AsemconnectVietnam - Many export items grew impressively in August of 2025, showing that seafood exports are accelerating strongly, opening up hope of reaching the 10 billion USD mark this year.

According to data from Vietnam Customs, in the first 8 months of 2025, seafood export turnover reached 7.34 billion USD, up by 16.7% over the same period of 2024. In August alone, the figure reached 1.12 billion USD, up by 13.8% - a remarkable growth rate in the context of many market fluctuations.
According to Ms. Le Hang, Deputy General Secretary of the Vietnam Association of Seafood Exporters and Producers (VASEP), in the product structure, shrimp was still the main item with revenue of 2.97 billion USD, up by nearly 23%. Notably, lobster continued to be the "star" when reaching 536 million USD, up by nearly 194%.The exports of pangasius also recovered with 1.42 billion USD, up by 9.7%.
In contrast, the exports of tuna reached 633 million USD, down slightly by 2.3%, showing that this segment is unstable in terms of supply and market. Meanwhile, the exports of mollusk group (squid, octopus, bivalve) increased strongly by more than 20%, reaching nearly 649 million USD.
In terms of markets, CPTPP led with a turnover of 2.01 billion USD, accounting for more than 27% of total exports. The exports to China and Hong Kong rose strongly with 1.56 billion USD, up by nearly 39%. The US still held the third position with 1.25 billion USD, up by 8.7%, accounting for 17% of market share. Other markets such as the EU (777 million USD) and South Korea (558 million USD) continued to maintain stable growth.
VASEP predicts that from now until mid-November 2025, US businesses and importers will increase orders to "run ahead" of trade barriers. Therefore, September and October of 2025 may witness explosive growth.
However, from the end of November onwards, exports are expected to slow down, giving way to a difficult period.
Challenges in 2026
According to Ms. Le Hang, with the above growth momentum, the seafood industry is expected to reach the 10 billion USD mark in 2025. However, the risk of decline in 2026 is looming, requiring the industry to prepare response solutions.
Specifically, the Vietnamese seafood industry is facing a crisis period due to the impact of tariff fluctuations and market barriers. In the US, the 20% reciprocal tax makes Vietnamese goods less competitive than those of Thailand, Indonesia or Ecuador. The shrimp industry is also at risk of being subject to high anti-dumping taxes during the POR19 review.
More worryingly, from January 1, 2026, the US will ban seafood imports from 12 Vietnamese fisheries that are not recognized as equivalent under the MMPA Law, which could result in a loss of more than 500 million USD in annual turnover.
In addition, the IUU yellow card has not been removed, plus new regulations on the minimum size of skipjack tuna and the prohibition of mixing raw materials make it difficult for many businesses to source legal goods.
Faced with existing risks, many businesses have considered diversifying their markets, moving towards Asia, the Middle East and South America. However, market expansion is a long-term story, while the US is still the number 1 market. Therefore, despite new directions, a decline in exports in late 2025 and 2026 is almost inevitable.
At the same time, if there is no breakthrough in handling anti-dumping taxes and MMPA, seafood exports in 2026 will certainly decline, at least in the first half of the year. According to Ms. Le Hang, to maintain its position, the seafood industry needs to quickly remove the IUU "yellow card" and find solutions to remove it in the US market. Otherwise, after a year (2025) of growth, the industry may have to face a challenging year (2026).
CK
Source: VITIC/ haiquanonline.com.vn