According to data from the Vietnam Association of Seafood Exporters and Producers (VASEP), Vietnam's canned tuna exports continuously increased in the first months of the year. As of the end of May 2024, this item has earned more than USD 134 million, a sharp increase of 41% over the same period in 2023.

Tuna products all witnessed strong growth in the first five months of the year with frozen tuna loin reaching USD 176 million, an increase of 7%, fresh - frozen - dried tuna reaching USD 19 million, a sharp increase of 195%, other processed tuna products reached USD 57 million, a sharp increase of 12%.

For canned tuna, Europe is continuously increasing imports of this product from Vietnam. Canned tuna is a key product, accounting for nearly 49% of total export turnover. Compared to 2023, Vietnam's exports of this product group increased by nearly 33%, reaching more than USD 43 million.

Currently, Germany, Poland, the Netherlands, Italy, Cyprus and Denmark are the 6 markets importing the most canned tuna from Vietnam. Among them, Poland and Denmark are two countries that are strongly increasing their purchases of canned tuna from Vietnam over the same period, 300% and 246% respectively. On the contrary, the Netherlands has reduced imports due to high transportation costs. EU countries tend to reduce tuna imports through Dutch transshipment ports and increase direct imports to reduce costs.

Vietnamese tuna products have been exported to 22 countries in the EU. Among them, Germany, the Netherlands and Italy are the three markets that import the most canned tuna from Vietnam. In 2023, canned tuna exports to all three countries mentioned above increases, especially Italy, with an increase of 456% compared to 2022.

In 2022, for the first time, Vietnam's tuna exports exceed the USD 1 billion mark. Entering 2023, amid the general difficulties of the global seafood market, tuna exports were declining. However, Vietnam has become the world's 5th largest tuna exporter in terms of turnover, only behind Thailand, Ecuador, Spain and China.

Currently, Vietnamese tuna is exported to 86 markets around the world. Regarding tuna alone, fishing output in the first 3 months of 2024 in 3 key tuna fishing provinces is estimated at 5,392 tons, down slightly by 0.8% over the same period last year, of which: in Phu Yen reached 1,008 tons, estimated to decrease by 12% over the same period; in Binh Dinh is estimated to reach 3,916 tons, an increase of 4%; in Khanh Hoa is estimated at 368 tons, a decrease of 12%.

In recent years, tuna has always accounted for the largest proportion of total seafood export turnover, and the third most valuable commodity group in Vietnam's total seafood export turnover. From 2017 to 2022, the proportion of tuna export value in total seafood export turnover had increased from 7.1% in 2017 to 9.5% in 2022.

Kylie Nguyen