Vietnam’s seafood and agricultural exports have recorded impressive growth in the first quarter of 2025, despite global economic challenges. With strong government support and industry-wide efforts, these sectors continue to thrive, contributing significantly to the country’s trade balance.
Seafood Exports Surge
Vietnam’s seafood exports in Q1 2025 reached $2.29 billion, marking an 18.1% increase compared to the same period in 2024. China, Japan, and the United States remain the top three markets, accounting for 21.7%, 15.6%, and 15.1% of total seafood exports, respectively.
However, the industry faces potential risks in the U.S. market due to compliance issues with the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA). The U.S. has raised concerns regarding Vietnam’s fishing practices and has urged the country to implement stricter regulations to prevent unintentional harm to marine mammals. If Vietnam fails to meet these requirements by November 30, 2025, exports from 12 major seafood harvesting industries could face bans starting in 2026. To address this, Vietnam is actively working on regulatory improvements and providing necessary documentation to comply with U.S. standards.
Fruit and Vegetable Exports Face Challenges
Vietnam’s fruit and vegetable exports faced a 11.3% decline compared to Q1 2024 but still achieved a substantial $1.14 billion in revenue. China remains the largest buyer, accounting for 44.5% of total fruit and vegetable exports. The United States and South Korea follow, with 9.6% and 6%, respectively.
Among agricultural products, pepper exports in Q1 2025 reached 47.3 thousand tons, generating $323.6 million. While export volume fell by 16.7%, the value surged by 37.3%, driven by a 64.9% increase in average export prices.
Meanwhile, Vietnam’s rice exports reached 2.2 million tons in Q1 2025, generating $1.14 billion. However, due to declining prices, the total export value dropped by 19.7% compared to Q1 2024.
Future Outlook and Industry Strategies
To maintain its strong performance in the seafood sector, Vietnam is focusing on enhancing sustainability, traceability, and compliance with international standards. The government is accelerating regulatory improvements to meet the U.S. MMPA requirements while diversifying export markets to reduce dependency on a few key buyers.
For the fruit and vegetable industry, efforts are being made to expand high-value exports, improve processing technologies, and boost logistics efficiency to counter market fluctuations.
With the strong performance in Q1 2025 and proactive strategies in place, Vietnam’s seafood and agricultural sectors are well-positioned to achieve the country’s ambitious export target of $70 billion for the year.
