Tra fish is one of Vietnam’s billion-dollar export items. In 2024, the export turnover of tra fish reached $2 billion, up 9% compared to 2023.
According to the latest data from Vietnam Customs, in March 2025, the export of tra fish to Vietnam’s markets continued to grow positively by 16%, reaching $182 million. In the first three months of the year, tra fish export turnover reached more than $465 million, up 13% over the same period in 2024.
The US is one of the biggest importers of this item from Vietnam. For many years, the US has been an important market for Vietnam’s tra fish industry.
In March 2025, the export value of tra fish to the US market reached $29 million, down 4% compared to the same period last year. In accumulation, the export turnover of tra fish in the first quarter of 2025 to the US reached about $69 million, up 6% over the same period last year. Notably, March recorded the highest export value of tra fish since the beginning of this year.
Tra Fish Products Popular in the US Market
In the first quarter, frozen fillets with HS code 0304 remained the main export product of Vietnam’s tra fish to the US. This country consumed $63 million worth of frozen tra fish fillets from Vietnam, accounting for 91% of the total import turnover of tra fish from Vietnam.
According to the Vietnam Association of Seafood Exporters and Producers (VASEP), some of the tra fish products favored by US consumers include frozen tra fish fillets, frozen tra fish steaks/portions, frozen battered tra fish, and puffed tra fish skin, and fried tra fish skin.
Exports of other frozen products (whole, steaks, bladders, etc.) and dried tra fish products to the US in the first quarter also recorded positive growth of 75%, with a value of over $1.4 million, accounting for 2% of the turnover.
Notably, in the first quarter of 2025, the export of value-added tra fish to the US continued to record impressive growth, eight times higher than in the same period in 2024, with a value of $5 million, accounting for 7% of the turnover. US consumers are paying more attention to value-added tra fish products from Vietnam, in addition to the traditional frozen fillets.
Value-added tra fish refers to tra fish that has been further processed to enhance its value, rather than just being sold as raw material or frozen fillets. These are tra fish products that have been treated, processed, or combined with other components to create finished products with higher value. Some popular value-added tra fish products in foreign markets include battered and fried tra fish steaks, and fish balls with vegetables…
Previously, in 2024, the US was also the leading importer of value-added tra fish from Vietnam. The US spent more than $12 million on importing value-added tra fish, including a record-breaking $2 million in November alone. This strong growth has made the US the largest consumer of Vietnam’s value-added tra fish.
The leading exporters of value-added tra fish from Vietnam to the US include Van Duc Tien Giang Food Export Processing Company, Bien Dong, NTFS, and Vinh Hoan…
Along with the increase in the volume of tra fish imported from Vietnam, the export price of tra fish from Vietnam to the US in the first quarter of this year also increased. The average export price of tra fish to the US recorded positive growth in all months compared to the same period last year. Notably, the highest price was recorded in the first month of the year at $3.87/kg, up 47% over the same period in 2025. This is also the highest export price to the US since the beginning of 2023.
In another development, according to the latest data from the World Trade Center (ITC), in the first two months of 2025, the US imported more than $386 million worth of whitefish, up 18% from the same period last year, mainly frozen fillets with HS code 0304. Of this, the US consumed the most tilapia fillets with HS code 030461, with an import value of $103 million, up 49% over the same period last year, accounting for 27% of the turnover.
This is followed by frozen cod fillets with HS code 030471, with an import value of over $96 million in the first two months of this year, down 5% from the same period last year, accounting for 25% of the turnover; and frozen catfish fillets with HS code 030462 with a value of $56 million, up 16% over the same period last year, accounting for 14% of the turnover.
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