According to the General Department of Customs, in February 2025, Vietnam's tuna exports reached nearly 73 million USD, up 41% over the same period last year and the highest level in the past 5 years. In the first 2 months of the year, tuna export turnover reached more than 139 million USD, up 6% over the same period.
Notably, the group of fresh, frozen and dried tuna products continued to grow strongly, with an increase of 23%. In contrast, the group of processed and canned products decreased by 9%, reflecting changes in consumer demand and market structure.
Regarding export markets, most major markets in February recorded growth, except for Italy, Israel and Mexico. In particular, tuna exports to major markets such as the US, EU, Canada and Japan all grew strongly.
Currently, Vietnam has risen to become the world's fifth largest tuna exporter, after Thailand, Ecuador, Spain and China. According to statistics, in 2024, Vietnam's tuna export turnover will reach nearly 989 million USD, an increase of 17% compared to 2023. The supply chain of raw tuna in Southeast Asia is shifting to Vietnam, instead of being mainly concentrated in Thailand as before.
However, experts say that 2025 will be a challenging year for the Vietnamese tuna industry. Exports to key markets such as the US and EU are facing a series of strict technical barriers.
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| Vietnam has risen to become the world's fifth largest tuna exporter, behind only Thailand, Ecuador, Spain and China. |
Specifically, regulations against illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing continue to be a major obstacle. Decree 37/2024/ND-CP requiring exported skipjack tuna to be at least 0.5m in size is causing difficulties for fishermen and businesses in the raw material stage, reducing the ability to produce processed and canned products.
In the US market, the application of the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA) also poses a major challenge. According to regulations, Vietnam must prove that its fishing process does not harm marine animals and meets management standards equivalent to the US. The US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) recently issued a preliminary ruling not recognizing Vietnam as meeting this standard, opening up the risk that the US will ban the import of many seafood products from Vietnam from January 1, 2026 if there is no timely remedial action.
In addition, the US is also considering expanding the Seafood Import Monitoring Program (SIMP), requiring importers to provide more detailed information on the origin and exploitation process, increasing compliance costs for Vietnamese businesses.
With the US and EU being the two markets that account for the majority of Vietnam's tuna exports, the new regulations could directly affect the seafood industry, even threatening Vietnam's position in the international market.
To overcome difficulties, the Vietnamese tuna industry needs the support of authorities and managers in perfecting the legal framework, improving monitoring capacity and supporting fishermen in complying with international standards. The free trade agreements that Vietnam has signed with the EU, UAE, Japan, Canada, etc. will also be important advantages for the tuna industry to maintain growth momentum in the global market.
Previously, Vietnam's durian products created a "fever" in the export market when they continuously set records in turnover, rising to compete on equal terms with Thailand - the country known as the "durian kingdom". In 2023, durian exports brought Vietnam more than 2.1 billion USD, bringing this fruit into the billion-dollar agricultural export group for the first time. The strong breakthrough of durian has shown the great potential of Vietnamese agricultural products in the international market. And now, it is the turn of tuna - a nutritious product, classified as a "superfood" - to continue its success by becoming a formidable competitor of Thailand on the global export map.
