In 2025, China spent 20.26 billion USD importing seafood, with Vietnam emerging as the largest lobster supplier and the leading pangasius supplier.

According to statistics from Chinese customs authorities, the country's seafood import turnover reached 20.26 billion USD in 2025. In the first half of 2026, China imported approximately 2.31 million tons of seafood, corresponding to a value of 10.1 billion USD.

Vietnam has become the third-largest seafood supplier to the Chinese market, trailing only Russia and Ecuador.

Notably, within China's seafood import basket, lobster stood out as one of the prominent growth categories. Import turnover for this premium seafood commodity surged by approximately 47% in 2025, with Vietnam accounting for around 36%, making it the single largest supplier to this market.

China spent 845 million USD purchasing Vietnamese lobster in 2025, a dramatic increase compared to the 363.5 million USD recorded in 2024, according to the Vietnam Association of Seafood Exporters and Producers (VASEP).

During the first 5 months of 2026, Vietnam's lobster export turnover to the Chinese market continued to grow aggressively by 44.3% year-on-year, surpassing 506 million USD.

Beyond lobster, Vietnamese pangasius also commands a dominant share of China's pangasius imports. Statistical data from the Customs Department shows that in 2025, Vietnam's pangasius exports to China brought in 691 million USD, and reached 357 million USD in the first 7 months of this year.

According to Ms. Le Hang, Deputy Secretary-General of VASEP, thanks to price competitiveness and compatibility with the mass catering and casual dining segment, pangasius has penetrated deeply into restaurant chains, foodservice systems, and mass consumer channels.

Remarkably, China's pangasius import volume rose continuously over the 2016–2022 period before leveling off from its peak. Nevertheless, the scale of this market of over a billion people remains elevated, reflecting persistent fundamental demand for pangasius products.

Currently, China stands as Vietnam's largest seafood export market. In the first 7 months of this year, export turnover to this market reached nearly 1.65 billion USD, jumping 37.1% over the same period last year and accounting for roughly 24.1% of Vietnam's total seafood export value.

Ms. Hang assessed that the Chinese market offers substantial headroom for growth over the medium and long term, as Chinese consumers increasingly favor high-protein, low-fat diets. Furthermore, per-capita household seafood consumption currently hovers around 21 grams per person per day, considerably below the recommended benchmark of around 50 grams.

Meanwhile, domestic aquaculture capacity in China has neared its limits. Consequently, imports will remain an essential channel to bridge the supply gap in the domestic market.

However, beyond price considerations, consumers are placing growing emphasis on freshness, product origin, traceability, uniform quality, sustainability, and third-party certifications.

Specifically, the middle- and high-income consumer segments are driving demand for premium seafood. Younger Chinese consumers are reluctant to spend extensive time on primary preparation and tend to avoid fishy odors and bones; hence, products that are pre-cleaned, portion-cut, marinated, ready-to-cook (RTC), or ready-to-eat (RTE) are gaining significant traction.

Therefore, the opportunity for Vietnamese enterprises no longer rests solely on selling greater volumes, but on delivering the right product to the right geographic region and channel.

She noted that live and fresh seafood holds an advantage in Southern China; frozen and convenience products are better suited for Northern and inland regions; and value-added, processed offerings hold immense potential among young urban consumers and restaurant chains.

The VASEP Deputy Secretary-General emphasized that Vietnamese pangasius will continue to leverage its competitive edge in the mass market owing to competitive pricing, while lobster and select live products possess strong inroads into the premium segment.

Source: Bao VietNamNet