A few days at Vietfish Expo 2026 in Ho Chi Minh City turned into far more than simply attending an exhibition.
From 19 to 21 August 2026, the Saigon Exhibition and Convention Center became a meeting point for people across the seafood value chain. Buyers, suppliers, traders, processors, technology providers, and other seafood professionals came together to exchange ideas, explore business opportunities, and understand where the industry is heading.
For us at Your Everyday Seafood, it was an opportunity to step outside our day-to-day sourcing operations in India and spend time listening to people working across different parts of the global seafood trade.
And what we brought back from Vietnam was more than business cards.
It was a better understanding of the people, conversations, and market perspectives shaping the industry.
Meeting People Behind the Seafood Trade
For us, the most valuable part of Vietfish 2026 was the opportunity to have conversations. We met buyers, suppliers, traders, processors, and industry professionals from different markets and backgrounds. Every conversation offered something different. Some conversations were about products and specifications. Others focused on sourcing challenges, market requirements, processing capabilities, or the changing expectations of international buyers. And some were simply conversations between people working in the same industry and trying to understand where it is heading.
This is something that can be difficult to replicate through email. An email can communicate a product specification. A quotation can communicate a price. A catalogue can communicate product availability. But a conversation can reveal how a buyer thinks, what problems they are facing, what they value in a supplier, and what they expect from a long-term business relationship.
That is something we found particularly valuable during our time at Vietfish.
What We Learned About Seafood Sourcing
One of the strongest takeaways from the exhibition was the importance of understanding the market beyond the product itself. For a seafood sourcing company, knowing that a product is available is only the beginning.
We also need to understand:
- What specifications does the buyer actually require?
- Which sizes and product forms are commercially realistic?
- What processing capabilities are available?
- How does seasonal availability affect supply?
- What documentation and quality requirements apply?
- How can communication between buyer, supplier, processor, and logistics partner be managed effectively?
These questions are especially important when working across international markets. A buyer in one country may have completely different requirements from another buyer purchasing the same species. That is why we believe seafood sourcing requires more than finding a supplier. It requires understanding the supply side and the buyer side at the same time.
Bringing a Different Perspective from India
Our work at Your Everyday Seafood is rooted in India, particularly in the seafood ecosystem around Veraval, Gujarat.
We operate our own shrimp farms and have hands-on experience with aquaculture and shrimp production. At the same time, our work involves connecting with farmers, processors, and seafood supply partners to understand what is available and how it can be matched with international buyer requirements.
Our experience at Vietfish reinforced the importance of this combination.A seafood sourcing partner needs to understand the realities on the ground. In shrimp, for example, supply is influenced by farming cycles, harvest timing, size availability, production conditions, processing capacity, and market demand.
The same principle applies to other seafood products.Knowing the local supply environment allows us to have more informed conversations with buyers and suppliers.And meeting international buyers allows us to better understand what different markets are looking for. That exchange of information is valuable in both directions.
From Vietnam Back to India
Our visit to Vietfish 2026 was ultimately about bringing knowledge and relationships back into our work in India. Meeting businesses from different seafood markets gave us an opportunity to compare sourcing practices, understand different buyer expectations, and identify areas where Indian seafood supply can connect with international demand.
For buyers looking at India as a seafood sourcing origin, our role is to provide a connection between the local supply environment and the requirements of the international market. Whether the requirement involves farmed shrimp, wild-caught fish, cephalopods, or other seafood products, effective sourcing depends on understanding both sides of the transaction and communicating clearly between them.
Our experience at Vietfish strengthened our belief that the future of seafood trade will continue to depend on strong relationships combined with better information about products, origins, supply capabilities, quality requirements, and market expectations. The closer these elements are connected, the more effectively seafood businesses can build reliable and long-term supply relationships.
Looking Ahead
Vietfish 2026 may have lasted three days, but the conversations do not have to end when the exhibition closes. The most valuable part of any trade exhibition is what happens afterwards. Following up with people we met. Continuing conversations. Understanding new requirements. Exploring potential collaborations. And turning introductions into long-term business relationships.
We are grateful to everyone who took the time to meet us, share their experiences, discuss the seafood industry, or simply have a conversation. For us, Vietfish 2026 was a reminder that seafood is not only about products and transactions.
It is about people, relationships, knowledge, and the connections that move the industry forward.
We return to India with new perspectives, new connections, and a renewed focus on building meaningful relationships across the global seafood trade.
Thank you to everyone who took the time to meet us.
Until next time, Vietnam. 🇻🇳
About Your Everyday Seafood
Your Everyday Seafood is a seafood sourcing company based in Veraval, Gujarat, India, connecting international buyers with seafood supply from India.
With hands-on experience in shrimp farming and an understanding of the local seafood ecosystem, we work with farmers, processors, and supply partners to help buyers source seafood according to their product specifications and market requirements.
Looking for seafood from India?
Let’s connect and discuss your sourcing requirements.