European 'super-roe' crabs are cheaper than Vietnamese ones.

Each kilogram of brown crab imported from Ireland and Norway currently costs between 700,000 and 800,000 VND, which is nearly 200,000 VND cheaper than Vietnamese female crab with roe.

Brown crabs from Ireland and Norway, also known as "super-roe" crabs, are large in size and have attracted the attention of Vietnamese consumers over the past two years. These crabs are transported to Vietnam by air, ensuring they arrive fresh and delicious.

According to VnExpress, brown crabs at seafood stores in Vietnam are priced quite affordably compared to domestic female crabs with roe. Grade 1 brown crabs range from 700,000 to 800,000 VND per kilogram, which is 150,000-200,000 VND lower than grade 1 female crabs with roe in Vietnam. Notably, frozen brown crabs are priced at only 350,000 to 400,000 VND per kilogram.

Brown crabs at a seafood shop on Pham Van Nghi Street, District 7 (Ho Chi Minh City). Photo: Thi Ha

Mr. Hoang, the owner of a seafood shop in Thu Duc City, said that these crabs have the most roe from July to November. Thanks to the abundant supply, the price of brown crabs from Ireland and Norway is quite competitive compared to Vietnamese roe crabs.

Furthermore, brown crabs also benefit from the Vietnam-EU Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA), with a 0% import tariff. This helps keep the price of imported brown crabs quite affordable, especially in the context of the increasing scarcity of Vietnamese female crabs due to overfishing.

According to traders, the process of raising female crabs with roe in Vietnam takes 5-6 months, while brown crabs from Norway and Ireland have a more abundant supply, especially frozen crabs, which helps reduce import costs.

Mr. Tran Van Truong, CEO of Hoang Gia Seafood, said that sales of brown crab at his chain of stores increased by 30% in the first nine months of the year compared to the same period last year. This shows the growing consumer preference for imported products due to their good quality and reasonable prices.

Ireland's brown crab industry is undergoing a major shift as demand from key European markets such as France, Spain, and Portugal plummets, leading to a 40% drop in fishermen's income. According to the Market Advisory Council (MAC), an EU-established organization, brown crab exporters are facing overstocking, forcing them to seek new markets outside the EU, particularly in Asia, where demand for brown crab is surging.

Irish Agriculture Minister Pippa Hackett (second from the left) during a visit to an import business in Vietnam in October. Photo: Linh Dan

Vietnam is one of Ireland's most promising seafood export markets. In the first nine months of the year, Vietnam spent over US$4.6 million (VND 115 billion) importing seafood from Ireland and US$222 million (VND 5,600 billion) importing seafood from Norway, an 8% increase compared to the same period last year. Although these figures are modest, items such as brown crab, bulot snails, and salmon from Ireland and Norway have shown significant growth, ranging from single to double digits.

During her visit to Ho Chi Minh City in October, Ireland's Minister for Agriculture, Pippa Hackett, expressed surprise at the strong demand for Irish seafood products such as brown crab, bulot, and blue lobster in Vietnam. She expressed hope that in the future, high-quality seafood products from Ireland will continue to reach Vietnamese consumers at competitive tariffs, thanks to trade agreements between the two countries.

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