{"id":1539,"date":"2026-09-15T22:10:40","date_gmt":"2026-09-15T13:10:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/vietnam-agri.com\/?post_type=industry_news&p=1539"},"modified":"2026-09-15T22:10:40","modified_gmt":"2026-09-15T13:10:40","slug":"canada-seafood-vietnam","status":"publish","type":"industry_news","link":"https:\/\/vietnam-agri.com\/en\/industry_news\/canada-seafood-vietnam\/","title":{"rendered":"Canadian premium seafood up 40% in Vietnam over two years: what it signals for Japan's sales channels"},"content":{"rendered":"

Imports to Vietnam of premium Canadian seafood such as lobster, snow crab, and oysters have grown about 40% in the past two years. By Vietnamese customs statistics, import value rose from US$44 million in 2023 to US$49 million in 2024 and US$61 million in 2025, and in 2026 it is running at US$43.2 million for January\u2013August, up 28.2% year on year. The view of Vietnam as \"a country that exports\" seafood has been strong, but with rising incomes it is changing its profile toward \"a country that buys\" premium seafood. For Japanese seafood buyers seeking new sales destinations amid stagnating exports to China, this change becomes material that cannot be overlooked.<\/p>\n

From US$44 million to US$61 million: what happened in two years<\/h2>\n

The drivers are Canadian snow crab and lobster. Jason Hollett, Nova Scotia's Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries, says \"Vietnam is the province's seventh-largest seafood export destination.\" Canada's 2025 exports to Vietnam reached C$35 million (about US$25.3 million) for snow crab and C$8 million (about US$5.8 million) for lobster. Vietnam's purchasing power has grown to the stage where the exporting side names the market's importance by name.<\/p>\n

Behind this are two tailwinds, price and tariffs. Canadian lobster that meets the requirements of the CPTPP (the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership) has a zero import tariff when entering Vietnam. With the tariff gone, the shelf price falls and comes within reach of the urban middle class. The picture is one of cheaply imported premium seafood spreading to restaurants and home tables.<\/p>\n

The reality of \"cheap premium seafood\" seen in shelf prices<\/h2>\n

Lining up actual retail prices reveals why Canadian goods are chosen. The exchange rate is converted at 1 yen = about 170 dong (as of September 2026).<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
Item (origin)<\/th>\nVietnam shelf price<\/th>\nYen equivalent (1 yen \u2248 170 dong)<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n
Canadian lobster (over 1 kg)<\/td>\n1.3\u20131.4 million dong\/kg<\/td>\nAbout 7,600\u20138,200 yen<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Canadian snow crab (live)<\/td>\n1.4\u20131.5 million dong\/kg<\/td>\nAbout 8,200\u20138,800 yen<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Canadian oyster<\/td>\nOver 400,000 dong\/kg<\/td>\nAbout 2,350 yen and up<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Australian lobster<\/td>\n3.5 million dong\/kg<\/td>\nAbout 20,600 yen<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
French oyster<\/td>\n1 million dong\/kg<\/td>\nAbout 5,880 yen<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Live snow crab is about 30% cheaper than other imported crab, and oysters are less than half the price of French ones. While Australian lobster is 3.5 million dong, Canadian stays around 1.4 million dong even for over 1 kg. It is not a difference in quality class but a price gap set by tariffs and logistics that moves consumers' choices. For Japanese seafood, this sense of the price zone becomes a yardstick for pricing when bringing in one's own goods.<\/p>\n

Japanese seafood can enjoy the same tariff benefit<\/h2>\n

What directly connects to Japanese buyers here is the same CPTPP framework as Canada. Japan is also a CPTPP member, and tariffs on covered items for Vietnam fall in stages. Onto the same footing where Canadian lobster gained price competitiveness with zero tariffs, Japanese scallops, yellowtail, mackerel, and true oysters can also be placed. As a new exit for items whose exports to China have thinned, Vietnam's growing premium-seafood market becomes a realistic option.<\/p>\n

