Vietnamese tuna exporters expand to Lithuanian market

Lithuania is currently ranked 79th among the world’s largest economies and 36th in the list of wealthiest countries, with an annual GDP per capita of approximately USD 23,723, equivalent to USD 66.45 billion. Each year, Lithuania spends about USD 650 million on seafood imports.

According to ITC statistics, Lithuania is the 12th largest seafood importer in the EU, accounting for 1.2% of the EU’s total seafood import value. In 2022, Vietnam was the 6th largest seafood supplier to Lithuania from outside the EU, accounting for 3.54% of Lithuania’s total seafood import value.

Data from Vietnam Customs show that Vietnam’s tuna export value to this market surged from USD 229 thousand in 2021 to nearly USD 16 million in 2024—an increase of 69 times. In the first five months of 2025 alone, tuna export turnover to Lithuania doubled year-on-year, reaching over USD 8 million.

Frozen tuna meat/loin products (HS code 0304) are the main exports to this market, accounting for 98% of total tuna export value.

Lithuania has been a member of the European Union since 2004. Within the cooperation framework between Vietnam and the EU, legal mechanisms have been established to support economic, trade, and investment collaboration between Vietnam and EU member states. Notably, on June 11–12, 2025, the President of the Republic of Lithuania, Gitanas Nausėda, and his spouse visited Hanoi—marking the first high-level state visit by a Lithuanian head of state to Vietnam in many years. This visit was a highly significant diplomatic event, reflecting the two countries’ commitment to their traditional friendship and multifaceted cooperation, while also opening a new chapter in bilateral relations amid a rapidly changing global context filled with both opportunities and challenges.

In addition, at the seminar titled “75th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Vietnam and Central and Eastern European countries: strengthening relationship, enhancing cooperation, looking to the future,” Deputy Prime Minister Tran Hong Ha outlined five key tasks to elevate Vietnam–CEE relations to a new level. Among them is the need to boost economic cooperation and leverage the Vietnam-EU Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA) to achieve an annual trade growth rate of 10%.

As such, the current expansion of tuna exports to Lithuania by Vietnamese enterprises is on the right track and holds significant potential for growth in the near future. However, to fully realize this potential, businesses are still awaiting the Government’s swift resolution of issues related to Decree 37/2024/NĐ-CP, which provides guidelines for implementing the 2017 Fisheries Law—particularly concerning minimum harvesting sizes and regulations prohibiting mixing of catches. Timely issuance of an amended Decree 37/2024/NĐ-CP would help address difficulties faced by enterprises and fishermen, thus unlocking domestic tuna supply and creating favorable conditions for exporters to take advantage of preferential terms under various Free Trade Agreements (FTAs).

Source:  https://seafood.vasep.com.vn/