Bright prospects for seafood exports to Norway

Norway maintains a seafood import scale of about USD 450 - 500 million/year

According to the Agency of Foreign Trade (Ministry of Industry and Trade), data from the International Trade Center (ITC) showed that in the first six months of 2026, Norway imported 82.9 thousand tons of seafood, worth USD 399.23 million, down 36% in volume but up 12.4% in value compared to the first six months of 2025.

Norway increased seafood imports from many markets, including Greenland, Iceland, China, Canada, Thailand, the Netherlands, and France.

Among them, Norway increased seafood imports from Viet Nam by 2.6% in volume and 3.5% in value compared with the same period in 2025. Viet Nam is Norway's 7th-largest seafood supplier, accounting for 2.67% of the volume and 5.04% of the value of the country's total seafood imports.

According to statistics, Norway's seafood consumption reaches about 18 kg/person/year. Although Norway's population is not very large, at about 5.6 million people (as of August 17, 2026), it is a high-value and strategic market in the Nordic region.

Norwegian consumers are increasingly strict about origin and environmental factors. Over 80% of consumers here prioritize sustainably certified seafood. Therefore, Vietnamese products must meet international certifications such as ASC (for aquaculture) and MSC (for wild catch).

Although a leading global seafood exporter, Norway still maintains an import scale of about USD 450 - 500 million/year. This market depends on imports to supplement seafood species unavailable in Nordic waters and to supply raw materials for restaurant chains and supermarkets. Therefore, Vietnamese seafood still has many opportunities to increase its market share in this market.

Vietnamese seafood still has room in the Norwegian market

According to statistics from Vietnam Customs, Viet Nam's seafood exports to the Norwegian market in the first 7 months of 2026 reached 1.2 thousand tons, worth USD 9.3 million, down 14.5% in volume, but up 17.2% in value compared to the same period in 2025.

Among these, frozen shrimp is the largest export item to the Norwegian market, accounting for 58.9% in volume and 58.36% in value, with an export volume reaching 735.3 tons, worth USD 5.4 million.

Along with frozen shrimp, exports of some other Vietnamese seafood items to Norway also grew in both volume and value. For instance: Frozen crab increased by 56% in volume and 61.9% in value; frozen pangasius increased by 67.2% in volume and 50.5% in value; frozen tuna increased by 114.5% in volume and 693.5% in value; frozen catfish increased by 604.8% in volume and 552.6% in value...

Although the volume of Viet Nam's seafood exports to Norway decreased, the value increased, indicating that the average price of Viet Nam's seafood exported to this market in the first 7 months of 2026 rose.

Specifically, the average export price of frozen cod reached USD 13.86/kg, up 107.4%; frozen crab reached USD 13.27/kg, up 3.8%; frozen squid reached USD 5.92/kg, up 8.6%; frozen mackerel reached USD 4.36/kg, up 41.3% compared to the same period in 2025.

Prospects for Viet Nam's seafood exports to the Norwegian market in the coming time still hold a positive trend as the demand for food stockpiling for the Christmas and New Year period is often high at the end of the year.

With consumer demand rising at the end of the year alongside the trend of importing high-value products, Viet Nam's seafood exports to Norway are expected to remain positive. However, to expand market share in this Nordic market, enterprises need to focus on value-added products while strictly meeting requirements for traceability, sustainability certification, and environmental standards.