Vietnam has reaped a January-September 2025 blue swimming crab export growth of 1% year-on-year (y-o-y), thanks to Western markets.  

According to Seafood Vietnam, the year’s initial 9 months brought $58 million from exports, a slight recovery from Q3, 2024.

The European Union (EU) and the United States both upped their purchases., countering import growth cuts in virtually all major Asian destinations.

Importers from the United States bought $46 million or 81% of all shipments by Vietnam, a growth of 5%, y-o-y.

Due to high export prices that discouraged America’s consumers, the 5% growth was comparatively lower than January-September 2024’s vis-á-vis January-September 2023.

Most buyers in the U.S. order swimming crab as cooked meat at restaurants or in canned form.

The EU meanwhile recorded import growth of 161% y-o-y, worth over $2 million,  with France showing 208% growth.

Asia’s markets on the other hand saw drastic falls: China’s purchases fell by 55% y-o-y, South Korea’s by 17% and Hong Kong’s by 7%.

Analysts see these triple drops to a switch by consumers in the respective markets to affordable alternatives such as shrimp. 

In the China situation, the drop was mostly to do with improvements in landings within sovereign waters.

Timely U.S.’ Ban Pause 

Meanwhile, the U.S. Court of International Trade has postponed a January 1, 2026 ban on blue swimming crab imports from Vietnam, the Philippines and Sri Lanka.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) had set the above date for the import moratorium to favor local trappers.

Sources say that had this ban taken effect, U.S.’ crab prices would have soared by 300%. This is because foreign origins supply 89% of the federal pasteurized blue swimming crab imports, annually.

The stoppage of the ban is therefore good news for the Vietnam’s lucrative crab and crustacean export sectors. Putting this news into perspective is the following production and export market data review for Vietnam’s swimming crab.

Vietnam Blue Swimming Crab Production and Export Statistics 

Vietnam’s blue swimming crab (bsc) or Portunus pelagicus thrive in the Gulf of Thailand on the coast of Kien Giang Province. According to the Seafood Watch, the population biomass was at 3,050 tonnes per area in 2018. In catch terms, 46.39% of regular landings in this area came out as immature that year. Conversely, the world’s blue swimming crab population in 2021 was at 251,915 tonnes, but Vietnam’s remained unknown.

In terms of trade, blue swimming crab is one of the southeast Asia country’s most lucrative coastal crab species. Its 3-quarterly export worth had hit $58 million by September 2025. The fishery therefore contributed greatly to the country’s total seafood exports at $8.4 billion in the highlight period above. Most of the revenue emanated from shipments to the United States, Europe and Asia.

How important is America as blue swimming crab importer for Vietnam?

The United States is a major importer of Vietnam’s crab and blue swimming crab meat. In the 2015-23 period, Vietnam contributed 8.74% of all pasteurized blue swimming crab exports to the U.S. In the January-September 2025 period, Vietnam earned $46 million from U.S.-bound mainly bsc exports out of a total $58 million. The Louisiana Restaurant Association (LRA) further reports that the U.S. imports 62 million pounds of pasteurized blue swimming crab imports annually. Key sources include Vietnam, Indonesia, the Philippines and Sri Lanka. All sources make up 89% of annual pasteurized blue swimming crab utility in the United States.

Which countries in Asia buy swimming crabs from Vietnam?

Japan, China and South Korea are the leading Asian destinations for Vietnam’s blue swimming crab shipments. Between January and July 2013, for instance, Japan imported above 11,000 tonnes of swimming crabs from Vietnam.