In January 2025, Vietnam’s total seafood export turnover reached 774.3 million USD, an increase of 3.3% over the same period in 2024.

This is a positive result, as the Lunar New Year falls at the end of January, which has a significant impact on export results.

Shrimp continued to be the item with the strongest growth, with an export value of 273 million USD, accounting for 35% of total seafood export turnover . In contrast, Vietnam’s pangasius continued to face difficulties in the first month of the year, although the price of pangasius increased strongly due to limited supply. In 2025, the global seafood market is expected to have many fluctuations, but with increased demand from ASEAN markets and supportive tariff policies from major countries, the Vietnamese seafood industry can still maintain its growth momentum.

According to VASEP, in January 2025, Vietnam’s export markets recorded a large difference in consumption trends. While the Chinese and Hong Kong (China) markets grew strongly with a growth rate of 64.9%, the US and EU markets faced difficulties with a decline of 16.0% and 17.6% respectively.

The decline in US consumption, due to President Donald Trump’s tariffs on imported seafood products, is likely to affect demand for Vietnamese seafood products, especially shrimp and salmon. However, increased demand for easy-to-cook seafood products, such as frozen shrimp, could help to partially offset the decline in consumption of premium products.

On the other hand, the ASEAN market recorded stable growth with an increase of 10.5%, showing that the potential from Southeast Asian countries is still a bright spot in Vietnam’s seafood exports. The Middle East and other markets all saw a decline in consumption, which requires Vietnamese seafood enterprises to adjust their export strategies accordingly.