Vietnam and two Oceanian markets, Australia and New Zealand, have opened their markets to numerous types of goods, including agricultural products, fuels, and others, creating substantial headroom to accelerate trade flows toward 20–25 billion USD in the near future.

Australian and New Zealand milk, fruits, and vegetables "land" in Vietnam

Over 290 million USD is the amount of foreign currency spent by Vietnamese enterprises to import fruits and vegetables from Australia and New Zealand in 2025, up 13% compared to 2024.

Seasonal fruits from Australia and New Zealand are increasingly present in modern retail systems across Vietnam, ranging from cherries, apples, seedless grapes, oranges, and mandarins to nectarines and plums. Most recently, Australian blueberries were officially permitted for import into Vietnam through formal channels.

With a growing economy, a rapidly expanding middle class, and a population scale exceeding 100 million people, Vietnam is becoming a highly potential market with strong purchasing power for agricultural suppliers from Australia and New Zealand.

At an event welcoming the official import of Australian blueberries into Vietnam in October last year, Mr. John Glason, representative of the Driscoll Australia joint venture (the largest blueberry grower in Australia), stated that the enterprise places high expectations on blueberry market development potential in Southeast Asia, particularly Vietnam.

"Economic and trade cooperation between Vietnam and Australia is no longer limited to simple goods trading, but is gradually expanding into supply chain connectivity, production investment, and technology transfer." — Head of the Vietnam Trade Office in Australia

Economic and trade ties between Vietnam and Australia are deepening substantively, with agriculture and food serving as sectors with vast cooperation potential. The complementary production structures between both economies facilitate two-way flows of goods, capital, technology, and agricultural knowledge.

However, the appeal of imported fruit to Vietnamese consumers stems not only from quality. Vietnam's concurrent implementation of three multilateral Free Trade Agreements (FTAs) has also contributed to lowering import tariffs, making many fruit varieties more affordable for domestic consumers.

Apples imported from Australia in the Vietnamese market range from 60,000 to 260,000 VND/kg, depending on variety, size, and distribution channel.

A representative of a fruit importing business at Long Bien wholesale market (Hanoi) noted that thanks to integration, market opening, and increasingly convenient logistics, fruits from Australia and New Zealand now account for a significant share of imported supplies, alongside seasonal fruits from the US, Poland, and China.

This was also affirmed by Mr. Nguyen Van Muoi, Deputy Secretary-General of the Vietnam Fruit and Vegetable Association (Vinafruit). According to Mr. Muoi, the rapid increase in fruit supplies from Australia and New Zealand has offered diverse choices for domestic consumers.

Beyond fruits, Vietnam also increased dairy imports from Australia and New Zealand, reaching a turnover of 567 million USD, with Australia accounting for nearly 130 million USD (up 6.7%) and New Zealand reaching 437.7 million USD (up 50.7%).

According to Customs statistics, in 2025, Vietnam's total two-way trade turnover with these two Oceanian markets reached 15.5 billion USD, up 1.1% compared to 2024. Within this, Vietnam's exports to both markets reached 7.5 billion USD (up 5.4%), while imports reached 7.9 billion USD (down 2.7%).

The Ministry of Industry and Trade reported that Australia is currently Vietnam's largest trading partner in Oceania, accounting for 90.6% of export turnover and 90.3% of import turnover in the region.

Vietnam's total import-export turnover with Australia alone reached 14.1 billion USD in 2025, with exports reaching 6.8 billion USD (up 5.6% compared to 2024) and imports from Australia reaching 7.2 billion USD (down 5.3%), resulting in a trade deficit of 400 million USD with Australia. In the first 7 months of 2026, bilateral trade turnover reached 9.79 billion USD, up 21.9% year-on-year, with exports reaching 4.6 billion USD (up nearly 30%) and imports reaching 5.3 billion USD.

Ms. Tran Thanh My, Deputy Consul General of Vietnam in Sydney and Head of the Vietnam Trade Office in Australia, shared that following the official upgrade of bilateral ties to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership in March 2024, economic, trade, and investment cooperation between the two nations continues to record positive outcomes.

A key highlight is that both economies are highly complementary, meaning import-export structures rarely compete directly and instead support one another.

Major export commodity groups to Australia last year included: computers, electronic products, and components reaching 933.8 million USD (up 39.3%); phones and components reaching 675.6 million USD (up 5%); machinery, equipment, tools, and spare parts reaching 641.5 million USD (down 43.6%); textiles and garments reaching 594.6 million USD (up 4.3%); footwear reaching 459 million USD (up 11.5%); and aquatic products reaching 347.3 million USD.

Conversely, Vietnam imported commodities from Australia such as coal reaching 2.6 billion USD (down 1%); ores and other minerals reaching 1.3 billion USD (down 1.4%); other base metals reaching 1.1 billion USD (down 0.4%); wheat reaching 380.4 million USD (up 5.3%); raw cotton reaching 375.5 million USD (down 42.8%); fruits and vegetables reaching 170.2 million USD (up 12.4%); and milk and dairy products reaching 129.1 million USD (up 6.7%).

Trade with New Zealand remains more modest. Statistics show that in 2025, total bilateral trade reached 1.5 billion USD (up 15.8%), with Vietnam's exports reaching 710.5 million USD (up 3.4%) and imports from New Zealand reaching 784.4 million USD (up 29.8%).

Bilateral trade soon to reach 20–25 billion USD

Trade prospects between Vietnam and Australia and New Zealand continue to widen thanks to high-level political trust, regular diplomatic exchanges, and established cooperation frameworks. The complementary trade structure provides strong momentum for market expansion.

Vietnam and New Zealand upgraded their bilateral relationship to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership in February 2025. Vietnam is currently New Zealand's 14th largest trading partner and 5th within ASEAN. Conversely, New Zealand ranks as Vietnam's 41st largest trading partner (41st in exports and 37th in imports).

With Australia, bilateral trade is reinforced by effectively leveraging FTAs under the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership framework. Vietnam and Australia currently share membership in three FTAs: the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP), the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP), and the ASEAN-Australia-New Zealand Free Trade Area (AANZFTA).

Speaking with Finance & Investment Newspaper from Australia, Ms. Nguyen Thi Thu Thuy, Deputy Director of the Export Support Center under the Vietnam Trade Promotion Agency (Ministry of Industry and Trade), assessed that Vietnam-Australia trade retains significant room for acceleration, particularly in green transition, innovation, and supply chain value enhancement. Accelerated trade promotion and market opening programs continue to create pathways for Vietnamese goods to penetrate deeper into Australia.

In particular, the State visit to Australia by General Secretary and President To Lam holds strategic significance, consolidating mutual trust and expanding bilateral economic cooperation spaces.

Ms. Tran Thi Thanh My noted that exports serve as one of the three primary growth drivers of the economy. In the coming period, the Trade Office will intensify trade promotion for key advantageous sectors tailored to Australian market demand and green consumer trends, helping businesses raise added value and offer competitive, sustainable products.

In September, the Trade Office plans to organize a delegation of around 20 Australian enterprises to Vietnam to attend the Vietnam International Sourcing Expo 2026, facilitating direct business matching with Australian buyers.

As Vietnam works toward expanding export markets and sustaining high economic growth targets, Australia remains a key partner. Leveraging the three existing FTAs alongside the comprehensive bilateral partnership creates favorable pathways for Vietnamese goods to access the Australian market, setting the foundation for bilateral trade turnover to aim toward 20 billion USD and further to 25 billion USD.

Source: Bao Tai chinh - Dau tu