Vietnam Aquafeed Market Outlook to 2030

The report titled “Vietnam Aquafeed Market Outlook to 2030 – By Species, By Feed Form, By Life Stage, By Ingredient Base, By Functional Purpose, and By Region” provides a comprehensive analysis of the aquafeed market in Vietnam. The report covers an overview and genesis of the industry, overall market size in terms of revenue and production volume, market segmentation; trends and developments, regulatory landscape, customer level profiling, issues and challenges, and competitive landscape including competition scenario, cross-comparison, opportunities and bottlenecks, and company profiling of major players in the aquafeed market. The report concludes with future market projections based on aquaculture output, feed demand, regional growth hotspots, cause-and-effect relationships, and success case studies highlighting the major opportunities and cautions.

Vietnam Aquafeed Market Overview and Size

The Vietnam aquafeed market is valued at USD 345.1 million in 2024. This valuation reflects the compounding impacts of aquaculture expansion, intensification, and rising demand for export-oriented seafood. Feed cost efficiency, improving feed conversion ratios (FCR), and a shift toward higher quality/formulated feeds are key drivers behind market volume and value growth from farm demand upward.

In terms of geographic dominance, the southern Mekong Delta region (notably provinces such as Can Tho, Soc Trang, Bac Lieu) dominates feed consumption due to very dense shrimp and pangasius farming clusters and proximity to major waterways and export logistics. In the north, the Red River Delta region is also a key center due to concentration of tilapia, carp, and tilapia farms with good access to feed mill infrastructure. Many feed companies locate mills or distribution hubs close to these farming hotspots to optimize logistics and minimize cost.

What Factors are Leading to the Growth of the Vietnam Aquafeed Market:

Export-anchored aquaculture scale creates sustained feed demand: Vietnam’s industrial aquaculture base is among the world’s largest, generating 5,170,375 metric tons of farmed aquatic animals. This export-oriented engine remains active in the current cycle, with pangasius export receipts reaching 747 million USD in the first five months of the year. Such large cultured volumes and steady overseas orders create strong downstream pull for formulated diets in the Mekong and Red River deltas where feed intensity is highest. The result is consistent throughput for shrimp and finfish feed mills as farms shift to structured nutrition programs and adopt higher-performance feed formulations.

Ingredient availability supported by large oilseed import streams: Aquafeed producers in Vietnam benefit from a deep trade pipeline for protein meals and oils. Soybean imports reached 2.05 million tons in the current marketing year, largely directed toward aquaculture and livestock feed. This bulk access lowers rationing risk and enables mills to flexibly substitute when marine inputs like fishmeal tighten. Because soy derivatives remain a cornerstone in pangasius and tilapia diets, the high import tonnage supports smoother output at mills, improved inventory stability for distributors, and stronger service levels for intensive farms across the Mekong and coastal production clusters.

Macroeconomic capacity and blue-economy investment rails: Vietnam’s aquafeed market is underpinned by solid macroeconomic conditions. With the national economy valued at 459.47 billion USD (current prices), there is fiscal and private-sector headroom for investment in feed mills, cold-chain infrastructure, and hatchery upgrades that raise feed demand intensity. Alongside this, targeted blue-economy investments have funneled 450 million USD into Mekong Delta resilience projects, while international development initiatives allocate over 10.5 billion USD toward aquatic and coastal economies across countries. These flows enhance infrastructure, risk management, and farmer capacity—creating favorable conditions for wider adoption of commercial aquafeed.

Which Industry Challenges Have Impacted the Growth of the Vietnam Aquafeed Market:

Climate stress and saline intrusion in the Mekong Delta: Feed demand is exposed to climatic and hydrological shocks. The Mekong Delta records saline intrusion across about 1.8 million hectares and flooding over 1.5 million hectares, directly affecting shrimp and pangasius farming hubs. These conditions destabilize grow-out schedules, lower survival rates, and force ration reformulations or emergency supply measures. For mills and dealers, salinity spikes translate into disrupted demand, irregular feed uptake, and greater working-capital needs. The challenge necessitates climate-resilient feed solutions and advisory services to sustain feed conversion results despite environmental stressors.

Heavy reliance on imported oilseeds exposes mills to external shocks: Despite high import volumes supporting feed manufacturing, reliance on external origins increases vulnerability. Vietnam imported 2.05 million tons of soybeans in the current marketing year, linking domestic feed production to foreign harvest outcomes, inspection standards, and freight conditions. Any disruption—whether from logistics bottlenecks, sanitary measures, or currency movements—can strain protein availability for fish diets, causing shortages at distributor level and affecting farm feeding cycles. Mills must diversify sourcing, hedge purchases, and explore alternative proteins to reduce this external exposure.

