Total seafood output during this period reached approximately 5 million tons.
VASEP revealed that export turnover reached US$6.2 billion in the first seven months of 2025, up nearly 20 percent compared to the same period last year. This growth reflects both a rebound in global consumption demand and the agile response of Vietnamese enterprises in navigating market uncertainties.
China–Hong Kong emerged as Vietnam’s largest seafood export market, overtaking the United States with over US$1.2 billion in export turnover. Strong growth was recorded in lobster, pangasius, crab, and mollusks- buoyed by heightened demand during early 2025 holiday periods. The US and Japan followed as the next top importers.
Despite the optimistic outlook, the industry faces significant headwinds notably from U.S. trade policy. VASEP has warned of the potential impact of a 20 percent reciprocal tariff set to take effect in August 2025, which could seriously affect key exports like shrimp, pangasius, and tuna.
Additionally, ongoing anti-dumping and anti-subsidy measures continue to erode Vietnam’s competitive edge against exporters from Ecuador, Indonesia, and the Philippines.
In addition, the EU has not yet removed the illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing (IUU) yellow card; plus unreasonable regulations in Decree 37 and 38 have greatly affected domestic raw material sources, reduced reputation and lost orders.
In addition, the Russia-Ukraine conflict, the Middle East war, and international maritime disruptions are directly affecting logistics activities and transportation costs.
Deputy Secretary General Le Hang of the Association of Seafood Processors and Exporters forecasts that in the remaining months of 2025, despite facing many risks, especially from the US tax policy and the shortage of domestic raw materials, the Vietnamese seafood industry will still have support from recovering demand in Asia, the EU and the US. If the 20 percent reciprocal tax scenario is applied from this August, the whole year's seafood export is expected to reach about $9 billion, down 10 percent compared to 2024.
