According to data from VASEP, in August 2025, Vietnam's tuna exports increased slightly after many months of slowing down, up 1.4% over the same period, reaching more than 91 million USD. However, in the first 8 months of 2025, tuna exports only reached nearly 633 million USD, down 2.3% over the same period.
The US is still the largest market for Vietnamese tuna despite a decline in August. In August 2025, tuna exports to the US reached 29 million USD, down nearly 21% over the same period last year. According to VASEP, the Vietnamese tuna industry is under great pressure due to the new tax policy, causing business orders to stagnate. Compared to competitors such as Ecuador (taxes only 15%) or Indonesia and the Philippines (19%), Vietnamese tuna is gradually losing its advantage with a counterpart tax rate of 20%.
Although exports to the US have decreased, for other markets such as the EU, countries participating in the CPTPP Agreement have shown signs of improvement. Specifically, tuna exports to the EU in August reached 17 million USD, up 6%. Tuna exports to Japan unexpectedly increased in August with an increase of 88%.
VASEP forecasts that the trend of tuna exports will recover thanks to increased demand at the end of the year. However, the industry still faces challenges from fluctuating raw material prices, logistics costs and competition from major producing countries.
In addition, the recent refusal of the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to recognize the equivalent of 12 Vietnamese fisheries under the Law on the Protection of Seabirds (MMPA), including tuna, is expected to also affect Vietnam's tuna exports.
In response to this move, on September 15, 2025, Minister of Industry and Trade Nguyen Hong Dien sent a letter to US Secretary of Commerce (DOC) Howard Lutnick, requesting the DOC and NOAA to reconsider this decision to avoid serious disruptions to bilateral trade and protect the livelihoods of hundreds of thousands of Vietnamese fishermen and workers.
