These developments provide a springboard for Viet Nam's seafood industry to target a record export turnover of 12 billion USD, despite continued pressure from price competition, traceability requirements, and compliance costs.
Sustaining growth momentum
According to the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment, total seafood output reached 7.89 million tonnes in the first nine months of 2026, equivalent to 78.1% of the annual target and up 3.9% year on year. Aquaculture continued to be the main driver of growth, with volume totalling 4.86 million tonnes. As of October 15, seafood export turnover stood at 9.7 billion USD.
Export performance over the past nine months reveals that shrimp and tra fish (pangasius) continued to make significant contributions to the industry's overall results. According to the Viet Nam Association of Seafood Exporters and Producers (VASEP), shrimp exports reached 3.75 billion USD, up 11% year on year. Accounting for approximately 41% of total seafood export turnover, this product segment will have a considerable impact on the sector’s full-year outcome.
Phung Thi Kim Thu, a market expert at VASEP, said that although shrimp exports had maintained growth thanks to demand from China and several markets within the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP), momentum had begun to slow in September as shipments to the US declined. Tariff pressures, international competition, and difficulties in securing raw materials have posed mounting challenges for businesses in the final months of the year.
Nevertheless, businesses continue to see opportunities in the US for deeply processed, high-value-added products. General Director of Minh Phu Seafood Corporation Le Van Quang said the US had overtaken Japan to become the company's largest market. Although Vietnamese shrimp faces an additional tariff of 12.5% there, the duty differential compared with shrimp from India and Ecuador is not yet significant enough to undermine the competitiveness of value-added offerings.
Growing demand is also prompting businesses to expand their processing capacity. Minh Phu is stepping up automation, targeting 70–80% of its production operations. Le Van Quang said that even when all three factories were operating at full capacity, the company was still unable to fulfil all orders. It could therefore consider investing in an additional plant if the market continued to grow.
The tra fish sector also recorded positive results in September, with export turnover reaching approximately 214 million USD, up 18.6%. Exports over the first nine months totalled 1.74 billion USD, an increase of 10.7%. Deputy Secretary-General of VASEP Le Hang said tighter stocks of certain wild-caught whitefish species were creating additional opportunities for Vietnamese tra fish. In Japan, the introduction of tra fish products through professional distribution channels was a noteworthy development, although the market remained relatively small. Competitive pricing and stable supply were helping to attract greater interest in the fish.
Alongside strong seafood export performance, the fisheries production and aquaculture sectors also recorded solid growth over the first nine months, helping to meet domestic consumption and export processing needs.
The Ministry of Agriculture and Environment said seafood production continued to trend upwards in September. Many brackish-water shrimp farming areas entered their main harvesting season, tra fish output remained stable, and marine capture activities benefited from favourable conditions towards the end of the southern fishing season.
In the first nine months of 2026, total seafood output totalled 7.89 million tonnes, including 5.41 million tonnes of fish, nearly 1.38 million tonnes of shrimp, and 1.1 million tonnes of other aquatic products. Aquaculture remained the primary growth engine, while marine capture fisheries helped supplement raw material supplies for processing and consumption.
Aquaculture continued to achieve solid growth thanks to the increased application of scientific advances, technical improvements, and technology, gradually enhancing productivity, quality, and efficiency. In the Mekong Delta, many brackish-water shrimp farming areas entered their main harvesting season. Rice-shrimp and mangrove-shrimp farming models yielded positive results, while the zones devoted to intensive and super-intensive farming using high technology were expanding. Tra fish production remained stable, while tilapia and marine aquaculture gained traction, helping diversify supply sources.
Accelerating growth in final months of the year
The final months of the year are traditionally a period when importers increase seafood purchases to meet demand during the festive season, holidays and Lunar New Year celebrations. According to Deputy Director of the Department of Planning and Finance under the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment Tran Gia Long, to help achieve and exceed the 2026 export target of 74 billion USD for agricultural, forestry, and fishery products, the seafood sector alone needs to maintain monthly export turnover of approximately 1 billion USD in the remaining months, with shrimp still expected to play a leading role.
To achieve this target, the seafood industry needs to further strengthen its raw material supply base, ensuring stability while enhancing production quality and efficiency. In aquaculture, greater application of technology, disease control, and production planning aligned with market demand will help reduce risks and boost economic returns for farmers.
In addition, strengthening links between farmers, fishermen, and seafood processing and export enterprises will help improve procurement planning, minimise supply fluctuations, and enhance their capacity to fulfil orders. Businesses also need to remain flexible in production management, product portfolios, and market selection, while keeping costs under control to maintain their competitiveness.
With rising output and positive export results in the first nine months, Viet Nam's seafood industry is building a solid foundation to achieve a record export turnover of 12 billion USD in 2026.
