Following a period of rapid growth and fluctuations in technical barriers during 2025, Vietnam's durian industry is facing the requirement for a comprehensive overhaul: from removing testing bottlenecks and standardizing growing areas to restructuring the value chain. This serves as an indispensable foundation to steer toward the 4.5 billion USD sustainable export target in 2026.

From a niche commodity, durian has risen to become a pillar of Vietnam's fruit and vegetable sector in less than a decade. Export turnover was estimated at 4 billion USD during the 2023–2025 period, accounting for nearly 50% of the industry's total export value. However, the overly rapid growth rate has also exposed systemic gaps running from cultivation to testing, and the unresolved issues of cadmium and Auramine O contamination became fatal vulnerabilities that led to a severe decline in export turnover in early 2026.

"Lump-sum purchase" at the orchard: When procurement becomes a gamble

Speaking to the Government Electronic Newspaper, Mr. Nguyen Thanh Binh, Chairman of the Vietnam Fruit and Vegetables Association, stated that the largest bottleneck at present is that quality and food safety requirements from key markets, particularly China, are increasingly strict, while domestic agricultural production still relies heavily on natural factors and requires more time to improve soil and water quality.

“Current testing capacities have not met the practical demands of export activities. Testing facilities still operate during standard administrative hours, which does not align with the real-time flow of goods. This is an invisible barrier holding back the entire industry,” Mr. Nguyen Thanh Binh emphasized.

An exceptionally dangerous bottleneck is the current transaction mechanism. Many enterprises are forced to buy out the crop through a "lump-sum purchase" at the orchard before testing is permitted. This pushes the entirety of the risk onto the enterprise: if a shipment is found to exceed permissible thresholds for cadmium or Auramine O—even if the root cause lies in fertilizers or cultivation processes—the enterprise bears the full loss. The consequences were clearly evidenced by the durian containers congested at border gates in early 2026: fruits suffered bottom-cracking, losing their value and market trust.

Faced with this situation, in May 2026, Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Vo Van Hung signed and issued Official Dispatch No. 4423/BNNMT-CCPT, requesting localities to take drastic action to support enterprises and cooperatives in resolving bottlenecks in production and packaging organization. Notably, the Deputy Minister directed testing facilities to arrange flexible working hours, including overtime, to shorten turnaround times for results, ensure process and cost transparency, and absolutely prevent any harassment or delays that cause damage to exports.

In parallel, Mr. Nguyen Quang Hieu, Deputy Director of the Department of Crop Production and Plant Protection, stated that the unit is actively negotiating with the General Administration of Customs of China (GACC) to recognize additional testing laboratories and restore suspended ones. As of May 11, the country logged 18 out of 30 cadmium testing laboratories and 19 out of 30 Auramine O testing laboratories actively operating across key localities such as Dak Lak, Lam Dong, Tien Giang, Can Tho, and Ho Chi Minh City.

“To minimize the risk of returned goods or border gate congestion, enterprises and citizens need to proactively control food safety right from the root. Quick testing at the orchard prior to harvest not only allows early safety assessments but also saves significant costs, avoiding scenarios where faults are detected only after goods have been packed into containers,” said Mr. Nguyen Quang Hieu, Deputy Director of the Department of Crop Production and Plant Protection.

Restructuring the value chain: The prerequisite for a sustainable breakthrough

From signals on the ground, Mr. Vo Tan Loi, Chairman of the Durian Association of Dong Thap Province, confirmed that initial resolution efforts have yielded results. From a point where only 5–10 containers cleared customs daily, the figure has now risen to dozens of trucks, helping release a massive volume of backlogged goods. The price of grade A Monthong durian in the Southwest and Southeast regions has recovered to 80,000–85,000 VND/kg, returning profits to farmers after a prolonged period of volatility.

However, experts agree that a short-term recovery does not equal success. Mr. Nguyen Van Muoi, Deputy Secretary-General of the Vietnam Fruit and Vegetables Association, warned that competitive pressure from Thailand is intensifying as the country has deployed mini testing labs directly within growing regions alongside a traceability system interconnected directly with China Customs, pushing customs clearance rates above 99%. This is a gap Vietnam needs to bridge, not only through technological investment but also via strategies to diversify markets into the US, EU, and India instead of continuing to rely on a single market.

At the institutional level, Mr. Nguyen Thanh Binh proposed that the State deploy a synchronized, real-time national traceability system and promote a "five-party" linkage model—comprising the State, farmers, scientists, banks, and enterprises—where enterprises lead on quality and the State establishes transparent "rules of the game."

Durian currently accounts for 45% of the country's total fruit and vegetable export turnover. With such a scale, restructuring the value chain for this commodity is more than just an economic equation. It is a test of Vietnam's capacity for modern agricultural governance. Once the institutions are aligned and chain organization is achieved, a double-digit growth target is entirely feasible; and the journey from agricultural production to a sustainable, professional agricultural economy will truly begin.

Source: Bao Dien tu Chinh phu