China and Hong Kong are Vietnam's largest markets for seafood imports, contributing to a nearly 13% increase in the sector's export value in the first half of 2026.
According to the Vietnam Association of Seafood Exporters and Producers (VASEP), seafood export value in June reached nearly $1.1 billion, up 21% from the same period last year. For the first six months, the sector earned about $5.8 billion.
Notably, the China and Hong Kong
market imported $1.5 billion of Vietnamese seafood, up almost 38% and accounting for more than a quarter of the sector's total export value.
This figure shows that China remains not only the largest market but also a key growth driver helping the seafood industry sustain double-digit growth. Demand for shrimp, tra fish, lobster, mollusks, and many frozen seafood products has partly offset weakness in traditional markets.
Conversely, the other three large markets have not yet made a breakthrough. Exports to the United States recovered strongly only in June, with six-month totals roughly flat. Japan edged up, while the EU declined versus the same period. According to VASEP, this reflects that demand in many economies remains slow to recover. Additionally, enterprises face price competition, technical regulations, and increasingly stringent traceability requirements.
China and Hong Kong were the biggest growth drivers of Vietnam's seafood exports in the first half of 2026. Source: compiled by the author from VASEP.
Looking at product categories, shrimp and tra fish continue to play the role of pillars of the industry, contributing about 60% of total export value. Steady demand from China and some Asian markets helps these two groups maintain growth, although firms still face intense competition from large exporters such as Ecuador, India, and Indonesia.
Beyond the two flagship items, many other products such as squid, octopus, crabs and mollusks have also recorded notable gains, indicating a more diverse export structure. Tuna remains a group facing difficulties due to weak demand and increasingly stringent sustainable fishing requirements.
VASEP notes that the positive six-month result does not mean the difficulties are over. Importers are increasingly splitting orders, shortening delivery times, and demanding more competitive prices than before. At the same time, they are tightening controls on quality, certification, and provenance, causing compliance costs for firms to rise.
Another pressure rising is logistics costs. According to VASEP, international container freight rates are approaching their highest level in nearly two years. One reason is that many importers, especially in the United States, are accelerating shipments to hedge against new tax policies, causing the peak shipping season to arrive earlier and increasing demand for ships.
Instability in the Red Sea and the Middle East continues to force many shipping lines to alter routes, lengthening transit times and increasing operating costs. For the seafood sector, which relies heavily on refrigerated containers and on-time delivery to maintain quality, these fluctuations directly affect cost and competitiveness.
On the positive side, the association says the market-diversification strategy is paying off. Besides China, exports to ASEAN and South Korea continue to rise, partially offsetting weakness in the US, EU, and Japan.
VASEP regards the nearly $5.8 billion result in the first half as a positive foundation toward achieving double-digit growth in 2026. However, to sustain this momentum, enterprises need not only to expand markets but also to tightly manage costs, enhance capabilities to meet traceability requirements, and increase the share of value-added processed products.
