Vietnam 's tuna exports were valued at nearly 312 million USD during the first seven months of the year, a rise of 42.3 percent compared to the same period last year, according to the Vietnam Association of Seafood Exporters and Producers (VASEP).

The main markets for Vietnamese tuna exporters are the US, Japan, the EU and the Middle East, with the US accounting for 50 percent of all tuna exports.

The association said Vietnam recorded a 33 percent increase in earnings for tuna exports to the US during the first seven months, compared to the same period last year, bringing total earnings to nearly 144 million USD.

Similar to the US market, Vietnam's tuna export to Japan hit record highs, up by about 46 percent compared with the same period last year, with 39.5 million USD in earnings, said VASEP.

As predicted, Vietnam's tuna exports to Europe are also on the rise.

The association reported that Vietnam saw a year-on-year increase of 82.5 percent in the value of tuna exports during the second quarter with earnings of 28.3 million USD.

Tuna exports to the Middle East were also growing, but earnings were still at a modest level, said VASEP.

Israel, Sudan and Lebanon were among the biggest regional importers of Vietnamese tuna, spending a total of 6.4 million USD, which accounted for 70 percent of all tuna exports to the Middel East, VASEP added.-VNA