Vietnam has become the third-largest fruit and vegetable supplier to the Chinese market thanks to extraordinary growth in durian exports, ranking behind only Thailand and Chile.

Vietnamese produce accelerates, closing in on major rivals in China

Statistical data records that in the first 6 months of this year, China spent approximately 2.16 billion USD importing vegetables, flowers, tubers, and fruits from Vietnam, an increase of 19.3% compared to the same period in 2025.

Vietnam currently ranks third among the largest supply sources to China, trailing only Thailand (5.08 billion USD) and Chile (2.28 billion USD).

Notably, Vietnam's fruit and vegetable market share in China expanded from about 13.8% in the first half of 2025 to nearly 15.8% in the same period this year, narrowing the gap with Chile to under 1 percentage point.

Durian served as the major contributor to this outcome. In the first six months of the year, China imported nearly 988 million USD of fresh and frozen durian from Vietnam, up 43.4% year-on-year, accounting for nearly half of Vietnam's fruit and vegetable turnover to this market. Vietnam also stands as the second-largest durian supplier to China, behind only Thailand.

Dragon fruit, banana, and jackfruit brought Vietnam 168.3 million USD, 150.3 million USD, and 126.6 million USD, respectively, from the Chinese market. Concurrently, coconut exports nearly doubled.

Export prospects for the closing months of the year remain positively assessed as fruit and vegetable demand in China and Northeast Asian countries typically surges during the festive and Lunar New Year seasons.

Mr. Vo Tan Loi, President of the Dong Thap Durian Association and an enterprise directly exporting durian to China, evaluated that alongside market dynamics, geographical proximity is a crucial factor strengthening the competitive edge of Vietnamese durians and other produce in China.

Accordingly, shorter transit times allow Vietnamese fresh fruit to preserve superior quality while reducing logistics costs relative to supplies from various Southeast Asian and South American peers.

Furthermore, over the past year, continuous trade matching and business promotion programs between Vietnamese and Chinese enterprises were organized, helping Vietnamese orchardists gain better access to Chinese buyers and acquire specific insights into buyer mandates.

Nonetheless, Mr. Tran Thanh Tam, Head of the Plant Cultivation and Protection Sub-department of Dong Thap Province, observed that durian exports to China currently must satisfy two core requirements: phytosanitary clearance and food safety. Within these, two food safety parameters for durian—Cadmium and Auramine O—command heightened scrutiny.

Farmers are advised to review production protocols and update information regarding permitted fertilizers and plant protection chemicals. In addition, comprehensive farming logs must be maintained to fulfill Chinese buyer requirements.

Durian drives fruit and vegetable exports past the billion-dollar threshold

Along with robust growth in the billion-consumer Chinese market, Vietnam's fruit and vegetable exports continued to receive favorable news in August, recording turnover of approximately 1.1 billion USD—marking the second consecutive month exceeding the 1-billion-USD threshold.

According to the Agency of Foreign Trade (Ministry of Industry and Trade), Vietnam's fruit and vegetable export turnover in August was estimated at 1.1 billion USD, up 1.3% compared to the previous month and up 14.6% compared to the same period in 2025.

Cumulatively for the first 8 months of the year, fruit and vegetable export turnover reached approximately 5.87 billion USD, up 21.8% year-on-year. Notably, the commodity sector surpassed the 5.8-billion-USD mark earlier than in 2025, when that threshold was only reached in September.

Durian continues to serve as the standout driver of this growth trajectory. In July, durian exports reached approximately 681.2 million USD, up 30.2% compared to the preceding month and surging 81% over the same period last year.

For the first 7 months combined, durian exports reached approximately 1.77 billion USD, up 47.1% compared to the same period in 2025, accounting for 36.7% of total fruit and vegetable export turnover.

Growth momentum is expected to persist as cultivation zones in Dak Lak, Lam Dong, and several Central Highlands provinces enter their peak harvest season in September and October.

The Agency of Foreign Trade forecasts that durian could contribute approximately 1.5–2 billion USD during the closing months of the year. The conclusion of Thailand's summer durian season also creates additional headroom for Vietnamese durians on the international market.

Alongside durian, numerous other commodities such as coconut, passion fruit, jackfruit, chili, pineapple, pomelo, and processed produce items continue contributing to turnover expansion.

Beyond China, Vietnamese produce is also broadening its footprint in the EU. In the first 6 months of 2026, the EU imported approximately 23 billion EUR of vegetables, flowers, tubers, fruits, and processed products from extra-EU markets, up 1.84% year-on-year.

Vietnam currently ranks as the EU's 23rd largest extra-EU produce supplier, with import growth surging nearly 26%. Vietnam's share in total EU produce imports from extra-EU markets expanded from 0.81% to 1%.

Source: Bao dien tu Dan tri