Logistics and physical-economy friction in agri supply chains: Vietnam’s aquafeed supply chain continues to face transport and logistics inefficiencies. Moving heavy bagged feed across rural and riverine areas requires extensive handling, which raises costs and reduces timeliness compared with regional peers. These frictions lengthen delivery cycles to farms, necessitate higher buffer stocks at dealer warehouses, and increase working-capital stress during peak harvests when shrimp and pangasius operations compete for transport resources. Upgrading rural warehousing, river port access, and multi-modal distribution remains a pressing need to ensure more efficient feed delivery.

What are the Regulations and Initiatives which have Governed the Market:

National technical regulations for animal feed and aquafeed (MARD Circular No. 04/2020/TT-BNNPTNT): Vietnam’s Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD) enforces a unified technical regulation that defines quality and safety benchmarks for animal and aquafeed. These rules set contaminant limits, specify raw-material criteria, and require documented quality control before circulation. For manufacturers, compliance is now a prerequisite for commercialization and import clearances, increasing the workload on laboratory testing, supplier approval, and labeling standards. This regulation ensures product quality while creating a higher barrier for new entrants.

Decree 39/2017/ND-CP and implementing Circular 20/2017/TT-BNNPTNT on feed management: This regulatory framework sets clear requirements for registration and quality inspection of both imported and exported aquafeeds. Dossiers must include specific written requests and records of prior imports for feeds containing antibiotics. Quality certification at customs checkpoints is mandatory, extending lead-times and intensifying the paperwork burden for mills and traders. While this structure enhances regulatory oversight, it also increases operational complexity and slows time-to-market for new feed products or imported raw materials.

Registration timelines and documentary requirements for feed products: Feed producers must comply with defined licensing timelines. Authorities allow five working days for dossier intake and 25 working days for appraisal of valid submissions. Applications must include certificates such as Free Sale, Analysis, and manufacturer quality-management credentials (GMP, ISO, HACCP, FAMI-QS, FCA). These procedural requirements shape the commercial planning of aquafeed players, dictating product launch schedules, import coordination, and adjustment timelines. Companies must align operational calendars with these fixed regulatory service standards to avoid market entry delays.

Vietnam Aquafeed Market Segmentation

By Species / End-User Type: The dominance stems from Vietnam’s global leadership in pangasius (tra fish) exports, leading many farms to increase feed usage and upgrade to formulated diets. The feed demand is stable and high because pangasius farming is relatively predictable, large scale, and export-driven. As farms scale, they demand more pellet feed rather than farm-made feed, consolidating share in this sub-segment. Other sub-segments like shrimp are rapidly growing (high CAGR) but may not yet exceed pangasius in share. Shrimp feed growth is driven by rising export shrimp demand and intensification in RAS or semi-intensive systems. Functional feeds (immune boosters, probiotics) are also gaining traction but remain niche in share due to cost sensitivity at farm level.

By Feed Form / Technology: In 2024, Pelleted Feed holds the dominant share (≈ 46.8 %) in Vietnam’s aquafeed market, driven by its simpler production, cost efficiency, compatibility with pond systems, ease of storage and handling, and widespread farmer familiarity. The pellet form is well-suited to traditional pond systems and hybrid cages, and many feed mills already have capacity optimized for pellet lines rather than extrusion. Extruded feeds (for higher water stability, smaller size, or high-density systems) grow faster but from a smaller base, especially in shrimp/RAS segments. Powder diets (for larval stages) and paste/liquid forms are niche but essential for hatcheries and broodstock; their share is smaller due to higher cost and technical requirements.

Competitive Landscape in Vietnam Aquafeed Market 

The Vietnam aquafeed market is relatively consolidated with major international and regional feed multinationals coexisting with native Vietnamese firms. The top players hold strong regional and species positioning, brand trust, technical support, and distribution reach, making entry challenging for pure newcomers.

Some of the Recent Competitor Trends and Key Information About Competitors Include:

Cargill Vietnam: As one of the largest feed producers in Vietnam, Cargill expanded its shrimp feed portfolio in 2024, introducing functional and immune-boosting diets aimed at reducing disease outbreaks in intensive shrimp farms across the Mekong Delta.

CP Vietnam (Charoen Pokphand Foods): Known for its integrated aquaculture model, CP Vietnam has recently strengthened farmer support services by expanding its distribution network and offering bundled feed–seed packages, helping small farmers increase survival rates and productivity.

Skretting (Nutreco) Vietnam: Specializing in high-performance aquafeed, Skretting launched new extruded feeds in 2024 targeted at pangasius and tilapia farms, focusing on higher water stability and improved feed conversion ratios to meet international certification standards.

De Heus Vietnam: With a strong nationwide footprint, De Heus has invested in a new feed mill in the Mekong Delta region, increasing its production capacity to meet the rising demand for pelleted and extruded feeds in export-driven shrimp and pangasius farming.

