Year-end festival demand and positive signals from key markets are giving Vietnam's seafood exporters a chance to accelerate in the final months of 2026. The industry is on course for a record 12 billion USD, though price competition, traceability rules and compliance costs remain heavy.
Momentum holds
Data from the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment show that total seafood output reached 7.89 million tonnes in January-September, 78.1% of the annual plan and up 3.9% year on year. Aquaculture accounted for 4.86 million tonnes, while exports hit 9.7 billion USD by October 15.
Shrimp and tra fish remain the backbone of the sector. According to the Vietnam Association of Seafood Exporters and Producers (VASEP), shrimp exports stood at 3.75 billion USD, up 11% year on year. They accounted for 41% of total seafood export value, making shrimp the sector's swing factor.
VASEP market expert Phung Thi Kim Thu said China and some markets covered by the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) kept growth alive. Momentum slowed in September, however, as shrimp exports to the US fell. Tariffs, international competition and raw material constraints are the main risks for the rest of the year.
Tra fish exports reached about 214 million USD in September, up 18.6%. Nine-month exports hit 1.74 billion USD, up 10.7%. VASEP Deputy Secretary General Le Hang said tighter supply of some whitefish species creates room for Vietnam. Japan is a notable but still small market, as tra fish enters professional distribution channels. Price advantages and stable supply are improving the product's position.
Export gains were matched by production and aquaculture growth, helping secure supplies for domestic consumption and processing.
The ministry said nine-month output totalled 7.89 million tonnes: fish accounted for 5.41 million tonnes, shrimp for nearly 1.38 million tonnes and other seafood for 1.1 million tonnes. Aquaculture remains the main growth engine, with marine fishing supplementing the raw material supply.
Aquaculture growth has been supported by science, technology and higher productivity, quality and efficiency. In the Mekong Delta, brackish-water shrimp farms are mainly in the harvest period. Shrimp-rice and shrimp-forest models remain effective, while intensive, super-intensive and high-tech aquaculture areas are expanding. Tra fish output is stable, while tilapia and marine aquaculture are diversifying supply.
Year-end sprint
Tran Gia Long, Deputy Director of the ministry's Planning-Finance Department, said that to meet and exceed the 74 billion USD target for agro-forestry and fisheries exports in 2026, seafood alone would need to bring in about 1 billion USD a month in the final months. Shrimp is still expected to lead.
To deliver, the sector must stabilise raw materials, improve quality and raise production efficiency. In aquaculture, more technology, disease control and market-linked production will reduce risk and improve economic efficiency.
Stronger links among farmers, fishermen, processors and exporters would make procurement planning more proactive, limit supply swings and improve order fulfilment. Companies also need flexibility in production, product mix and market selection, as well as cost control, to stay competitive.
Sources: VietnamPlus / Vietnam News Agency
