AsemconnectVietnam - According to information from the Vietnam Association of Seafood Processing and Export (Vasep), in January of 2026, Vietnam's seafood exports reached approximately US$874 million, a 13% increase compared to the same period in 2025.

The growth in exports in the first month of the year showed that businesses were striving to maintain the pace of orders at the beginning of the year, despite the global seafood trade continuing to face pressure from technical barriers and tariff factors in some major markets.
The growth in the first month of the year mainly came from the markets of China, Japan, ASEAN, and from the pangasius, squid, and octopus product groups. Meanwhile, the US market recorded a significant decline, especially in the tuna group, due to the impact of MMPA regulations and difficulties in implementing Circular 74/2025 of the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment related to the issuance of COA certificates.
Vietnam's seafood exports to China and Hong Kong increased in January of 2026
China and Hong Kong continued to be Vietnam's largest seafood market in January with a turnover of nearly US$250 million, a 28.7% increase compared to the same period last year. The main driving force came from the demand for shrimp imports for the Lunar New Year.
Notably, lobster contributed significantly to this growth, with the high-end lobster segment experiencing strong demand during the holiday. Many businesses accelerated shipments to China in January, taking advantage of the increased demand before the holiday.
Vietnam's seafood exports to Japan, ASEAN, and South Korea showed stable growth
Seafood exports to Japan reached nearly US$146 million, a 21.3% increase, continuing to be a stable market with good demand for processed shrimp, frozen pangasius fillets, and squid and octopus. Exports to ASEAN markets reached approximately US$69 million, a sharp increase of 32.2%, reflecting the growing trend of intra-regional trade and high demand in markets such as Thailand, the Philippines, and Singapore. Meanwhile, seafood exports to South Korea reached over US$67 million, an increase of 9.1%, mainly due to good consumption of squid, octopus, and pangasius. Conversely, exports to the EU only reached nearly US$72 million, a decrease of 6.3%, due to weak demand and inventory from the end of the previous year, especially in the mollusc and crab groups. Exports to the Middle East market also decreased by 9.4%, to about US$21 million, after a period of strong imports at the end of 2025.
Seafood exports to the US decreased by nearly 10% due to the impact of MMPA and COA issues.
Vietnam's seafood exports to the US market in January only reached over US$96 million, a decrease of 9.9% compared to the same period last year. This decline is particularly concentrated in the tuna group. The main reason was the impact of the MMPA regulations. The implementation of Circular 74/2025 of the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment regarding the issuance of Certificates of Admissibility (COA) is causing many problems, leading to delays in the verification process and significantly disrupting the export of tuna and other seafood to the US from the beginning of the year.
For shrimp exports to the US, many businesses proactively shipped early in January to reduce risks before the announcement of the anti-dumping duties (ADD) results on February 17th. As a result, shrimp export value to the US did not decline sharply in the first month of the year, but this means that pressure will build up in the following months.
Exports of pangasius and squid/octopus increased sharply, while tuna exports declined significantly.
In terms of product structure, shrimp continued to be the main export item with a turnover of 331 million USD, an increase of 6.4%, accounting for nearly 38% of total exports. Growth came from China and Japan, while the US tended to stagnate due to the upcoming announcement of countervailing duties. Pangasius was a bright spot, reaching over 177 million USD, a strong increase of 33.2%. Good demand from China, ASEAN, and Japan helped this product become the highest-growth group in the month.
Exports of squid and octopus reached nearly 69 million USD, an increase of 30.9%, thanks to strong consumption in the Japanese and Korean markets. Conversely, tuna only reached about 57 million USD, a decrease of 14%, directly affected by MMPA and COA issues in the US.
The crab and other crustacean group decreased by 10.6%, to approximately US$31 million, while shellfish exports decreased by 11.7%, to approximately US$20 million, due to slow consumption in the EU.
Seafood exports in February are forecast to decrease compared to January.
Despite relatively positive growth in January, seafood exports in February of 2026 are forecast to decrease compared to January and slightly compared to the same period last year due to the impact of several factors such as: the Lunar New Year holiday is expected to disrupt production and delivery; the clearer impact from the results of the countervailing duty on shrimp in the US after February 17th; and difficulties in implementing MMPA regulations and issuing COA continue to affect exports of tuna and other seafood. China's import demand decreased after strong stockpiling in January.
The picture of Vietnam's seafood exports in January of 2026 showed that current growth momentum depends heavily on the Asian market, while policy barriers in the US are gradually revealing their impact. This will be a key factor influencing seafood export trends in the following months of 2026.
CK
Source: VITIC/vasep.com.vn