Many Vietnamese seafood products face the risk of losing the US market.

According to information from the Vietnam Association of Seafood Exporters and Producers (VASEP), in August, the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) announced the results of the comparison under the Marine Mammal Protection Act. This report reviewed about 2,500 fisheries from 135 countries and territories that are exporting seafood to the US. As a result, 240 fisheries from 46 countries were denied equivalence recognition, meaning that products from these fisheries will not be allowed to be imported into the US from January 1, 2026. According to this warning, products from some fisheries such as tuna, swordfish, squid, crab, etc. of Vietnam may not be allowed to be imported into this market if they do not meet conservation standards.

Yellowfin tuna, big eye caught by fishermen docked at Hon Ro port.

Accordingly, there are 3 groups: List 1 includes countries that are fully recognized; List 2 - partially rejected; List 3 - completely rejected. Vietnam is on list 2, meaning that only some fisheries do not meet the requirements, while other fisheries are still allowed to export normally. According to NOAA, countries that are rejected can apply for re-evaluation after January 1, 2026. This is an opportunity for Vietnam if it promptly overcomes technical issues and makes the fishing chain transparent. Previously, in March 2025, the US made a preliminary decision that Vietnam's marine mammal conservation measures did not meet standards for 12 fishing methods, including gillnets, purse seines, trawls and longlines. Products such as bigeye tuna, bluefin tuna, yellowfin tuna, skipjack tuna, swordfish, squid, grouper, mackerel, snapper and crab are warned to face difficulties entering this market.

This move could have a significant impact on Vietnam's seafood exports, as the US used to be the largest market. In 2024, Vietnam's seafood export turnover to the US reached about 2.1 billion USD, accounting for more than 20% of the total value of the industry; in the first 6 months of 2025, the US imported about 905 million USD worth of seafood from Vietnam, an increase of nearly 18% over the same period in 2024. If imports are restricted, domestic enterprises risk losing market share, and must increase investment in monitoring systems, demonstrate sustainable exploitation and comply with regulations on marine animal protection.

HAI LANG

Source: https://baokhanhhoa.vn/kinh-te/202508/nhieu-san-pham-hai-san-cuaviet-nam-dung-truoc-nguy-co-mat-thi-truong-my-a3373cd/