Seafood News

According to the Vietnam Directorate of Fisheries, the Covid-19 epidemic may continue to develop complicatedly in 2022, directly affecting logistics activities and indirectly affecting production and business activities of the seafood industry. In the first quarter of 2022, there may be a shortage of raw materials.
Raw material price for both Vannamei and Black Tiger shrimp remain flat in the recent weeks as the major market such as U.S and Europe already have enough stocks and are in Christmas and New Year holidays. China market is still buying from now till Lunar New Year, so the material price will likely to stay flat in the coming 2 weeks. After Lunar New Year (Tet), shrimp farmers will start the new stocking for 2022.
Although the raging Covid epidemic, especially in the third quarter, made people worried about the target of $ 8.8 billion. But Vietnam’s seafood exports have made a spectacular comeback in the last quarter of the year, bringing the full year 2021 results above expectations with over $8.9 billion, up 6% compared to 2020
Shrimp exports in December increased by 10% to about 325 million USD. By the end of the year, shrimp exports reached 3.88 billion USD, up 4%. Tuna exports increased by 55% in December to USD 85.5 million, bringing the whole year result to USD 757 million. Cephalopod exports in December reached over USD 60 million, up 10%, accordingly, the whole year exports reached over USD 600 million. Vietnam Pangasius exports increased with a growth rate of about 80% to about USD 245 million in December, for the whole year in 2021 exceeded expectations with over USD 1.6 billion, up 10%.

Covid-19 situation:

Vietnam Nationwide

Vietnam’s 15th National Assembly opened its first extraordinary session in Hanoi to make several urgent decisions related to socio-economic recovery and pandemic prevention and control.
Around 2.2 million workers have left Vietnam’s major cities and returned to their hometowns over long-lasting pandemic impacts. As of December 15, 2021, around 524,000 and 447,000 workers left HCMC and Hanoi, respectively; 600,000 left other southern Vietnam provinces; and over 676,000 in other regions. Most of those who returned home were informal workers directly and immediately impacted by social distancing orders under Covid-19.
Vietnam has become one of the six countries with the highest Covid-19 vaccination coverage in the world. Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh has ordered the Ministry of Health to purchase Covid-19 vaccines for children aged 5 to 11.
The Ministry of Health documented more imported Omicron cases in Hai Duong, Hai Phong, and Thanh Hoa, raising the number of Omicron infections in the country to 24.
The government, in its report on Covid-19 prevention and control submitted to the National Assembly on Tuesday, affirmed that Viet A Technologies JSC, a test kit developer and provider in Vietnam, had taken advantage of the coronavirus pandemic to seek illegal profit, according to the Vietnam News Agency.
Vietnam might have a more difficult balancing act in the new year since the superpower rivalry between the U.S. and China is expected to become more intense, experts warn.

Ho Chi Minh City

Ho Chi Minh City’s Tan Son Nhat International Airport will conduct Covid-19 rapid tests on all passengers arriving at the airport starting January 1, 2022, according to the Ho Chi Minh City Center for Disease Control (HCDC).
Tan Son Nhat International Airport in Ho Chi Minh City handled between 20,000 and 30,000 passengers per day during the recent New Year holiday, according to the airport administration.
Ho Chi Minh City authorities suspended the local Covid-19 response office after about six months of operation, thanks to the city’s success in keeping the pandemic under control.
Ho Chi Minh City authorities have allowed discos, bars, karaoke parlors, and massage facilities to reopen on January 10 after months of suspension due to Covid-19, provided they meet the city’s safety requirements.

Hanoi

Daily Covid-19 cases in Hanoi climbed to 2,000 plus, a record high in the capital city since the start of the pandemic.
Authorities in Hanoi have ordered the suspension of in-person learning along with multiple other restrictions in ten districts that are currently at high risk of Covid-19 transmission.
The Hanoi Youth Union and Vietnam Young Entrepreneurs Association on January 5 handed over 1,200 oxygen tanks and oxygen equipment to support Covid-19 patients who are under home treatment in Hanoi.

Khanh Hoa (Nha Trang)

In the context of the complicated epidemic situation, Khanh Hoa province is trying to accelerate the progress of Covid-19 vaccination at all ages in order to achieve basic coverage of 2 doses of the vaccine by January 2022. Along with that, the province has also deployed the 3rd injection for people 18 years and older to strengthen their immunity against Covid-19.
The number of people aged 18 and over in the Khanh Hoa province who have received the first dose of vaccine is more than 100%, the second dose is more than 96%, and the third dose is 16%; the province organized the first dose vaccination for children from 12 to 17 years old, reaching 98.8%; and 2nd dose reached 87%.
Khanh Hoa welcomed 37,500 tourist arrivals, including 35,850 domestic and 1,650 international ones, on New Year holiday 2022.

Da Nang

Da Nang is accelerating its Covid-19 booster shot program to all over 18 who received a second dose three months ago in the context of risk from Omicron variant SARS-CoV-2.
Da Nang recorded a further 299 cases of Covid-19 on January 6, of which 165 were acquired in the community, 11 in centralized quarantine facilities, 100 during at-home quarantine and the 23 remaining ones in locked-down residential sites.