In Q2/2026, India, the US, Brazil, Australia, and Spain were the 5 largest markets (by value) supplying meat and meat products to Vietnam, with imports from all these markets increasing compared to the same period in 2025. India alone was the largest market supplying meat and meat products to Vietnam with 56,600 tons, predominantly frozen buffalo meat.

According to preliminary statistics from the Customs Department, Vietnam's imports of meat and meat products in Q2/2026 reached 271,100 tons, valued at an estimated nearly 810.1 million USD, up 21.5% in volume and up 24.1% in value compared to the preceding first quarter.

Compared to Q2/2025, imports of this food commodity group increased by 14.4% in volume and surged by 46.9% in value.

Cumulatively for the first 6 months of 2026, Vietnam's imports of meat and meat products reached 494,300 tons, valued at approximately 1.46 billion USD, up 9.6% in volume and up 36.4% in value compared to the same period in 2025.

Statistical data also indicates that the primary imported meat and meat products into Vietnam include categories such as: poultry meat and edible offal after slaughter; edible offal after slaughter of live pigs, buffaloes, and cattle; fresh frozen buffalo meat; fresh chilled or frozen pork; fresh frozen beef…

Among these, import volumes for all the aforementioned categories increased year-on-year compared to 2025; meanwhile, imports of chilled or frozen edible offal from live pigs, buffaloes, and cattle after slaughter and frozen pig fat declined compared to the same period in 2025.

In Q2/2026, India, the US, Brazil, Australia, and Spain were the 5 largest markets (by value) supplying meat and meat products to Vietnam, with imports from these markets all increasing compared to the same period in 2025.

India specifically was the largest supplier of meat and meat products to Vietnam at 56,600 tons valued at 254.27 million USD, up 9.8% in volume and up 22% in value compared to Q1/2026; compared to Q2/2025, this represents an increase of 40.9% in volume and 78.3% in value.

Earlier, in Q1/2026, Vietnam imported 51,600 tons of meat and meat products from India valued at nearly 208.5 million USD, accounting for over 23% of total import volume, up nearly 22% in volume and 43.8% in value compared to the same period last year.

Currently, the volume of meat imported from India into Vietnam consists primarily of frozen buffalo meat. According to the Department of Livestock Production and Animal Health (Ministry of Agriculture and Environment), the reason Indian buffalo meat increasingly dominates in Vietnam stems from two main factors.

First and foremost, low costs allow Indian meat products to compete easily in the market.

Additionally, domestic supply has declined over recent years due to the low efficiency of buffalo farming and the shrinking of grazing land areas. Meanwhile, consumer demand for buffalo and beef remains at a high level.

There are two main buffalo breeds in the world: Murrah buffalo and swamp buffalo. Swamp buffalo, also known as Southeast Asian buffalo, are widely raised in Thailand, Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam, Malaysia, Indonesia, the Philippines, and China. Murrah buffalo, or Indian buffalo, is a breed originating from India bred specifically for dairy production; an Indian Murrah buffalo can yield up to 3,000 liters of milk per year.

Murrah buffalo possess a large body stature; mature males weigh from 650–730 kg per head and can reach up to 1,000 kg, while females weigh 350–400 kg per head and can reach up to 900 kg. Despite their large size, Murrah buffalo are not well suited for plowing/draft work and tolerate heat less effectively than swamp buffalo.

Murrah buffalo produce high milk yields with good milk quality, but their meat quality is poor and lacks palatability.

For this reason, once Murrah buffalo complete their productive dairy-milking lifespan, they are culled, slaughtered, and sold at very cheap prices. The selling price of buffalo meat in India is only around 1.5 USD/kg, equivalent to approximately 40,000 Vietnamese Dong/kg.

Although Indian buffalo meat is of lower eating quality, imports into Vietnam have grown increasingly large in recent years.

In the Vietnamese market, numerous online sales websites currently introduce and offer Indian buffalo meat at half the price of domestic buffalo meat, typically at 130,000–150,000 VND/kg (fresh domestic buffalo meat prices typically range from 250,000–350,000 VND/kg depending on the cut).

On August 24, the Investigation Police Agency of Lao Cai Provincial Police initiated legal proceedings and temporarily detained Vu Hoang Hai (also known as Hai Sapa TV), Bui Thi Kim Tuyen (38 years old, Hai's wife), and Pham Van Ha (Director of Hoang Nam General Trading and Production Joint Stock Company) for "Violating accounting regulations causing serious consequences" and "Deceiving customers".

According to preliminary investigations, in 2022, Hai leveraged his social media influence to direct his wife to sign contracts distributing "numbing spicy dried buffalo meat" produced by Ha's company using imported frozen Indian buffalo meat, while falsely advertising it as a Northwest specialty.

Up to 2025, Bui Thi Kim Tuyen had purchased this product from Hoang Nam Company for a total amount of 30 billion VND to sell to the market.

Source: Bao dien tu Dan Viet