Despite geopolitical fluctuations in the Middle East, Vietnam's pangasius exports to Saudi Arabia still maintain a positive growth momentum in the initial months of 2026. Stable consumption demand along with advantages in price and supply are helping Vietnamese pangasius consolidate its position in one of the region's potential markets.

Vietnamese pangasius exports to Saudi Arabia are recording a positive recovery signal in 2026, demonstrating the resilience of the seafood sector before geopolitical fluctuations in the Middle East region.

According to data from the Vietnam Association of Seafood Exporters and Producers (VASEP), in May 2026 alone, pangasius export turnover to Saudi Arabia reached around 5 million USD, up 69% compared to the same period of 2025. Accumulatively for the first 5 months of the year, the export value reached 18 million USD, an increase of 28% compared to the previous year's same period.

This result demonstrates that Saudi Arabia continues to serve as one of the highly prospective markets for Vietnamese pangasius, against a backdrop where the consumption demand for frozen seafood in the Middle East still maintains stability.

Vietnamese pangasius exports to Saudi Arabia are recording a positive recovery signal in 2026, demonstrating the resilience of the seafood sector before geopolitical fluctuations in the Middle East region.

According to data from the Vietnam Association of Seafood Exporters and Producers (VASEP), in May 2026 alone, pangasius export turnover to Saudi Arabia reached around 5 million USD, up 69% compared to the same period of 2025. Accumulatively for the first 5 months of the year, the export value reached 18 million USD, an increase of 28% compared to the previous year's same period.

This result demonstrates that Saudi Arabia continues to serve as one of the highly prospective markets for Vietnamese pangasius, against a backdrop where the consumption demand for frozen seafood in the Middle East still maintains stability.

Pangasius exports to Saudi Arabia accelerate, expanding room in the Middle East market

According to VASEP, the competitive edge of Vietnamese pangasius originates from reasonable prices, stable supplies, and the capacity to satisfy well the demands of frozen food distribution systems, restaurant chains, hotels, as well as the household consumption segment. These serve as factors helping the product continue to expand market shares in the nation possessing the largest economic scale in the Gulf region.

Notably, the export structure demonstrates that frozen products still occupy an absolute dominance in this market.

Within this, frozen pangasius fillets under HS code 0304 serve as the core item, occupying up to 77.1% of the total export turnover to Saudi Arabia. The frozen whole, H&G, or butterfly-cut pangasius group (HS code 0303) occupies 22.8%, while deeply processed products under HS code 16 merely occupy around 0.1%.

This structure reflects that the consumption trend still concentrates on primary-processed products, while concurrently demonstrating that the development room for the high value-added product group remains quite large.

According to industry experts, if Vietnamese enterprises step up investments in deep processing, develop product lines appropriate for Muslim consumer tastes, and fully satisfy Halal standards and certifications, pangasius exports to Saudi Arabia as well as Middle Eastern nations will still possess plenty of growth room in the coming time.

Against a backdrop where the world market still implicitly contains multiple uncertain factors, maintaining a double-digit growth speed in Saudi Arabia does not merely contribute to diversifying export markets for Vietnamese pangasius but also generates additional drivers for enterprises to expand their presence in the Middle East region—one of the markets evaluated to possess massive purchasing power and growth potential against the Vietnamese seafood sector.

Source: Tap chi Doanh nghiep va Hoi nhap