Vietnam's Position as a Cod Processing Alternative Outside of China is Rising

Published 2025년 6월 8일

Tridge summary

Key Insight: As the global cod supply chain continues to be reshaped, Vietnam is quietly emerging as one of the key processing destinations for Norwegian frozen cod. According to the latest export data from the Norwegian Seafood Council released in May 2025, Vietnam ranks among the primary markets for Norwegian frozen cod exports, on par with the United Kingdom and China, demonstrating a profound shift in its role within the industry chain.

Original content

Although official data has not disclosed Vietnam's specific import tonnage and value, the fact that it is listed among major markets already reflects Vietnam's gradually increasing weight in international frozen cod trade. For a long time, China has been Norway's largest cod processing re-export country. Norway exports raw fish to China, where Chinese enterprises process fish fillets and segments before re-exporting to European and American markets. However, with tense China-US trade relations, this pathway is encountering serious obstacles. China's cod import volume is also declining. In May 2025, Norway's frozen cod exports to China dropped to 20%, the lowest level since 2015. The average share from the beginning of the year to date is only 22%, indicating pressure on China's processing system. Against this backdrop, Vietnam is gradually taking on some of China's "vacated" production capacity. Vietnam has a mature seafood processing industrial chain, with particular expertise in ...

Source: Foodmate