Vietnam’s seafood sector is targeting export turnover of about USD 11.5 billion in 2026, as it continues to curb capture fisheries and expand aquaculture in a more sustainable and climate-resilient manner.
Speaking at a conference reviewing 2025 performance and setting tasks for 2026 on January 7, Tran Dinh Luan, director general of the Department of Fisheries and Fisheries Surveillance, said the sector is accelerating preparations to secure raw material supplies for exports next year.
He said the focus is on shifting from a production mindset to a fisheries economy and from single-value growth to integrated multi-value development. The department will work with local authorities to hold solution-oriented meetings early in the production season, targeting key farmed species and promising new ones to ensure stable growth.
Deputy director general Pham Quang Toan said the sector aims for total seafood output of more than 10 million tonnes in 2026, up 0.6 per cent from 2025. Capture fisheries are projected at about 3.75 million tonnes, down 2.1 per cent, while aquaculture output is expected to reach 6.25 million tonnes, up 2.2 per cent.
Alongside production targets, the sector will strengthen environmental monitoring and early warning systems, tighten disease control, expand high-tech and recirculating aquaculture, cut emissions and improve water-use efficiency. Food safety controls will also be tightened across the entire value chain to meet domestic and export requirements.
Authorities will closely track weather conditions and market trends to guide aquaculture production. Priority will be given to key species such as black tiger shrimp, whiteleg shrimp and pangasius, developed in concentrated production zones with synchronised infrastructure. Efforts will also be stepped up to promote industrial-scale marine farming, offshore aquaculture, new-material cage farming, and the cultivation of seaweed and molluscs under a green economy model.
In capture fisheries, the sector will review and classify fishing ports and anchorage areas by scale and function, including their capacity to meet requirements on vessel management, traceability and the fight against illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing. Pilot models of smart fishing ports linked to digital transformation in fisheries management are also planned.
The department will advise on tighter management of fishing quotas, gradually reduce the number of fishing vessels and accelerate the transition of fishers towards alternative livelihoods that place less pressure on marine resources.
From an export perspective, Nguyen Hoai Nam, secretary general of the Vietnam Association of Seafood Exporters and Producers, called for continued support for businesses, including removing bottlenecks, speeding up implementation and promoting digital certification and verification to improve traceability.
According to the department, total seafood output in 2025 reached 9.95 million tonnes, up 3 per cent from 2024. Capture fisheries accounted for 3.83 million tonnes, while aquaculture output reached 6.1 million tonnes, up 5.1 per cent. Seafood export turnover was estimated at more than USD 11 billion, an increase of 12.7 per cent year on year.
