Vietnam's shrimp exports in 2025 increased by 28% to reach a turnover of 311 million USD.

Exports increased mainly due to increased demand from the Chinese market for the Lunar New Year. In particular, fresh products such as lobsters are of interest to Chinese enterprises for the high-end consumption segment.

Lobster exports to China alone reached 70 million USD, accounting for nearly half of total seafood exports to China and 9 times higher than the same period in 2024. Total shrimp exports to the Chinese and Hong Kong markets in January this year reached 118 million USD, an increase of 179% over the same period.

Thanks to increased lobster exports to China, total shrimp exports increased sharply by 28%.

However, exports of popular products such as whiteleg shrimp and tiger shrimp to China next month may slow down because they will have to compete with seafood products from the domestic market when the market share in the US is affected. However, the room for high-end products such as lobsters is still open for Vietnamese enterprises.

In January 2025, shrimp exports to the EU market also recorded positive growth, increasing by 15% to more than 34 million USD. Some smaller markets also recorded positive growth such as the UK and Switzerland.

Shrimp exports to the US in January this year decreased by 13% to 36 million USD. Shrimp exports to the US market still face risks from decisions on anti-subsidy and anti-dumping taxes. Moreover, President Trump has just taken office, so it is not possible to predict his new tariff policies for other countries.

During this waiting period, US exporters and importers may take advantage of this to promote trade. Therefore, in the next few months, exports to the US may increase sharply. There may also be consequences that businesses need to consider, such as increased transportation and logistics costs due to the concentration of exports to the US.

Although January 2025 recorded impressive shrimp export growth, the Vietnamese shrimp industry is facing many challenges, especially the risk of raw material shortages due to disease and adverse weather conditions, and uncertainties from the US market. Shrimp exports in February may find it difficult to maintain growth if the raw material problem is not resolved.

To achieve the export target in 2025, there needs to be effective and practical support policies for businesses such as creating conditions for capital, resolving inadequacies related to compliance costs and administrative procedures.

There needs to be a credit support policy for shrimp farmers through chain linkage; consider including shrimp feed in price-controlled items... There are measures to stabilize input costs for production, strengthen control of seed quality. Promote farming area codes to serve traceability; have investment policies, encourage farming other than whiteleg shrimp and need to maintain the strength of black tiger shrimp farming.

To limit the passiveness from the US market, export enterprises need to promote market diversification such as expanding exports to the EU, Japan, ASEAN...; focus on the high-end processed shrimp segment to create added value and always pay attention to improving product quality.

Source: VASEP