According to Vietnam Customs, in June 2025, Vietnam’s tuna exports reached over 67 million USD, a decrease of 21% compared to the same period in 2024. However, in the first half of 2025, the tuna export turnover reached 473 million USD, which is a slight increase of 0.2%.
Facing concerns about the US imposing new countervailing duties, many Vietnamese tuna exporters have proactively paused their exports to this market to avoid the risk of high tariffs. Therefore, tuna exports to the US only reached 18 million USD in June 2025, a sharp decrease of 41% compared to the same period in 2024. The US remains the largest market for Vietnamese tuna, with a turnover of 184 million USD in six months, accounting for nearly 39% of the total export value.
Along with the US, Vietnam’s tuna exports to the EU continued to decline sharply in June. In the first six months of the year, Vietnam’s tuna exports to the EU only increased slightly by nearly 1% compared to the same period last year, reaching 109 million USD. Exports to some key markets in this region fell sharply in June, such as the Netherlands (down 30%) and Italy (down 32%).
Vietnam and Thailand compete in tuna exports.
Tuna exports to Germany increased by 36% in June, after continuously declining for the past three months. The weak economic situation in Southern Europe and high logistics costs are believed to be the factors directly affecting seafood consumption.
The CPTPP market recorded positive growth with 62 million USD (an increase of 11%). Meanwhile, exports to Japan and Canada increased significantly by 24% and 15%, respectively. This is a highlight in the context of major markets declining.
Notably, tuna exports to Thailand increased strongly by 137% (20 million USD), showing the increasing role of this country as a processing and re-export hub.
Among the exported tuna products, the frozen tuna meat/loin products with HS code 0304 had a good growth of 10%, indicating stable demand from food processing factories and international supermarkets.
Currently, Vietnam has become the fifth-largest tuna exporter in the world in terms of value, following Thailand, Ecuador, Spain, and China. The tuna raw material supply chain in Southeast Asia is shifting to Vietnam, instead of being concentrated only in Thailand as before. Earlier in 2024, tuna export turnover reached 989 million USD, an increase of 17% compared to 2023.
In 2025, the global tuna market is forecast to fluctuate due to changes in consumer habits, tariff policies, and supply-demand dynamics. Free trade agreements between Vietnam and other countries will help Vietnamese tuna gain an advantage when exporting to markets such as the EU, UAE, Japan, or Canada. However, meeting the origin rules remains a major challenge for the Vietnamese tuna industry. Standards for traceability, sustainable fishing, and combating IUU fishing are becoming mandatory conditions in these markets.