The U.S., EU, Middle East – Promising destinations for tilapia

According to Viet Nam Customs statistics, in the first eight months of 2025, tilapia exports (including red tilapia) reached over USD 63 million, up 174% from the same period last year. This figure exceeds Viet Nam’s total tilapia export turnover over the past five years, since 2020. The U.S. remains the largest importer of Vietnamese tilapia, accounting for 62% of Viet Nam’s tilapia exports to international markets.

The fisheries sector aims to raise tilapia output to 400,000 tons by 2030, achieve an export turnover of around USD 100 million, establish a closed production, processing, and distribution chain, and build a national brand for Vietnamese tilapia.

Viet Nam’s tilapia exports face a major opportunity to achieve breakthroughs against the set targets. However, these opportunities come with significant challenges, as import markets are setting increasingly stringent requirements for product traceability, food safety, and sustainable development.

According to Mr. Nguyen Dang Ngoc, Deputy General Director of Viet Nhat Group, in 2024 Viet Nam had 43,000 hectares of tilapia-farming area, yielding 376,000 tons. The most common farming models remain earthen ponds, cage farming, and polyculture with other aquatic species. Farming operations are still small-scale, lacking systematization and standardization of tilapia quality for food consumption.

The international market is growing rapidly, creating significant opportunities for Viet Nam’s tilapia industry. The global tilapia market was valued at around USD 10.6 billion in 2024 and is projected to increase to USD 14.5 billion by 2033. In terms of volume, global production reached approximately 7 million tons in 2024 and is expected to rise to 7.3 million tons in 2025, reflecting the stable consumption trend and growing demand for aquatic protein with reasonable prices.

Currently, the largest consumption markets for tilapia include the U.S., the European Union (EU), the Middle East, and South American countries, where the demand for high-quality tilapia fillets is rising sharply. However, these markets set strict requirements, from meat quality and food safety to sustainability certifications such as GlobalGAP, BAP, and ASC. This means that the production chain must meet comprehensive standards, from broodstock to processing.

According to Mr. Ngoc, to seize these market opportunities, Viet Nam needs to focus on developing cooperative models and building closed linkage chains from broodstock, farming areas, and processing to consumption.

In addition, it is essential to invest in cold storage systems and modern logistics, standardize production processes, and upgrade quality standards across the chain, from animal feed mills and commercial farming facilities to fillet processing plants. Once international standards such as GlobalGAP, BAP, and ASC are met, tilapia has the potential to become a new flagship product of Viet Nam’s fisheries sector in the near future.

Sharing the same opinion, Mr. Bui Ngoc Thanh, Aquaculture Technical Director of the U.S. Soybean Export Council (USSEC), stated that tilapia is becoming a strategic industry in the global fisheries development trend, with rising demand for stable, safe, and sustainable products.

For Viet Nam, the current period is the decisive time to shape a strategy for the exported tilapia industry, focusing on standardizing product quality, building a stable and transparent supply chain, strengthening linkages among farmers, processing factories, and international distribution networks, and enhancing the value of the Vietnamese tilapia brand in association with sustainable raw materials such as U.S. soybean.

With the global shift toward green and sustainable consumption, tilapia possesses strong advantages to become a new flagship product of Viet Nam’s fisheries sector. However, to realize this goal, the industry needs a comprehensive strategy, from farming area planning, breeding, and high-tech application to market expansion and the development of a national brand for “Vietnamese Tilapia.” At that point, it will no longer be merely a story of export growth but a journey to assert a new position for Vietnamese seafood on the world map.