According to the Vietnam Association of Seafood Exporters and Producers (VASEP), Vietnam's fish paste and surimi exports continue to record impressive growth amid volatile global markets.

According to the Customs Department, the export value of this product group in July reached more than 30 million USD, an increase of 23% compared to the same period in 2024. This figure contributed to raising the export turnover in the first 7 months of 2025 to more than 195 million USD (about 5,000 billion), an increase of 28% over the same period last year.

South Korea and Thailand are the two largest customers, spending 49 million USD (up 21%) and 46 million USD (up 24%) respectively to import these two dishes from Vietnam in the past 7 months. These are also two markets that both consume directly and process them to supply the region.

In the CPTPP bloc, fish paste and surimi exports also increased by 23%, reaching 31 million USD. Of which, the Japanese market recorded a growth of 25%, showing signs of recovery from traditional processed products; exports to Malaysia and Singapore also increased sharply, by 19% and 21% respectively.

Notably, in July, exports of these two dishes to the Chinese market (including Hong Kong) increased by 104% compared to July last year. In the first 7 months of 2025, the export turnover to this billion-people market increased by 57%, reaching 26 million USD, reflecting the increasing demand for consumption and reprocessing in this region.

In addition to the above markets, VASEP also said that the EU market also became a bright spot in July with an 89% increase in export value. Accordingly, in the first 7 months of the year, exports to this market increased sharply by 47%, reaching 16 million USD.

In contrast, the US market maintained a modest turnover of only 6 million USD, a slight increase of 2%. In July alone, exports to the US fell sharply by 74% compared to the same period last year, due to the impact of the reciprocal tax policy and the caution of importers.

VASEP experts predict that in the remaining months of this year, the Asian market will continue to lead the growth of Vietnam's fish cake and surimi exports thanks to stable demand and price flexibility.

Meanwhile, the EU is expected to maintain its recovery momentum, focusing on convenient products and compact packaging, meeting the trend of economical consumption. Meanwhile, the Chinese market may continue to grow strongly, but will have to compete fiercely with supplies from Russia and ASEAN.

The US market will be the most unpredictable, so experts advise export businesses to be cautious with orders and should only sign contracts when there is clear confirmation of the applicable tax rate.

In addition, businesses can exploit emerging niche markets because there is still much room, while demand is increasing strongly. In fact, in the first half of this year, fish cake and surimi exports to some new markets grew dramatically, such as: exports to the UAE increased by 470%, Mauritius increased by 261%, New Zealand increased by 1,171%.

The world's most populous country spends 47 times more money to buy a type of fish from Vietnam . In the first half of this year, India - the world's most populous country - unexpectedly spent 47 times more money than the same period last year to buy tilapia from Vietnam.

Source: https://vietnamnet.vn/khach-han-quoc-thai-lan-thich-me-2-mon-an-viet-doanh-nghiep-dut-tui-5-000-ty-2436165.html