However, the Asian market and high-value products can help businesses limit negative impacts.
Tuna exports: Great pressure, small opportunities
According to Vietnam Customs Department, in the first 10 months of 2025, tuna exports reached 791 million USD, down 4% year-on-year.
In October, EU continued to grow, reaching nearly 15 million USD, up 16%; especially the Netherlands and Italy increased sharply by three digits. In the 10 months, the EU reached nearly 175 million USD, up 4%. In the CPTPP, Mexico and Chile recovered in October (up 51% and 16%) but still decreased by 4% and 29% in the 10 months.
Exports to the US continued to decrease due to tight consumption, high inventories and increased reciprocal taxes. In 10 months, exports to the US reached nearly 294 million USD, down 8% but still accounted for more than 37% of total turnover.
Canada and Japan decreased by 4% and 33% respectively in October. Exports to Israel and Russia were affected by conflicts and exchange rates, but October recorded a positive signal when Russia increased by 23%. In contrast, Egypt increased by a breakthrough of 128%, reaching nearly 21 million USD and rising to the top 8 largest import markets, showing efforts of Vietnamese enterprises to diversify the market.
For fresh, frozen and dried tuna (HS03), there was a slight decrease of 1%, of which frozen loin increased by nearly 2%. The group of processed tuna (HS16) decreased by 7% due to weak demand in the US and the Middle East. This shows that enterprises are adapting better to supply and effectively exploiting value-added product lines.
According to Vietnam Association of Seafood Exporters and Producers (VASEP), in the world market, price of raw tuna in Thailand - a major processing center in the region - has shown signs of a slight decrease since September 2025, helping importers to accelerate the signing of new contracts for the fourth quarter of 2025. However, competitive pressure from Thailand, Ecuador and Indonesia remains high as these countries enjoy better reciprocal tax rates when exporting to the US and more preferential treatment when exporting to the EU. “Meanwhile, the Vietnamese tuna industry is still facing many challenges such as: unstable domestic raw material supply, heavily dependent on imports; logistics costs and IUU control (illegal, unreported, unregulated fishing) are still a burden for businesses; increasingly strict traceability and sustainability certification requirements from high-end markets such as the EU, the US, Japan... Therefore, it is forecasted that tuna exports in the last quarter of the year will hardly recover”, said Vietnam Association of Seafood Exporters and Producers.
Vietnam shrimp: Asia keeps pace, the US creates pressure
As for shrimp, in the first 10 months of 2025, Vietnam's shrimp exports increased sharply in most markets. China & Hong Kong (China) led with 1.1 billion USD, up 64%, the highest level; October alone reached 140 million USD.
CPTPP bloc reached over 1 billion USD, up 33%, thanks to stable demand in Japan, Canada, and Australia. The US reached 702 million USD, up 9%; October recorded 114 million USD despite strong competition from Ecuador and India. EU reached 487 million USD, up 20%, with steady demand for processed and certified products.
Taiwan (China) increased by nearly 80% in October, reaching 12 million USD, showing room for expansion in the Asia-Pacific region.
Whiteleg shrimp reached 2.5 billion USD, accounting for nearly 65% of turnover thanks to competitive prices and large output. Tiger shrimp reached 385 million USD, remaining stable with good demand in Japan and China. Other shrimp groups reached 991 million USD, increasing sharply thanks to frozen and deeply processed products, helping businesses take advantage of capacity and expand high-value segments.
According to Vietnam Association of Seafood Exporters and Producers (VASEP), since the beginning of the year, Asia has been the region that has created the strongest growth momentum for Vietnam's shrimp exports. China - Hong Kong (China) increased by over 60%, Taiwan (China) increased sharply in October and South Korea also maintained a slight increase. This shows that demand in the region has somewhat improved thanks to the gradual economic recovery and the geographical advantage of Vietnamese shrimp. This is also a strategy to diversify the market of businesses in the context of US taxes.
Meanwhile, markets such as the US, Japan and the EU have maintained a stable growth momentum, mainly in the value-added product group and processed shrimp.
Vietnam Association of Seafood Exporters and Producers (VASEP) said that, entering the last quarter of the year, shrimp exports are forecast to slow down. These factors are putting pressure on prices, competitiveness and progress in signing new contracts.
“If businesses continue to optimize high-value products, maintain quality and diversify markets, the slowdown can be limited but general trend is that growth in the fourth quarter will be slower or decrease compared to the middle months of the year,” Vietnam Association of Seafood Exporters and Producers (VASEP) assessed.

Source: Vitic/ congthuong.vn