), Vietnam’s seafood exports in the first 10 months of 2025 recorded significant progress, with over 9.5 billion USD. This is an increase of 15% compared to the same in 2024.
Among export products, shrimp continues to play a leading role, reaching over 3.9 billion USD in the first 10 months of 2025. In addition to tiger shrimp and black tiger shrimp with stable growth, the highlight of this year is lobster. The export of lobster experienced a rare and record-breaking increase in growth, reaching over 712 million USD, a 134% increase compared to the same period last year. The boom was caused by the extremely high demand in China and Hong Kong (China) for live and high-end shrimp, especially within the HORECA (Hotel, Restaurant, and Catering) sector.
Catfish is the second key product of the fisheries industry. This product achieved an export value of about 1.8 billion USD after 10 months. Tilapia has become a new bright spot with an impressive growth rate of 220%, reaching 62 million USD. It is positioned as a potential strategic commodity of Vietnam, with increasing demand in the US and many European countries.
Seafood export turnover is forecast to exceed 11 billion USD this year.
Tuna continues to face significant pressure, with exports in the first 10 months remaining at around 791 million USD, nearly 4% lower than the same period last year.
The squid and octopus group has shown a clear recovery, bringing the total value for the 10 months to over 627 million USD due to strong improvements in demand in Japan, South Korea, and the US, especially for frozen products.
Fish cakes and surimi also attracted attention, with 91 million in 10 months. This is a 24% increase compared to the same period last year, making them one of the fastest-growing product categories in the entire industry.
With this growth, Vietnam’s fisheries industry expects exports in 2025 to reach 11 billion USD. This will be the highest level of Vietnamese seafood exports in the past three years.
China and Hong Kong are major markets for Vietnam, with export turnover exceeding 2 billion USD in the first 10 months, an increase of over 32%, particularly strong for lobster, fish, and crabs. The demand for fresh seafood consumption during the year-end period is opening up significant growth potential for Vietnamese businesses.
Vietnam’s seafood exports to the US increased compared to the same period last year, reaching about 1.66 billion USD.
Vietnam’s exports to Japan continue to recover steadily, with a value of nearly 1.45 billion USD in the first 10 months due to strong consumption of shrimp, squid, fish, and crabs.
The EU market also has good growth, reaching 985 million USD in 10 months. Meanwhile, exports to South Korea maintained double-digit growth, with 725 million USD, thanks to high demand for squid and surimi.
CPTPP markets, particularly Canada, Australia, and Japan, continue to be the fastest-growing region, showing Vietnam’s significant advantage in taking advantage of tariff preferences.
The VASEP assesses that 2026 will be a difficult year, with increasing competitive pressure from India, Ecuador, and Indonesia. Therefore, Vietnamese businesses must proactively restructure their markets, strongly develop value-added products, invest in processing technology, and increase sustainability standards to maintain long-term growth.