Grobest Vietnam: A major player in functional aquafeed, Grobest has enhanced its probiotic and specialty feed range in 2024, focusing on disease resistance and gut health for shrimp, aligning with Vietnam’s shift toward sustainable aquaculture practices.

What Lies Ahead for Vietnam Aquafeed Market?

The Vietnam aquafeed market is positioned for consistent expansion through 2030, supported by strong aquaculture output, steady seafood exports, and continued investment in feed technology. Structural drivers such as intensification of shrimp and pangasius farms, international certification requirements, and the rising adoption of functional and specialty feeds are expected to sustain growth momentum. At the same time, investment in infrastructure and value chain resilience will help feed manufacturers and distributors capture long-term demand across key provinces.

Rise of Functional and Specialty Feeds: The next phase of growth is expected to feature stronger demand for functional feeds—those designed for immunity, disease resistance, and improved survival rates. Shrimp and pangasius farms, facing challenges like early mortality and fluctuating survival rates, are turning toward probiotic, prebiotic, and immune-boosting diets. Global leaders such as Skretting and Cargill are already investing in new formulations, and local players are following suit. This segment is likely to drive premiumization and create white-space opportunities for both domestic and international suppliers.

Digital and Precision Feeding Integration: The future of aquafeed in Vietnam will also be defined by the adoption of digital feeding solutions. Farmers are increasingly exploring IoT-based pond sensors, automated feeders, and AI-driven feeding schedules to optimize feed conversion ratios (FCR) and reduce waste. Precision feeding technology not only improves farm economics but also supports environmental compliance. As government initiatives around digital transformation expand across agriculture, feed manufacturers that provide bundled digital advisory services with their feed products will be better positioned to capture farmer loyalty.

Regional Intensification and Export Alignment: Vietnam’s Mekong Delta will remain the dominant consumption hub, but future growth will also come from regional intensification in the Red River Delta and coastal provinces. Export markets for pangasius and shrimp continue to demand strict compliance with standards like ASC and GLOBALG.A.P., which in turn requires more standardized and high-quality feeds. Feed mills close to these clusters will scale up, and companies investing in traceable, certified supply chains will gain strategic advantage in tapping export-linked farmers who are upgrading nutrition practices to align with buyer requirements.

Ingredient Innovation and Sustainability Pathways: Given Vietnam’s dependence on imported fishmeal and soybeans, the push toward alternative proteins such as insect meal, algae, and microbial proteins will shape future feed innovation. R&D investments by both multinational and domestic companies will accelerate trials and early commercialization. Feed players that succeed in blending sustainability with cost-effectiveness will benefit not only from farm adoption but also from regulatory and trade preferences, as buyers increasingly require sustainability certifications tied to feed inputs.

Vietnam Aquafeed Market Segmentation

By Species / End-Use

• Shrimp

• Pangasius / Catfish

• Tilapia & Carp

• Other Finfish

• Mollusks & Others

By Feed Form / Technology

• Pelleted

• Extruded / Expanded

• Crumble / Micro-pellet

• Powder / Micro-diet

• Paste / Liquid Diets

• Microencapsulated / Coated

By Life Stage

• Hatchery / Larval

• Nursery / Pre-grower

• Grow-out (Standard / High-Performance)

• Broodstock / Maturation

By Protein / Ingredient Base

• Marine-based

• Plant-based

• Animal By-products

• Novel / Alternative Proteins

• Additives & Premix-led

By Functional Purpose

• Standard Growth / Maintenance

• High-Performance / FCR-optimized

• Health & Immunity

• Condition-Specific

• Medicated / Therapeutic (per regulations)

• Certification-Ready / “Clean-label”

Players Mentioned in the Report:

• Skretting Vietnam (Nutreco)

• Cargill Inc.

• De Heus Animal Nutrition

• Charoen Pokphand (CP Vietnam)

• Archer Daniels Midland (ADM)

• Grobest Vietnam

• GreenFeed Vietnam

• Uni-President Vietnam

• Biomin Vietnam

• INVE Aquaculture

• Alltech Inc.

• Tongwei (Vietnam operations)

• Viet Thang Feed JSC (VTF)

• Quang Ninh Fishery Feed JSC

• Aller Aqua Vietnam

Key Target Audience

• Aquaculture feed manufacturers and mill operators

• Seafood / aquaculture producers (shrimp, pangasius, tilapia)

• Raw material / ingredient suppliers (fishmeal, soy, alternative proteins)

• Investments & venture capital firms (investing in feed, biotech, RAS)

• Feed additive / premix / functional ingredient providers

• Exporters and seafood processors integrating backward feed sourcing

• Government and regulatory bodies (Ministry of Agriculture & Rural Development – MARD, Directorate of Fisheries)

• Farm cooperatives, aquaculture associations, farmer federations

Time Period:

Historical Period: 2019-2024

Base Year: 2025

Forecast Period: 2025-2030