Russia ranks fifth among Vietnam’s largest seafood markets, behind the EU, the US, Japan, and South Korea, buying almost 10 percent of last year’s exports.

Thirty-eight seafood firms have so far received licenses to export seafood to Russia.

Shipments of catfish fillet to Russia have increased sharply though the prices realized are lower than in the EU.

To control qualify and maintain the prestige of Vietnamese seafood products, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development has strictly forbidden the use of certain chemical additives and sharp commercial practices.

There has been a recent boom in demand for dried seafood and white-legged shrimp in Russia, analysts said, adding exporters should focus on these items.

The Vietnam-Russia Tropical Centre and Seafood Research Institutes I and II will co-operate to breed sturgeon in Vietnam to serve the domestic market and diversify seafood exports.