September 07, 2026 | 08:50

Seafood exports maintain growth trajectory despite persistent headwinds

Chu Khoi

Amid softening demand in traditional markets such as the United States, the European Union, and parts of Japan, China - Hong Kong (China) and ASEAN are emerging as primary growth engines for Vietnam’s seafood sector.

Seafood exports maintain growth trajectory despite persistent headwinds
Shrimp retains key driver role. (Photo: VASEP)

According to the Vietnam Association of Seafood Exporters and Producers (VASEP), seafood exports in August reached $1.14 billion, up 6 percent year-on-year.

For the January-August period, total seafood export turnover reached $8 billion, representing an 11.8 percent increase compared to the same period last year.

China - Hong Kong (China) remained Vietnam’s largest seafood export market in August, generating $287.7 million, a 26.2 percent jump year-on-year. In the first eight months of 2026, cumulative exports to this market reached $2.03 billion, surging 33.4 percent and accounting for over 25 percent of the country’s total seafood export value.

VASEP highlighted that robust growth from China - Hong Kong (China) contributed more than $508 million to the sector's net increase, representing approximately 60 percent of overall growth. Import demand for key commodities, including shrimp, pangasius, crabs, and marine fish, remained strong in this market.

Conversely, exports to the United States fell 11.4 percent year-on-year in August to $167.74 million. For the January-August period, shipments to the US totaled $1,24 billion, virtually flat compared to the previous year. Exports to the EU also declined 1.6 percent to $749.9 million due to sluggish demand for shrimp and tuna.

Regarding regional markets in the eight-month period, shipments to Japan reached $1.11 billion, up 2 percent year-on-year, while exports to South Korea grew 4.9 percent to $566.3 million. ASEAN stood out as a bright spot, with eight-month export turnover reaching $544.9 million, up 20 percent year-on-year, driven by a 31 percent surge in August alone.

VASEP noted that shrimp remained the sectors largest export commodity in August 2026, generating $485.5 million, up 5.7 percent year-on-year.

Attention
The original article is written and published on VnEconomy in Vietnamese, then translated into English by Askonomy – an AI platform developed by Vietnam Economic Times/VnEconomy – and published on En-VnEconomy. To read the full article, please use the Google Translate tool below to translate the content into your preferred language.
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