Attending the opening ceremony of VIETFISH 2026, U.S. Consul General Melissa Brown expressed her pleasure at being part of what is considered Vietnam’s leading seafood exhibition.
According to Melissa Brown, VIETFISH provides a valuable platform for connecting Vietnam’s growing seafood industry with buyers, suppliers and partners in the United States and around the world.
She emphasized that Vietnam’s aquaculture industry is known for its competitiveness and ingenuity, making the country one of the world’s leading seafood suppliers. The United States is pleased to be part of this success story by supplying high-quality soybean meal and other aquaculture feed ingredients to Vietnamese seafood producers.
Seafood Trade Helps Strengthen Vietnam–U.S. Economic Relations
Consul General Melissa Brown noted that Vietnam is also a seafood-loving country, where consumers enjoy seafood from around the world.
According to her remarks, U.S. seafood exports to Vietnam increased by 77% in 2025 to US$114 million. Products such as U.S. lobster, salmon, cod, crab and many other seafood items have become increasingly popular among Vietnamese consumers, who value the quality and safety of U.S. seafood.
Melissa Brown emphasized that cooperation and trade in the seafood sector are only one part of the strong and growing economic relationship between the United States and Vietnam.
In 2025, bilateral trade reached nearly US$210 billion, more than 400 times higher than when the two countries established diplomatic relations in 1995. Vietnam is currently the seventh-largest trading partner of the United States globally and the sixth-largest agricultural export market for the United States.
Significant Opportunities to Further Strengthen Trade Relations
Looking ahead, the U.S. Consul General said the two countries have significant opportunities to further deepen and strengthen their trade relationship.
Melissa Brown noted that Vietnam has set ambitious goals of reaching upper-middle-income status by 2030 and becoming a high-income economy by 2045. The United States believes in free, fair and reciprocal trade and hopes to be an important partner in Vietnam’s success story.
According to the U.S. Consul General, VIETFISH can provide a valuable platform to help both sides advance their shared vision of a more prosperous future.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) Speaking at the Opening Ceremony of VIETFISH 2026 on August 19 at the Saigon Exhibition and Convention Center (SECC), U.S. Consul General Melissa Brown highlighted the important role of the exhibition in connecting Vietnam’s growing seafood industry with buyers, suppliers, and partners from the United States and around the world.
(vasep.com.vn) Tomorrow, August 19, 2026, the Vietnam International Seafood Exhibition – Vietfish 2026 will officially open at the Saigon Exhibition and Convention Center (SECC) in Ho Chi Minh City. Taking place over three days, from August 19–21, Vietfish 2026 promises to provide a dynamic platform for business networking, trend updates, product experiences and comprehensive cooperation across the domestic and international seafood community.
(vasep.com.vn) The global tilapia market continues to grow, creating significant opportunities for countries with strengths in aquaculture, processing, and exports. Against this backdrop, Vietnam’s tilapia industry is gradually developing toward higher quality, greater product diversification, and broader market reach. At Vietfish 2026, the Vietnam Association of Seafood Exporters and Producers (VASEP), together with the VASEP Tilapia Producers and Exporters Club, will host a joint booth to promote the image and potential of Vietnamese tilapia to domestic and international buyers.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) Vietnam’s seafood exports are heading towards $12 billion this year, potentially the highest level on record. Yet one of the country’s export strengths is facing a growing list of challenges.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) The first six months of 2026 indicate that Vietnam’s tilapia industry is entering a new phase of development, with strong export growth but also greater demands for production scale, quality and international competitiveness.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) Vietfish 2026, the Vietnam International Seafood Exhibition, will officially take place from 19–21 August 2026 in Ho Chi Minh City. As Vietnam’s largest annual seafood trade event, organized by the Vietnam Association of Seafood Exporters and Producers (VASEP), Vietfish 2026 will once again bring together leading seafood companies, industry experts, and international partners from across the global seafood value chain.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) Vietnam’s seafood exports reached USD 1.1 billion in July 2026, up 4.8% compared to the same period in 2025. Cumulative exports in the first seven months of the year totaled nearly USD 6.86 billion, an increase of 11.5% year-on-year. Exceeding the USD 1 billion mark in July further reinforces the prospect that Vietnam’s seafood exports could surpass USD 12 billion in 2026. However, the July figures also send a clear signal that the most favorable growth period may have passed: overall export growth slowed to just 4.8%, pangasius exports fell 6.1%, tuna exports were virtually flat, while exports to the EU, South Korea, and the Middle East all recorded double-digit declines.
(vasep.com.vn) As part of the Vietnam Fisheries International Exhibition (Vietfish 2026), the seminar "Global Seafood Market and the Future Workforce: Trends, Opportunities, and Sustainable Development Pathways for Vietnam's Seafood Industry" will take place from 2:00 p.m. to 4:15 p.m. on August 19, 2026, at Convention Room B, Level 2, SECC, Ho Chi Minh City. This is the first of five specialized seminars at Vietfish 2026, focusing on key issues that are shaping the long-term development of Vietnam's seafood industry.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) Vietnamese seafood exports recorded impressive growth, generating nearly 6 billion USD in revenue during the first six months of the year, up 13% compared with the same period last year.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) Fishermen in Ha Tinh are gradually overcoming difficulties to maintain the efficiency of seafood exploitation. In the first six months of 2026, the entire province achieved a production of more than 23,000 tons of seafood, worth more than 1,200 billion VND.
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