Can Tho (VNA) – Vietnam’s tra fish (Pangasius) exports are forecast to reach nearly 2.2 billion USD this year, delegates heard at a conference reviewing the sector’s performance in 2025 and outlining key tasks for 2026.
According to To Thi Tuong Lan, Deputy General Secretary of the Vietnam Association of Seafood Exporters and Producers (VASEP), Brazil emerged as the most successful market for Vietnam's tra fish industry in 2025, recording year-on-year growth of 35% and accounting for 8% of total market share.
China remained the sector’s main pillar market, although growth fell short of expectations, with a market share of around 27% and growth of approximately 2.3%. The Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) market, comprising 11 Asia-Pacific countries, accounted for 17% of exports, reaching 340 million USD, up 37%. The US accounted for 15% of exports, down 3.3%, while the EU held a share of around 8%, a level that has remained relatively stable over the past three years.
Regarding product structure, Lan said frozen tra fish fillets continued to dominate, with export value of 1.5-1.6 billion USD, accounting for about 98% of the total. Processed products, although posting growth of 13-19%, made up a relatively small proportion, at around 2.4% of total export turnover. Frozen whole fish and dried fish products generated between 315 million USD and 348 million USD. Lan also pointed out that the US market poses significant challenges for Vietnamese exporters due to anti-dumping policies, while the EU market may benefit from upcoming disruptions in the supply chain, creating opportunities to raise market share to 8-10%, as planned.
Under pressure from supply shifts in Europe and price segmentation in the premium whitefish segment, suppliers are expected to seek alternative sources with more stable and sustainable pricing. These factors, Lan said, could present opportunities for Vietnamese tra fish exports next year.
According to her, Vietnam enjoys an advantage under the EU-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA) compared with other suppliers that do not have similar trade pacts with the bloc. In addition, the tra fish farming sector is capable of coordinating supply in line with market developments, giving partners greater confidence in supply chain stability.
“However, the challenge in Europe lies in increasingly stringent standards, particularly ESG (environmental, social and governance) requirements,” she noted.
Lan forecast that Vietnam’s tra fish export turnover next year could reach around 2.3 billion USD, up 5% annually.
At the conference, Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Environment Phung Duc Tien affirmed that the sector has developed into a large-scale commodity industry with strong export capacity, despite having been established for less than 35 years.
Tra fish output in 2025 is estimated at around 1.67 million tonnes. To date, the sector has contributed approximately 2.1 billion USD to Vietnam’s total agro-forestry-fisheries export earnings.
To enhance competitiveness in the near future, the ministry highlighted the need to implement a digital transformation scheme for fisheries exploitation and data management, including software systems and cyber security. The application of technology and artificial intelligence in breeding selection, survival rate improvement, feed optimisation and economic efficiency enhancement was also stressed. Meanwhile, ensuring full traceability of products “from farm to table” is essential to meet the stringent standards of hotels and international markets./.
