VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI
INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL
============
NGUYEN THI THOAN
NON-TARIFF BARRIERS TO VIETNAM’S
SEAFOOD EXPORTS TO THE EU MARKET
Program: Master of International Business
Code: 8340120
Supervisors: Dr. Nghiem Xuan Hoa
Ha Noi - 2025
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DECLARATION OF AUTHORSHIP
🙡🕮🙣
I hereby declare that this thesis was carried out by myself under the guidance
and supervision of Dr. Nghiem Xuan Hoa; and that the work contained in it and the
results in it are true by the author and have not violated research ethics. The data and
figures presented in this thesis are for analysis, comments, and evaluations from
various resources by my own work and have been duly acknowledged in the reference
part.
In addition, other comments, reviews and data used by other authors, and
organizations have been acknowledged and explicitly cited.
I will take full responsibility for any fraud detected in my thesis.
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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
In the process of conducting this Master’s thesis titled “Non-Tariff Barriers to
Vietnam’s Seafood Exports to the EU Market”, I have received valuable support,
guidance, and encouragement from many individuals and organizations.
First and foremost, I would like to express my sincere gratitude to Dr. Nghiem
Xuan Hoa – lecturer at the International School, Vietnam National University, Hanoi
(VNU-IS) – for his dedicated supervision throughout my research. His in-depth
guidance, clear academic direction, and insightful feedback have greatly contributed
to the quality and completion of this thesis.
I also wish to extend my sincere thanks to the International School – Vietnam
National University, Hanoi, where I had the opportunity to study in a dynamic and
internationally oriented academic environment. The knowledge and support provided
by the lecturers and the Postgraduate Office have laid a strong foundation for my
research.
My deep appreciation also goes to the Vietnam Institute for Economic and
Policy Research (VEPR) for providing data, reference materials, and facilitating
access to in-depth, practical information that was essential to the topic.
Furthermore, I would like to express my heartfelt thanks to the Vingroup
Innovation Foundation (VINIF) for awarding me the Master’s Scholarship, which
enabled me to focus wholeheartedly on my studies and research during the Master’s
program at VNU-IS.
This thesis is the result of my own efforts and the collective support I have
received. However, due to limitations in time and research experience, there may still
be shortcomings. I welcome any constructive feedback from professors, peers, and
colleagues to further improve this work in future revisions.
Thank you very much!
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SUMMARY
This thesis has conducted a comprehensive analysis of the European Union’s
non-tariff barriers (NTBs) and their impact on Vietnam’s seafood exports to the EU
market, particularly in the context of the implementation of the EU–Vietnam Free
Trade Agreement (EVFTA). While the EVFTA eliminates tariffs on more than 200
seafood product lines, Vietnam’s seafood export value to the EU has shown a
declining trend in recent years. This paradox raises concerns that NTBs are
increasingly becoming the main obstacle to trade.
The study aims to answer four key questions: (1) What are the non-tariff barriers
to Vietnam’s seafood exports to the EU? (2) What is the current state of these exports?
(3) How do NTBs affect Vietnam’s seafood exports? (4) What are the solutions to
overcome these barriers? The research fills a gap in previous studies, which have
mainly focused on tariff impacts or general trade benefits of FTAs, by examining the
specific and growing role of NTBs on a sector critical to Vietnam’s economy.
To address these questions, the study employs both qualitative methods (desk
research, calculation of RCA and ES indices, expert interviews) and quantitative
analysis (a gravity model using Poisson Pseudo Maximum Likelihood estimation) to
examine seafood export data from Vietnam to 27 EU member states over the 2008–
2022 period.
Findings indicate that the EU currently applies 77 NTMs on Vietnam’s seafood
products ranging from SPS and TBT measures to strict requirements on import
licensing, labeling, hygiene, contaminant control, and IUU fishing regulations.
Compared to other ASEAN countries, Vietnam faces the highest number of NTMs,
reflecting heightened concerns from the EU regarding traceability, food safety, and
environmental compliance. This landscape of regulatory pressure reinforces the
study's conclusion that overcoming non-tariff barriers is a strategic imperative, not
just a technical challenge, for Vietnam’s seafood industry in sustaining its position in
the EU market.
The quantitative results reveal that NTBs exert a statistically significant and
negative impact on exports. Specifically, the regression coefficient of the NTBjt
variable is negative (-0.046) and significant at the 1% level, implying that a 1%
increase in the stringency of NTBs leads to a 4.6% decline in Vietnam’s seafood
exports to the EU, holding other factors constant. The qualitative analysis reinforces
these findings: surveyed enterprises consistently reported that complying with EU
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regulations on quality, food safety, traceability, and sustainability poses major
challenges, especially for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs)
Based on these findings, the study concludes that tariff reductions are necessary
but insufficient to boost exports if not accompanied by efforts to address increasingly
complex NTBs. To fully capitalize on the EVFTA, Vietnam must prioritize
enhancing its capacity to meet international standards, strengthening traceability
systems, and improving institutional support for businesses.
