Vietnam's pangasius industry is one of the key export industries, contributing significantly to the total seafood turnover of the country. However, to maintain and expand market share in the international market, not only quality products are needed but also an effective trade promotion strategy is required.

In the context of deep integration and increasingly fierce competition, participating in trade promotion programs plays an important role in building brands, finding partners and increasing export turnover. According to data from Vietnam Customs, in the past 10 years, since 2015, Vietnam's pangasius exports have grown impressively from 1.6 billion USD in 2015 to more than 2 billion USD in 2024, reaching a record of 2.4 billion USD in 2022. An important part of this growth comes from trade promotion activities in key markets.

Expanding export markets

Trade promotion activities not only help maintain market share in traditional markets but also expand to potential markets, such as the Brazilian market. Over the 10 years from 2015 to 2024, pangasius exports to Brazil have had impressive growth, with an average annual growth rate fluctuating around 14%. In 2015, pangasius export turnover to Brazil reached 77.7 million USD, while in 2024 this figure was 129.3 million USD, an increase of 66% compared to 2015.

Increasing product value added

While previously, pangasius exports mainly focused on frozen pangasius, currently, value-added products such as breaded pangasius, fish balls, and pangasius sausages are available in many international supermarkets. One of the successes of the trade promotion programs is to raise consumer awareness of processed products from pangasius.

Strengthening the Vietnamese pangasius brand in the international arena

Through international promotional campaigns, the image of Vietnamese pangasius has significantly improved. Previously, pangasius was labeled as "cheap fish", now many international customers have recognized Vietnamese pangasius as a high-quality product, with sustainable origins and food safety.

Challenges in implementing trade promotion programs

The effectiveness of trade promotion activities cannot be denied, however, it is difficult to avoid difficulties and challenges in the process of implementing these programs.

High costs: Promotional activities and participation in international fairs require large costs, especially for small and medium-sized enterprises. Investing in communication campaigns, organizing exhibition booths or approaching potential customers through digital channels requires large capital, while many pangasius enterprises do not have enough financial resources to maintain these activities in the long term;

Fierce competition: Vietnamese pangasius not only competes with other seafood products such as tilapia, salmon, shrimp, but also faces competition from other pangasius exporting countries such as China, India and Indonesia. These countries are stepping up their market access strategies by reducing costs, improving quality and increasing marketing activities, putting pressure on Vietnamese enterprises;

Changes in consumer tastes: Many markets, especially Europe and the US, increasingly prioritize products with high nutritional value, sustainability and environmental friendliness. This requires the pangasius industry to invest in processing technology and develop products suitable for new consumption trends.

Technical barriers and import policies: Many countries apply strict food safety standards, regulations on quality control, traceability and anti-dumping taxes on Vietnamese pangasius.

Solutions to improve trade promotion efficiency

Opportunities go hand in hand with challenges. To optimize the effectiveness of trade promotion, businesses should increase the application of digital technology by using e-commerce platforms, social networks and AI technology to reach potential customers; Develop products according to market demand, promote research on consumer tastes to produce suitable products; Link businesses and industry associations and international organizations to deploy trade promotion strategies in a more synchronous and effective manner.

The 2025 Global Seafood Expo in Barcelona will take place for 3 days from May 6-8, 2025, promising to be an important event for the seafood community around the world to meet, trade and seek business opportunities in this field.

Participating in the 2025 Global Seafood Expo, VASEP Association has registered an area of ​​464m2 and set up a national booth for Vietnam.

Within the framework of the Fair, VASEP continues to organize promotional and propaganda activities, especially focusing on Vietnam's key products such as shrimp, tuna and pangasius through the provision of promotional and propaganda publications.

At this exhibition, VASEP will coordinate with the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment and the Vietnamese Embassy in Spain to organize the Pangasius Reception Program to honor the value of this product. The event is expected to have the participation of Vietnamese pangasius exporting enterprises and international importers with the expectation of promoting and enhancing the value of pangasius products in the European market.

Source: VASEP