Alan Pham | Vietnam Seafood Sourcing Insights A sourcing consultant's notes on Vietnam's seafood market
Norwegian mackerel — saba — processed in Vietnam is one of the more interesting supply chain arrangements in the regional seafood industry. The raw material is Norwegian origin. It’s imported into Vietnam for portioning, boning, and freezing — then exported to Japan and Europe. For buyers who know their product, the key questions are traceability, boning quality, and portion weight consistency.
I source boneless mackerel portions for buyers in Japan and Europe through verified processing facilities in Ho Chi Minh City.
About This Product
Norway boneless mackerel portions are portion-cut, individually frozen fillets from Norwegian Atlantic mackerel (Scomber scombrus), processed to Japanese market standards. The fish is sourced from Norway — a fishery with strong traceability and well-established quality benchmarks — and processed in Vietnam where skilled labour allows precise portioning and boning at competitive cost.
This product is packed and labelled to Japanese import specifications, with custom label and packaging options available on request.
Product Specifications
| Spec | 30g Portion | 60g Portion | 80G Portion |
|---|---|---|---|
| Portion size | 30g | 60g | 80G (Big Original Grade) |
| Packing | 50 pcs/PA × 4 PE/CTN × 2 | 5 pcs/PA × 20 PA/CTN × 2 | 5 pcs/PA × 15 PA/CTN × 2 |
| Carton weight | 12 kg | 12 kg | 12 kg |
| Label | Custom label available for Japan market | ||
| Species | Atlantic Mackerel (Scomber scombrus) |
| Origin | 100% Norway — fully traceable |
| Processing | Vietnam (Ho Chi Minh City) |
| Bone-in / Boneless | Boneless |
| Form | Portion-cut, IQF frozen |
| Incoterms | FOB Ho Chi Minh City |
Why Vietnam Processing for Norwegian Mackerel?
The boning and portioning of mackerel is labour-intensive. Vietnam’s processing industry has developed strong capability in this category — the same model that has worked successfully for Norwegian salmon processing in Vietnam. For buyers, the result is a Norwegian-origin product with Japanese-standard processing, delivered at a competitive landed cost compared to Norway-processed alternatives.
Traceability is maintained from the Norwegian fishery through to the Vietnamese processing facility and final export documentation. Norway-origin certificates are available per shipment.
Target Markets
- Japan — primary market; portion sizes and labelling aligned to Japanese supermarket and foodservice specifications
- Europe — particularly France and UK for foodservice and retail chilled/frozen mackerel products
- Hong Kong and China — growing demand for premium portion-controlled frozen fish
How to Source This Product
I’m Alan Pham — Vietnam-based seafood sourcing consultant, formerly Operations Manager at A. Espersen A/S. I have sourced this product for buyers in Japan and understand the quality standards and documentation requirements expected in that market.
I can provide: product spec sheets, current pricing FOB Ho Chi Minh City, sample arrangement, and full export documentation support including Norway-origin certificates.
📧 alan@viet.zone
🔗 linkedin.com/in/vietpham8
Independent Seafood Sourcing Consultant based in Vietnam’s Mekong Delta. Former Operations Manager at Espersen Vietnam (Danish seafood group, 8+ years) and graduate of Nha Trang Fisheries University. I source specialty aquatic products for buyers in Japan, France, Hong Kong, China and Thailand — as a disclosed agent with full commission transparency.
