Fisheries & Shrimp

Vietnam's seafood exports are expected to exceed US$12 billion for the full year 2026. With cod and Alaska pollock stuck in a high price range amid a global white-fish shortage, the competitiveness of Vietnamese pangasius, which can be produced stably through farming, is rising. We have laid out, with figures, the points that can be used in Japanese food-service and private-brand sourcing.

Vietnam's seafood exports in January–August 2026 were about US$8 billion. Shrimp is still first, but the lead in growth has shifted to crab (+34%) and shellfish (+30.8%). We read the material for Japanese seafood buyers to lock in new-category Vietnamese sources while they can.

US tariffs caused Vietnam's shrimp and pangasius exports to the United States to plunge in August, and the major seafood company Godaco switched its sales channels to Asia. With China and Hong Kong leading the growth, a good opportunity has arisen for Japanese distribution and sourcing to review prices and trading terms.

Vietnamese pangasius exports to Japan are expanding from mainly frozen fillets to seasoned and ready-to-eat processed products. Using VASEP's categories, the 2025 export value, and Kura Sushi's adoption as clues, we lay out the supply conditions Japanese buyers should grasp and the room in ready-to-eat and aging-population demand.

VietFish 2026, with 568 booths, introduced a buyer-invitation system for the first time. We read what it means for Japanese buyers who want to source Vietnamese seafood amid the headwind of US tariffs.

Vietnamese lobster farming depends on imports for more than 90% of its juveniles. We explain the quarantine procedures set out in Document No. 2625 of 2026 (isolation of up to 10 days, testing for white-spot disease and milky disease), and unpack how upstream disease control shapes the quality assurance of exports to China and Japan, from the perspective of Japanese buyers.

Feed accounts for about 60% of shrimp-farming costs. The Vietnamese-owned GrowMax froze price increases on all feed from June 2026. We interpret the aim of its contrarian stance while rivals move to raise prices, and the implications for Japanese shrimp sourcing.

Juvenile ca linh, a small flood-season fish, arrived for the first time at the An Giang border market. Processed products go for 250,000 dong (about 1,500 yen) per kg. We explain the ecology of this migratory fish descending from Tonle Sap, the food culture of the mua nuoc noi, and the seasonality of wild seafood that Japanese buyers should read.

Quang Ngai province, aiming to have the EU's yellow card lifted, is tightening up the licensing, VMS, and catch records of 4,863 fishing vessels. We unpack the local moves that caught 100 vessels with interrupted signals, and the traceability demands that reach Japanese buyers.

Chinese importers have entered inventory adjustment, pushing down wholesale prices around Ecuadorian produce. We interpret, with verified figures, how the cycle in China, the largest market, ripples through to Vietnam's shrimp export prices and Japan's sourcing costs.