The country imported $61 million worth of Canadian seafood in 2025, up from $49 million in 2024 and $44 million in 2023, according to Vietnam Customs.
The upward trend has continued this year, with imports reaching $43.2 million in the first eight months, a 28.2% increase from the same period last year.
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Canadian lobsters are sold at a seafood shop on Ly Tu Trong Street, Ben Thanh Ward, Ho Chi Minh City. Photo by Read/Thi Ha |
The growth comes as seafood businesses in Nova Scotia, Canada’s leading seafood-exporting province, look to expand into new markets.
Lobster is the province’s flagship seafood product, accounting for more than half of its total export value in 2025.
With exports of live lobster down 19%, Nova Scotia is increasingly seeking opportunities in markets including Vietnam.
Canadian snow crab and lobster are now widely available at seafood retailers across Vietnam.
A manager at a seafood shop on Ly Tu Trong Street in Ho Chi Minh City’s Ben Thanh Ward said consumers are attracted to Canadian products because of their relatively competitive prices and consistent quality.
Canadian lobsters weighing 500–600 grams sell for around VND950,000–1.1 million (US$37–38) per kilogram, while those weighing at least one kilogram cost about VND1.3–1.4 million.
That is considerably cheaper than Australian lobster, priced at around VND3.5 million per kilogram, and domestic green lobster, which sells for about VND1.5 million.
Live Canadian snow crab is priced at around VND1.4–1.5 million per kilogram, roughly 30% less than some other imported crab varieties.
Canadian oysters cost more than VND400,000 per kilogram, compared with as much as VND1 million for certain French varieties.
Tran Van Truong, CEO of seafood chain Hai San Hoang Gia, said stable and competitive pricing has helped make Canadian seafood affordable to a broader range of consumers.
Preferential tariffs have also helped keep prices down. Canadian lobsters that meet the requirements of the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership are subject to a 0% import tariff in Vietnam.
Jason Hollett, Nova Scotia’s deputy minister of agriculture and deputy minister of fisheries and aquaculture, said Vietnam is currently the province’s seventh-largest seafood export market.
He made the remarks while leading a delegation of Canadian seafood businesses to Vietnam in September to meet local companies and explore business opportunities.
Provincial authorities said Nova Scotia’s premium seafood products account for 29% of Canada’s total seafood export value worldwide.
Snow crab is Nova Scotia’s largest seafood export to Vietnam by volume, with exports valued at around CAD35 million (US$25.3 million) in 2025, while lobster exports were worth about CAD8 million (US$5.8 million).