US imposes unusually high anti-dumping tax on Vietnamese shrimp, is there a mistake?

On the morning of June 7, 2025 (Vietnam time), the US Department of Commerce (DOC) announced the preliminary results of the 19th administrative review (POR19) of the anti-dumping tax order on Vietnamese shrimp for the period from February 1, 2023 to January 31, 2024.

Unexpectedly, Vietnam shrimp is subject to sudden high tax by the US

PHOTO: CHI NHAN

Accordingly, the DOC determined that Thong Thuan Company did not dump and was subject to a 0% tax. Meanwhile, Soc Trang Seafood Joint Stock Company (STAPIMEX) was subject to a preliminary tax rate of up to 35.29%. This tax rate was also applied to 22 other enterprises in the group eligible for separate tax rates but not subject to mandatory inspection, instead of applying the weighted average tax rate from two mandatory respondents as usual.

VASEP issued a statement emphasizing: The businesses involved were extremely surprised and deeply concerned about this unusually high preliminary tax rate. During the 19 years that Vietnam has participated in the administrative reviews of the shrimp anti-dumping lawsuit in the US, no business has ever been subject to a double-digit preliminary tax rate. This is reminiscent of the case that happened in POR12, when DOC also imposed a preliminary tax rate of 25.76% on Sao Ta Food Joint Stock Company (FIMEX) due to a calculation error and then adjusted it to 4.58% in the final result. Therefore, VASEP and businesses have every reason to believe that there was a mistake or error in this result.

STAPIMEX has prepared very carefully and is confident with its accounting system to get the lowest tax rate. However, VASEP and businesses believe that there were some errors on both sides that led to incorrect data, making this preliminary result so high that it is difficult to understand. "STAPIMEX will quickly supplement and we believe that the final result will accurately reflect the export reality of Vietnamese businesses - not dumping into the US market," according to VASEP's announcement.

The preliminary results are not yet effective and may be adjusted in the final results (expected to be announced in December 2025), but this information has been negatively affecting the psychology of US importers, affecting purchasing plans, export orders and, more worryingly, affecting the psychology and activities of shrimp farmers in Vietnam.

Along with the reciprocal tax policy that the US government is launching, the current unusual preliminary tax rate further aggravates the challenges that the Vietnamese shrimp industry is facing when accessing the US market. "We urgently request that the DOC reconsider the calculations in the preliminary results, ensuring objectivity, fairness and compliance with the practices implemented in previous reviews, to protect the legitimate rights of Vietnamese enterprises and maintain stability in seafood trade between the two countries," the statement stated.

Thanhnien.vn

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/my-ap-thue-chong-ban-pha-gia-cao-dot-bien-voi-tom-viet-nam-co-su-nham-lan-185250607184502415.htm