The trade deal significantly boosted exports of Vietnam to this market with shrimp exports up by 37 per cent, squid and octopus by 51 per cent and other fishery products by 4 per cent.

The preferential loans would enable local producers and exporters to make certain inputs and maintain export markets.

Imported seafood is no longer the food of the rich. Vietnamese are consuming more seafood from Japan, Australia, South Korea and Canada.

Vietnam has become Norway’s largest seafood consumer in Southeast Asia with a total import output of about 50,000 tonnes last year.

Although the last months of the year had seen a substantial drop in export orders, the textile and garment industry, as well as the seafood industry, still ended the year with positive results.

A crab weighing over 1.4kg won the Sumo Crab competition held in the southernmost province of Ca Mau on December 25.

After being affected by the COVID-19 pandemic and fluctuations in inflation, the demand and trends of seafood consumption in many markets have changed, necessitating that Vietnamese seafood enterprises must adapt to these market trends, experts said.