Vietnam imported about USD 34 million worth of seafood from Canada in the first seven months of the year, up 41.7 per cent from the same period last year, according to customs data. Lobsters accounted for about 60 to 65 per cent of the total value.
Canadian lobster is selling strongly in Vietnam (Photo: HSHG)
Canadian lobsters have been widely available at lower prices in Vietnamese markets in recent days. A lobster weighing 500 to 600 grams costs about VND 950,000 to VND 1.1 million per kilo, 5 to 10 per cent less than a year earlier.
Compared with locally sourced products, Canadian lobsters are priced at roughly the same level as green lobsters, while costing less than half the price of spiny lobsters. The price difference has helped Canadian products gain popularity and expand their presence in the market.
An executive at Hoang Gia Seafood, a major official importer of Canadian lobsters, said price was a key factor behind the increase in demand.
The company imported double-digit percentage more Canadian lobster in the first seven months of the year compared with the same period in 2025, the executive said. The main reason was lower import tariffs.
Canadian lobsters that meet the requirements of the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) are currently eligible for a zero per cent import tariff when entering Vietnam.
Other imported seafood products have also attracted Vietnamese consumers. Hoang Gia Seafood lists Russian king crab from VND 2.8 million per kilo and Korean flatfish from VND 1.4 million per kilo.
Imported food stores also offer a wider range of products, including US scallop adductor muscles, New Zealand beef, Australian beef and Australian lamb, typically priced at between VND 500,000 and VND 1 million per kilo.
Speaking to Dantri, Wieslaw Rozanski, a representative of the Union of Producers and Employers of the Meat Industry in Poland (UPEMI), said Vietnam's rapidly growing economy, young population and rising demand for high-quality imported food were creating opportunities for foreign meat producers.
Poland is currently the fifth-largest food producer in the European Union and is gradually expanding its presence in the Vietnamese market, he said.