Vietnam's own seafood, meanwhile, exporting US$8 billion in eight months, with crab and shellfish growing,<\/a> has the face of an export power. But the export structure centered on farmed shrimp and pangasius and the premium-seafood demand the urban middle class wants are entirely different shelves. Into the premium tier that domestic products do not fill, imported premium seafood is moving in. This is also a domain where Japanese freshness and origin brands work.<\/p>\n

How far will Vietnam's middle class buy premium seafood?<\/h2>\n

The Jan\u2013Aug 2026 import value of US$43.2 million was 28.2% above the same period of the prior year. Given that the annual growth was 40% over two years, the momentum is if anything accelerating. The main receptacles are urban supermarkets, high-end food shops, and restaurants serving Japanese and Korean food, and the growing number of retailers equipped with live-seafood tanks supports demand. Restaurant procurement in Ho Chi Minh and Hanoi, amid the global tightening of white fish,<\/a> is sensitive to securing raw material. If Japanese seafood is to team up, local wholesalers and restaurant chains that can handle such live seafood become the first point of contact.<\/p>\n

That said, the cold chain for frozen and live fish is still developing, and risks of customs clearance and freshness retention remain. Canadian goods grew because, on top of cheap prices, they could put together stable supply lots and logistics. To stand on the same footing with Japanese goods, you need a system that justifies the high unit price with freshness and origin story while never cutting off supply.<\/p>\n

How sellers and handlers read this growth<\/h2>\n

The Canadian side does not hide the market's upgrade. Nova Scotia's Deputy Minister Hollett positioning Vietnam as the seventh export destination is an expression of the recognition that it is a market to be cultivated, not a mere outlet for surplus. Among local premium retailers, a sense is voiced that placing a live-seafood tank leads to customer draw, and at Japanese- and Korean-food restaurants, a move is spreading to use imported ingredients whose tariffs have fallen to hold down course costs.<\/p>\n

From Vietnam's seafood industry, there are also calm voices noting the two-sidedness of earning from exports while relying on imports for high-value-add seafood. Domestic shrimp and pangasius and the live lobster and oysters the urban middle class wants to eat out are, from the start, separate shelves that do not compete. For Japanese seafood operators, this \"shelf that domestic products do not fill\" is exactly the target. A domain where freshness and origin brand can compete is clearly open.<\/p>\n

What Japanese seafood buyers should confirm next<\/h2>\n

First, confirm whether your main items are covered by CPTPP's tariff reductions for Vietnam, and at which stage of the reduction schedule they stand. Next, list high-end retailers and Japanese-food restaurant chains handling live seafood in Ho Chi Minh and Hanoi, and verify with shelf prices whether your own goods fit the price zone occupied by Canadian and Australian goods. A business meeting with an origin tour, such as VietFish 2026<\/a> is an entrance to meeting local buyers who import and handle goods directly. The more a seafood operator has viewed Vietnam solely as an export destination, the more worth there is in measuring this market\u2014growing as a buyer\u2014early, with one's own eyes.<\/p>\n

References: VnExpress International\u300cCanadian seafood imports surge 40% as lobster, snow crab gain favor in Vietnam\u300d<\/a><\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Imports of Canadian lobster and snow crab into Vietnam rose about 40% over two years, reaching US$61 million in 2025. In a market growing into a buyer of premium seafood, we read the sales-channel potential that Japanese seafood buyers hold.<\/p>","protected":false},"featured_media":0,"template":"","categories":[112,90],"tags":[164,779,780,782,620,781],"crop_category":[],"class_list":["post-1539","industry_news","type-industry_news","status-publish","hentry","category-japan-market","category-aquaculture","tag-cptpp","tag-779","tag-780","tag-782","tag-620","tag-781"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/vietnam-agri.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/industry_news\/1539","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/vietnam-agri.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/industry_news"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/vietnam-agri.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/industry_news"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/vietnam-agri.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1539"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vietnam-agri.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1539"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vietnam-agri.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1539"},{"taxonomy":"crop_category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vietnam-agri.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/crop_category?post=1539"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}