Hanoi (VNA) – Shrimp exports, the fisheries industry’s largest foreign currency earner, generated 3.7 billion USD in the first nine months of 2026, according to the Vietnam Association of Seafood Exporters and Producers (VASEP).
The figure represented an 11% year-on-year increase, slowing from the 14% growth recorded in the first half of the year.
China remained the largest market, with exports reaching nearly 1.2 billion USD, up 37% and accounting for 33% of the total. Including Hong Kong (China), shipments rose 35% to 1.3 billion USD. Demand for lobster, particularly green lobster, in the Chinese market continued to contribute significantly to the results.
Meanwhile, exports to the US reached only 498 million USD, down 15%, with shipments in September alone plunging 32%. Exports to the EU also fell 4.9% to 406.4 million USD, including a 12.5% decline in September.
On a more positive note, exports to Japan rose 6.4% to 440.9 million USD, while shipments to Australia increased 18.5% to 211.9 million USD and those to Canada climbed 11% to 130.5 million USD.
Exports to markets covered by the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) exceeded 1 billion USD, up 10.2%, helping offset declines in the US and EU markets.
VASEP said shrimp exports maintained expasion in the first nine months, supported by demand from China and several CPTPP markets, but growth momentum is slowing as shipments to the US and EU declined.
Tariff pressures, international competition and difficulties in securing raw materials are also posing significant challenges to businesses in the final months of the year.
Shrimp is the commodity most affected by US tariffs. In addition to an extra 12.5% tariff under Section 301, some Vietnamese shrimp exporters are also subject to anti-dumping and countervailing duties.
Last year, Vietnam’s aquatic product exports generated 11.3 billion USD, of which shrimp contributed 4.83 billion USD, up 25.5% year-on-year and representing more than 42% of the total value.
In the final quarter of 2026, maintaining monthly shrimp exports of 470–480 million USD would help bring the full-year export value to between 5.1–5.2 billion USD, VASEP noted./.
