Despite a challenging global environment, seafood exports topped US$11.3 billion in 2025, a 13 per cent rise from 2024 and in excess of the target, according to the Việt Nam Association of Seafood Exporters and Producers.
The growth outlook is driven by the global economic recovery post-pandemic and increasing international demand for affordable protein sources like tra fish, VASEP said.
The Việt Nam Association of Seafood Processors and Exporters said the UAE mainly exported frozen fillets from Việt Nam, accounting for around 93 per cent of the country’s tra fish export to this market.
The NAFIQPM has recommended that seafood processing facilities on the list of exporters to Brazil stop exporting tilapia to the Brazilian market starting from February 14.
Việt Nam''s tra fish (pangasius) exports are exported to continue the growth in the coming months thanks to the control of the COVID-19 pandemic in importing countries.
As tra fish export has been on the decline in recent years due to a rise in trade protectionism in large traditional markets such as the US, Vietnamese firms are looking to bring the fish back home.
The Viet Nam Association of Seafood Exporters and Producers (VASEP) has predicted the export value of tra fish will reach $2.4 billion this year, up from $2.3 billion last year.