Việt Nam’s fruit and vegetable exports rebound in Chinese market

Việt Nam’s fruit and vegetable exports rebound in Chinese market

Exports of fruits and vegetables to China alone reached $4.98 billion in the first 11 months of this year.

Workers conduct primary processing of bananas. — VNA/VNS Photo

Reversing a period of negative growth, Việt Nam's fruit and vegetable industry has staged a spectacular recovery, generating nearly US$5 billion in revenue from the Chinese market.

This figure eclipses the previous full-year record of $4.63 billion set last year.

Exports of fruits and vegetables to China alone reached $4.98 billion in the first 11 months of this year.

This significantly contributes to the $7.8 billion target for the fruit and vegetable industry, with experts projecting that fruit and vegetable exports to China could reach $5.5 billion this year.

China is the largest traditional export market for Việt Nam's fruit and vegetable industry. However, stricter controls by Chinese authorities regarding Auramine O and cadmium in durians caused a sharp decline in export turnover earlier this year.

Statistics from the Department of Customs show that fruit and vegetable exports to the Chinese market recorded five consecutive months of negative growth compared to the same months last year.

Specifically, exports plunged by 43.1 per cent in January, 32.1 per cent in February and dropped 16.7 per cent, 35.5 per cent and 39.7 per cent in March, April and May, respectively.

Fruit and vegetable exports to China, a market of over 1.4 billion people, reached only $1.1 billion in the first five months of this year, a sharp decrease of 35.3 per cent compared to the same period last year.

Over that period, the northern neighbour accounted for only 47.8 per cent of Việt Nam's total fruit and vegetable export value.

But starting in June, exports to China began to recover as authorities cleared various technical barriers.

Exports of fruit like bananas, coconuts and passion fruit were bolstered by the signing of new official protocols.

However, the growth from June to August failed to compensate for the sharp decline in the early months of 2025.

It wasn't until September that fruit and vegetable exports to China truly started booming, bringing in nearly $1.07 billion and creating a spectacular turnaround for the entire industry.

As a result, cumulative fruit and vegetable exports shifted from negative growth to positive growth of 1.6 per cent for the first nine months of the year.

Fruit and vegetable exports to the Chinese market continued to rise rapidly in October and November.

October’s figures hit $665.6 million, double the amount from the same month last year, while November saw a nearly 93 per cent surge, reaching $455 million.

The VietNamNet online newspaper quoted a leader of the Việt Nam Vegetable and Fruit Association (Vinafruit) as saying that China is a massive potential market in which Việt Nam has many advantages in terms of geographical location and logistics, with direct connections via road, rail and seaports, reducing transportation costs and time.

In addition, many official fruit and vegetable export protocols to China have been signed in recent years, opening up opportunities for businesses to boost their market share there.

If Việt Nam took full advantage of these opportunities, its fruit and vegetable exports to China could reach $8-10 billion in the next few years, he said.

However, the Vinafruit representative also noted that this market has high demands regarding traceability, quality and packaging, forcing Vietnamese businesses to constantly innovate if they want to maintain their position. 

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