The US is about to stop importing many Vietnamese seafood products: Ministry of Industry and Trade recommends consideration

Information from the Ministry of Industry and Trade said that Minister Nguyen Hong Dien has just sent a letter to US Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick asking this agency and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to reconsider the decision to refuse to recognize the equivalent of 12 Vietnamese seafood exploitation occupations under the US Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA).

Previously, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration under the US Department of Commerce sent a notice to the Vietnamese Ministry of Agriculture and Environment about this. Accordingly, seafood species exploited in these fisheries will be banned from being imported into the US from January 1, 2026.

This is a measure equivalent to an import ban, greatly affecting the export of many key seafood species from Vietnam to the US such as tuna, swordfish, grouper, mackerel, mullet, crab, squid, mackerel, etc.

In a letter to the US Secretary of Commerce on September 15, Minister Nguyen Hong Dien said that reconsidering the above decision is to avoid serious disruptions to bilateral trade and protect the livelihoods of hundreds of thousands of Vietnamese fishermen and workers.

He also asked Minister Howard Lutnick to pay attention and consider objectively to ensure reasonable results for Vietnamese shrimp exporting enterprises, who are reliable partners and do fair business in the US market, in the ongoing 19th administrative review of anti-dumping tax on shrimp imported from Vietnam.

Minister Dien also emphasized that the above decisions are not only meaningful for Vietnamese manufacturing and exporting enterprises, farmers and fishermen, but also benefit American importers, workers and consumers.

The leader of the Ministry of Industry and Trade emphasized that the US and Vietnam are maintaining a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, built on the basis of trust and mutual benefit. Vietnam considers the US an important trade partner and also creates the most favorable conditions for US businesses and investors.

Vietnam pledges to continue to work closely with the United States to resolve outstanding issues in a constructive and forward-looking spirit.

According to exporters, the immediate economic damage from the US decision is huge. The Vietnam Association of Seafood Exporters and Producers (VASEP) estimates that the seafood industry could lose about $500 million per year from the US market. This figure is equivalent to the total export value of affected products to the US in 2024 of $511.5 million.

Tuna, the largest export item, is at risk of losing the US market, which accounts for 387 million USD of the total export turnover of nearly 1 billion USD in 2024. Other important products such as crab, squid, grouper, mackerel, and swordfish will also suffer the same fate.

Not only are export businesses struggling, this decision also directly impacts the livelihoods of hundreds of thousands of fishermen and workers in processing factories.

According to VASEP, the US ruling puts Vietnam at a "double disadvantage" when competitors such as Thailand, India, and Japan are recognized as equivalent and can easily enter the US market, while Vietnamese seafood is at risk of losing market share.

More seriously, the industry depends on 75-80% of imported tuna raw materials, and now this supply is also being tightened, making it difficult for businesses to sell their own caught products and lacking legal raw materials for production. This shock not only threatens 500 million USD in export turnover but also affects the livelihoods of hundreds of thousands of fishermen, workers and the position of Vietnamese seafood in the international market, according to VASEP.

Source: https://dantri.com.vn/kinh-doanh/my-sap-dung-nhap-nhieu-thuy-hai-san-viet-bo-cong-thuong-de-nghi-can-nhac-20250915201534933.htm