Mr. Nguyen Hoai Nam, Vice Secretary-General of Vietnam Association of Seafood Exporters and Producers (VASEP), said that in the past 15 years, the brand history and building a Vietnamese seafood brand has been mentioned and many projects have been proposed by VASEP member companies. However, all these proposals have so far only remained at the discussion level and have not found any consensus on their implementation.

Because it has no brand name, despite being the third largest seafood exporter in the world and having exported to more than 160 markets, Vietnamese seafood is still not widely consumed by consumers in import markets.

According to Mr. Le Quoc Vinh, chairman and general manager of Le Group, when Vietnamese seafood is exported abroad, it is mainly sold under the brand name of importers or retailers. Therefore, most consumers are unfamiliar with Vietnamese seafood brands.

Proof can be provided by Pangasius products. Nguyen Ngo Vi Tam, director general of the Vinh Hoan Joint Stock Company, said that Vietnam currently accounts for only 25% of the total world pangasius production, with a production of about 1.5 million tons, but accounts for over 95% of Vietnam’s pangasius exports World.

However, when Vietnamese pangasius is exported abroad, it is mainly consumed in restaurants, but restaurant owners often refer to pangasius by their self-invented names in a more “monumental” vein. This limits consumer awareness of Vietnamese pangasius.

Meanwhile, Vietnamese pangasius has many strengths to build a brand. First of all, the Vietnamese pangasius industry has developed over the years and is playing an increasingly important role in aquaculture both in Vietnam and in the world.

Over the years, many Vietnamese pangasius companies and farms have actively obtained sustainability certifications such as ASC. There are currently 44 pangasius growing areas in Vietnam that have received ASC certification.

At every stage of the pangasius value chain, from seed production, commercial fish farming, processing and export, companies are interested in efforts to achieve food safety and social responsibility standards in order to expand markets and promote export to the global market.

In terms of sustainable development, aquaculture generally has a much lower carbon footprint (total greenhouse gas emissions from the production process) than livestock and fisheries. Here, pangasius farming is rated as low-carbon in aquaculture.

Regarding the quality of Pangasius, the comments of professional chefs said that when cooking, Pangasius meat blends well into the dishes because it does not have a strong smell of seafood, very suitable for children or those who are not used to it, to eat seafood.

There are many such advantages, but due to the lack of branding, Vietnamese pangasius is not only limited in terms of consumer identification, but is also often questioned in terms of product quality, especially when smeared by the media. Therefore, to this day, pangasius is still offered as a cheap, inferior fish in many markets.

Faced with these realities, Mr. Le Quoc Vinh said it was time to build a common brand for Vietnam’s seafood industry.

The brand will help transform the image of Vietnamese seafood in the eyes of international consumers, raise awareness in the market, enhance the value of Vietnamese seafood products, develop export markets, while helping the brand, image and reputation development of the company .

Mr. Le Quoc Vinh, Chairman and CEO of Le Group

A strong and distinctive brand will help expand the fish market by attracting more customers and opening up new markets. Branding helps businesses increase sales by getting customers to buy more and more often. A strong brand also makes it easier to introduce new products and services because customers trust them.