The King of Fruits: Unveiling the ‘Superfood’ from Vietnam and Thailand that’s Taking Over a Nation in Africa, with a 72% Export Surge and Over 110 Countries Placing Orders.

Since 2023, Vietnam’s tuna exports to Egypt have continuously grown. According to statistics from Vietnam Customs, in the first four months of 2025, tuna exports to this market reached nearly $4 million, up 72% over the same period in 2024.

Among Vietnam’s tuna export products to this market, canned tuna is the mainstay, accounting for over 82% of total export turnover. The rest are other processed tuna products and frozen tuna meat/loin.

According to the Vietnam Association of Seafood Exporters and Producers (VASEP), Thailand is the main supplier of canned tuna to Egypt. However, many Egyptian importers are looking for alternative partners, including Vietnam, to avoid dependence on a single source. This presents a good opportunity for Vietnamese businesses to enter this market.

Vietnam has become the world’s fifth largest tuna exporter in terms of turnover, only after Thailand, Ecuador, Spain, and China. Not only in Egypt, but the tuna raw material supply chain in the Southeast Asian region is also shifting to Vietnam, instead of just Thailand as before. In the past five years (2020 – 2024), Vietnam’s tuna exports increased by 52%, from $649 million in 2020 to $989 million in 2024, and has been exported to over 110 markets worldwide. The US, EU, Middle East, and CPTPP countries are the four largest consumers of Vietnamese tuna, accounting for 82-86% of the total turnover.

Experts forecast that 2025 will be a challenging year for Vietnam’s tuna industry. Specifically, Vietnam’s tuna exports are facing significant challenges from key importing markets such as the EU and the US.

On the other hand, Egypt has gradually overcome its long-lasting foreign exchange crisis over the past two years, so its imports tend to increase, creating favorable conditions for Vietnamese businesses. Currently, Egypt is the second largest economy in the African region with a GDP scale of $347.59 billion (data from the International Monetary Fund published in April 2024) and leads Africa in attracting FDI. Egypt is also Vietnam’s largest trading partner and market in North Africa.

Since the beginning of this year, the two governments have held several talks and agreed to actively consider opening up markets and creating favorable conditions for each other’s export strengths, aiming at increasing trade turnover and sustainable trade cooperation. They also encourage enterprises on both sides to survey the market and exchange information on investment cooperation opportunities. In 2023, two-way trade turnover reached $486.6 million, of which Vietnam exported $432 million to Egypt, mainly in agro-aquatic products and garments…

In the context of major export markets such as the US and the EU facing many obstacles, Egypt is considered a promising choice for businesses to increase tuna exports. However, not only Vietnam but also many other countries are choosing Egypt as a new destination, such as China,… Therefore, competition in this market will increase in the coming time, and enterprises need to take the initiative to anticipate and be able to conquer this market.