Toan Dao has written about Vietnam’s business community, with a focus on energy and agriculture, for a number of Vietnamese and international outlets for more than 10 years. As a contributing editor for SeafoodSource in Southeast Asia, he also covers other major seafood producers in the region including Indonesia and Thailand.
Author Archive
Fishers and aquaculturists in Thailand are urging the nation’s government and relevant stakeholders to take action to address the spread of invasive blackchin tilapia, which have been devouring fry and roe at alarming rates on affected farms.
Blackchin tilapia are aggressive predatory fish that hunt and feed on other fish species. Their average reproductive cycle is around 22 days, with a single female capable of producing between 200 and
… Read More
International food and beverage manufacturing company Thai Union reported positive performance in its ambient and petcare segments in the fourth quarter of 2024, leading to gross profit margin gains and helping the firm close out a strong year overall.
Thai Union released its Q4 results on 17 February, which highlighted that the company achieved net profits of THB 1.2 billion (USD 36 million, EUR 34.3 million) in the quarter.
In the same
… Read More
A widespread outbreak of avian influenza in the southern Indian state of Andhra Pradesh has heavily affected the area’s chickens and, subsequently, triggered a surge in seafood demand.
Around 500,000 chickens raised for egg production have died in the East Godavari, Eluru, and West Godavari districts of Andhra Pradesh since 13 January, when the first deaths were reported, Times of India said on 11 February.
In an effort to identify the
… Read More
Isopods have grown in popularity as a seafood delicacy in Vietnam over the past decade, and scientists say they have identified a new species in the nation’s waters.
The new species has been named Bathynomus vaderi, as its head resembles the distinctive helmet of Darth Vader from “Star Wars,” according to a release. Researchers have classified Bathynomus vaderi as a supergiant species, measuring up to around 13 inches in length
… Read More
According to a recent statement from Vietnam’s Ministry of Industry and Trade (MoIT), Vietnam and the United States have reached a bilateral agreement to resolve a longstanding trade dispute over antidumping duties on Vietnamese pangasius exports, ending a case that has been under review at the World Trade Organization (WTO) since 2018.
The deal, signed in the U.S. capital of Washington, D.C. on 17 January by representatives of MoIT and
… Read More
The International Development and Investment Corporation (IDI) – Vietnam’s leading pangasius exporter – has begun work on a green bond-financed seafood processing-plant in the Mekong Delta region.
The firm held a ceremony on 7 January to mark the start of construction on its new Hoa Ky plant, the Vietnam Association of Seafood Exporters and Producers (VASEP) said in a statement.
The plant, equipped with machinery sourced from
… Read More
The Vietnam Association of Seafood Exporters and Producers (VASEP) has warned that pangasius from Vietnam is encountering growing competition from domestically farmed fish in China.
In two statements made near the end of 2024, VASEP said China, including Hong Kong, remained Vietnam’s biggest pangasius importer in the first 11 months of 2024, buying over USD 500 million (EUR 485 million) worth of the fish – up 1 percent year over year
… Read More
Vietnam is expected to exceed its target of selling USD 9.5 billion (EUR 9 billion) worth of seafood exports this year, thanks in large part to growth in sales to the U.S. and China.
In early 2024, the Vietnam Association of Seafood Exporters and Producers (VASEP) said the country aims to earn USD 4 billion (EUR 3.8 billion) from shrimp exports, USD 1.9 billion (EUR 1.8 billion) from pangasius sales, and USD 3.6 billion (EUR 3.4 billion) from
… Read More
Samut Sakhon, Thailand-based Thai Union posted an all-time-high gross profit margin (GPM) and a surge in net profit in Q3 2024 two quarters after it exited the beleaguered U.S. restaurant chain Red Lobster, according to its latest results report.
Thai Union invested millions into Red Lobster in 2016 and then was part of a consortium that acquired it outright in 2020, aiming to find synergies on supply and marketing. After Red
… Read More
Vietnam has increased its pangasius exports to global markets during the first three quarters of 2024, with some of the largest growth seen in its shipments to the U.S.
The Southeast Asian nation shipped 670,000 metric tons (MT) of pangasius to global markets in the first nine months of 2024, representing a 15.5 percent increase year over year. The value of those exports in the period totaled USD 1.5 billion (EUR 1.4 billion), up 8 percent from
… Read More