The US spent more than double the money buying Vietnamese lychees in the first 5 months of the year, with a turnover of 1.26 million USD, up 125% compared to the same period and serving as the second largest export market after China.

According to the General Department of Customs, Vietnam's lychee exports reached 16.03 million USD (about 421 billion VND), up 43% compared to the same period last year. China continues to be the largest market with 8.07 million USD, up 29.5%, accounting for more than half of the turnover.

The US stood second with 1.26 million USD, up nearly 125% compared to the same period last year. The market share of this market increased from 5% to nearly 8%. In Europe, exports grew robustly across all three main markets, led by France with 845,000 USD (up 81.8%), followed by the Netherlands with 725,000 USD (up 290%) and the UK with 717,000 USD (up 176%).

Meanwhile, the proportion of exports to China decreased from 55.57% to 50.35%, demonstrating that Vietnamese lychees are step-by-step expanding their presence in high-value markets.

Mr. Dang Phuc Nguyen, General Secretary of the Vietnam Fruit and Vegetable Association (VINAFRUIT), stated that the powerful export growth is the result of multiple factors. Alongside tariff advantages from the EU - Vietnam Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA), many growing zones have achieved GlobalGAP standards, satisfying the requirements regarding quality and traceability of demanding markets.

According to him, exported lychee batches currently are all granted growing area codes and packing facility codes, guaranteeing information transparency under the requirements of importing countries. Enterprises also invest heavily in post-harvest treatment technology, cold storage systems, and logistics chains to preserve fruit quality during the transportation process.

"Vietnamese lychees currently are not only consumed within the Vietnamese and Asian communities but have step-by-step approached retail chains in the US," Mr. Nguyen said. Alongside exporting fresh fruit, many enterprises also invest in processed products such as individually quick-frozen (IQF) lychees, dried lychees, juices, and canned lychees to add value.

He added that China's lychee supply decreased during the May-June period, which also helped Vietnamese lychees reduce competitive pressure, creating conditions to expand market shares in the US and Europe.

Favorable exports also helped lychee prices this year maintain at high levels. According to the Department of Industry and Trade of Bac Ninh, from the beginning of the crop season until now, lychee prices fluctuated between 60,000 and 90,000 VND per kg, higher than many previous years.

Up to now, the locality has consumed approximately 107,000 tons of lychees, equivalent to more than 85% of the expected output of the entire crop season. Within this, the domestic market consumed about 77,000 tons, while exports reached 30,000 tons. Apart from China, Bac Ninh lychees are also exported to the US, Japan, Canada, the EU, and a number of other markets.

Thanks to high selling prices and favorable consumer markets, Bac Ninh's lychee revenue from the beginning of the crop season until now is estimated at nearly 6,000 billion VND, up more than 158% compared to the same period in 2025.

According to the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development of Bac Ninh, the locality currently possesses 243 growing area codes and 42 packing facilities serving export. The entire province has nearly 29,800 hectares of lychee cultivation, with this year's output estimated to reach 125,000 tons.

Source: VnExpress