What Did the World Say About VIETFISH 2026?

From “Asia’s Leading Seafood Meeting Point” to a Launchpad for New Contracts and Connections

From FAO GLOBEFISH and SeafoodSource to media and organizations from Norway, Türkiye, Russia, Japan, and South Korea, international stakeholders viewed VIETFISH from different perspectives: as a sourcing hub, a platform for showcasing technology, a gateway to new markets, a venue for knowledge exchange, and a place where new partnerships and business contracts can begin.

These perspectives show that VIETFISH 2026 is becoming more than a seafood exhibition in Vietnam. It is increasingly recognized internationally as a practical gateway to Vietnam’s seafood value chain and the wider Asian market.

“A leading seafood trade show in Asia”

For its first participation in VIETFISH, FAO GLOBEFISH described VIETFISH as “a leading seafood trade show in Asia.”

FAO GLOBEFISH’s first presence at VIETFISH went beyond exhibition activities. The organization shared insights into issues shaping global seafood trade, including market trends, new supply-chain requirements, attracting younger generations to the seafood sector, and preventing seafood fraud.

From Türkiye’s perspective, TurkishAgriNews noted that VIETFISH continues to demonstrate its role as one of the most important meeting points for the seafood value chain in Asia.

The publication highlighted the exhibition’s scale, with 335 companies, 568 booths, participants from 17 countries and territories, and nearly 15,000 visitors. More importantly, however, Turkish stakeholders were particularly interested in the quality of business meetings and VIETFISH’s potential as a starting point for entering Vietnam and neighboring Southeast Asian markets.

Meanwhile, South Korea’s MyFair introduced VIETFISH as one of Southeast Asia’s leading seafood industry exhibitions and a “real-world testing ground” for Korean companies seeking access to Asia’s seafood processing and export markets.

This perspective demonstrates that VIETFISH’s appeal comes not only from its scale, but also from Vietnam’s strategic position within the region’s seafood processing, trade, and consumption network.

More than seafood: Connecting technology and knowledge

Norway’s participation at VIETFISH 2026 received particular attention from ScandAsia.

According to ScandAsia, the Norwegian delegation came to VIETFISH not only to showcase salmon and seafood products. The Norwegian pavilion brought together 11 companies and organizations covering multiple links in the aquaculture value chain, including genetics, fish health, feed, farming equipment, processing automation, and waste reduction.

ScandAsia noted that this participation demonstrates that cooperation between Norway and Vietnam is not simply about seafood trade, but also about technology, knowledge, and equipment that can help Vietnam’s aquaculture and seafood processing sectors become more efficient and sustainable.

Direct feedback from participating companies also reflected the strong networking atmosphere at the exhibition. On LinkedIn, Benchmark Genetics described its first day at VIETFISH as “busy and rewarding,” with a large number of visitors engaging at the Norwegian pavilion. The company particularly highlighted the meetings, discussions, and new connections established during the event.

For the Global Seafood Alliance, participation in VIETFISH was also closely linked to BAP standards, responsible aquaculture development, and meeting increasingly stringent requirements across global supply chains.

These responses demonstrate that VIETFISH 2026’s “Innovation and Sustainability” theme went beyond a slogan. The exhibition became a platform where solutions in genetics, feed, aquatic animal health, animal welfare, automation, by-product utilization, and emissions reduction could connect directly with the needs of Vietnamese businesses.

From meetings to first contracts

One of the most notable responses came from Russia.

The information channel of the All-Russian Association of Fishery Enterprises – VARPE described VIETFISH as Vietnam’s largest seafood exhibition and one of the leading events in Southeast Asia.

2026 marked the first participation of Russian fishing companies in the exhibition and business activities at VIETFISH. Tikhrybkom Magadan Seafood introduced its Nord Mile brand and premium wild-caught seafood products.

Notably, the Russian company reported that it met new partners and signed its first contracts during the exhibition.

The Russian side also noted strong interest from Vietnamese partners in developing value-added and premium semi-finished products incorporating crab and other wild-caught seafood.

For the Turkish delegation, VIETFISH 2026 was also its first participation. Eight exporting companies from the Eastern Black Sea Exporters Association showcased Turkish salmon, fishmeal, fish oil, sea snails, and aquafeed.

According to TurkishAgriNews, the high frequency of B2B meetings helped companies establish new commercial relationships and explore cooperation opportunities in Vietnam and neighboring Asian markets. For the Turkish side, VIETFISH was not simply a successful exhibition, but an important starting point for building long-term brand recognition and commercial relationships in Vietnam and Southeast Asia.

These results provide an important measure of the exhibition’s impact: VIETFISH not only generates visitor traffic but also directly creates contracts, partnerships, and new product development opportunities.

VIETFISH becomes a source of stories about Vietnam’s seafood industry

International trade media did more than report on the opening ceremony and exhibition scale. Several media outlets used VIETFISH as an opportunity to meet businesses directly and explore new business stories emerging from Vietnam’s seafood sector.

At VIETFISH 2026, SeafoodSource interviewed Vinh Hoan’s CEO about opportunities to expand Vietnamese pangasius in Europe amid tightening supplies and rising prices of other whitefish species. The article examined prospects in Spain, the UK, and Germany, while also covering raw materials, feed, labor, and automation challenges facing Vietnam’s pangasius industry.

In another article, SeafoodSource reported on An Hai’s doubling of tuna processing capacity, based on direct discussions with the company at VIETFISH. The article not only introduced the new plant’s capacity but also examined markets including the US, EU, Russia, Japan, and South America, as well as increasingly stringent requirements concerning raw materials and traceability.

This demonstrates that VIETFISH is gradually becoming a “news hub” for Vietnam’s seafood industry – a place where international media can access information about production capacity, market strategies, technology, and the outlook for Vietnamese seafood companies.

Vietnam strengthens its position as a global seafood hub

On LinkedIn, Keisho Ka, President and CEO of Japanese refrigeration and air-conditioning trade publication JARN, noted that the opening of VIETFISH 2026, with more than 14,000 m² of exhibition space and 568 booths, demonstrated Vietnam’s strengthening position as a global seafood hub.

JARN stated that it would continue to feature refrigeration technology and seafood processing equipment companies participating in VIETFISH in its regular and special refrigeration industry publications.

In Malaysia, The Star chose the headline: “Vietfish expo drives Vietnam seafood industry towards higher value, sustainability.”

A common message emerges across these international perspectives: Vietnam’s seafood industry is shifting from competing primarily on volume and cost toward quality, technology, value-added processing, branding, and supply-chain sustainability.

And VIETFISH is where this transformation is being brought together most visibly.

From a Vietnamese exhibition to an international connection platform

With 335 companies, 568 booths, participants from 17 countries and territories, and nearly 15,000 visitors, VIETFISH 2026 was the largest edition in the exhibition’s history in terms of scale and attendance.

But from the perspective of international organizations, media, and businesses, the value of VIETFISH goes beyond these numbers.

FAO GLOBEFISH chose VIETFISH for the first time to share insights into global seafood challenges; Norway brought an ecosystem of technology rather than simply showcasing products; a Russian company signed its first contracts; Turkish salmon found opportunities to enter Vietnam and Southeast Asia; while US and Japanese media came to VIETFISH to explore new stories about Vietnamese seafood businesses and technology.

The world is increasingly viewing VIETFISH as a meeting point connecting supply, markets, technology, standards, knowledge, and consumers.

VIETFISH 2026 may have come to an end, but the contracts, partnerships, and stories that emerged from three days of the exhibition will continue to develop – alongside Vietnam’s journey toward greater value and a stronger position on the global seafood map.