HCM CITY — The Vietnam International Fisheries Exhibition (Vietfish 2026) opened at the Saigon Exhibition and Convention Centre in HCM City on August 19, bringing together businesses across the seafood value chain and showcasing the country’s production and processing capabilities.

Organised by the Vietnam Association of Seafood Exporters and Producers (VASEP) under the theme “Innovation and Sustainability”, the 27th edition is the largest Vietfish yet at more than 14,000sq.m and 568 booths set up by 335 businesses from 17 countries and territories.

Việt Nam’s seafood exports were worth nearly US$6.9 billion in the first seven months of 2026, up 12.4 per cent year-on-year. The industry is targeting full-year exports of around $12 billion.

Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade Phan Thị Thắng said the seafood industry has maintained its growth momentum despite challenges, including higher ocean freight costs.

The sector has shifted from reliance on capture fisheries towards deeper processing, product diversification, and higher-value products that meet increasingly stringent international standards, she said.

As global competition intensifies, the need to strengthen quality, technology, value-added production, branding, and supply-chain sustainability to enhance the position of Vietnamese seafood in global marketsbecomes imperative, she added.

VASEP chairman Đỗ Ngọc Tài said Vietfish has evolved from a conventional trade exhibition to a strategic platform for the industry.

“It convenes the entire value chain from aquaculture, fishing, and processing to technology, logistics, and distribution, while offering Vietnamese businesses an opportunity to showcase their capabilities and meet the ever-higher standards of global markets.”

Amid global economic and trade uncertainty, Tài said the industry needs to focus more on traceability, supply-chain transparency, and sustainability.

“VIETFISH 2026 therefore stands as both a reflection of the industry’s achievements and a catalyst for its transformation: from volume-driven growth to value creation, from product export to brand building, and from fragmented competition to value-chain collaboration and sustainable development.”

Tài said that for the first time, the exhibition features a “hosted buyer programme” to connect global importers with Vietnamese seafood businesses and arranging visits to farms and processing facilities. 

It will have seminars to address market trends, regulations, technology, and sustainable production, he added.

VASEP is also partnering with TikTok Shop and FoodMap to organise livestream sales sessions at the exhibition to tell younger consumers about processed seafood and explore new e-commerce channels.

International cooperation is another highlight: 11 Norwegian companies and organisations are at Vietfish’s first Norwegian national pavilion.

Erlend Skutlaberg, chargé d’affaires a.i. at the Norwegian embassy in Việt Nam, said: “By bringing together Norwegian companies and organisations from across the seafood sector, the pavilion not only showcases expertise, technologies, and solutions but also creates new opportunities for partnerships, knowledge exchange, and value creation in Việt Nam’s seafood industry.”

Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Environment Vũ Văn Hưng said the seafood sector needs to fundamentally change its development model.

“The challenge for Việt Nam’s seafood industry in the coming period is no longer simply to produce more in the same old way. We need to create greater value through a new way of development.”

He called for a shift from volume-driven growth to quality and value-added products, supported by science and technology, innovation, data, and stronger management.

Hưng said: “This is not only about improving competitiveness. It is about repositioning Việt Nam’s seafood industry in the global value chain.”

“Innovation and Sustainability” should become a guiding principle for the sector, he added.

Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Nguyễn Minh Hằng said the industry could no longer rely on volume and cost to compete.

“It must increasingly compete on the strength of quality, technology, value-added production, branding, and sustainability.”

“At the same time, Việt Nam stands ready to further strengthen international cooperation in promoting responsible fisheries, combating illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing, protecting marine ecosystems, and building transparent, green, and sustainable seafood supply chains.”

To run until August 21, the exhibition is expected to attract more than 13,000 trade and international visitors. — VNS