Last year’s export breakthrough was closely linked to market opening and deeper trade integration. Viet Nam has continuously signed official export protocols with China while expanding its presence in high-quality markets. In 2025 alone, Viet Nam and China signed five export protocols, including those for passion fruit and fresh jackfruit, while fresh pomelo was officially allowed to enter Australia, a market known for its stringent technical standards.

Huynh Tan Dat, Director of the Plant Production and Protection Department under the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment, said each agricultural product approved for official export not only opens up market opportunities but also encourages farmers and enterprises to raise awareness and apply technical measures to meet requirements on quarantine, food safety and traceability. These are key factors for the sustainable development of the fruit and vegetable industry.

From an industry association perspective, Dang Phuc Nguyen, General Secretary of the Viet Nam Fruit and Vegetable Association, said the second half of 2025 saw a clear surge in exports in both volume and value. The recovery of durian played a leading role, driving growth in many other fruits.

China remains a strategic market, with annual fruit imports worth around 78 billion USD, while imports from Viet Nam account for less than 5 billion USD. This indicates significant room for growth if Viet Nnam adopts a well-structured and long-term cooperation strategy, he recommended.

Alongside fresh exports, investment in deep processing is emerging as a new growth driver. The approval of frozen durian exports has not only added value but also reduced dependence on seasonal harvests.

Recently, the Gia Lai provincial People’s Committee approved adjustments to the investment policy for the high-tech fruit processing complex of the Nafoods Tay Nguyen JSC, with a capacity of 100,000 tonnes of raw materials per year. As large-scale processing projects are rolled out, the competitiveness of Vietnamese fruit is expected to continue improving.

Following durian, many businesses and experts believe bananas could be the next standout product. Viet Nam has successfully cross-bred banana varieties resistant to Panama disease, laying a foundation for sustainable development.

According to Chairman of the U&I Agricultural Corporation (Unifarm) Pham Quoc Liem, the global banana market is forecast to reach 21 billion USD by 2030 while Viet Nam’s banana exports currently stand at only about 380 million USD.

The current average export value of Vietnamese bananas is still below 2,500 USD per hectare per year. If this figure can be raised to around 25,000 USD per hectare per year, as seen in the models of Unifarm and other enterprises, the country’s banana exports could reach a turnover of 3.8 billion USD in the future, Liem said.

Building on the momentum of 2025, if market discipline is maintained, key produce such as durian, banana, pomelo and coconut are developed under closed value chains, and existing export protocols are effectively utilised, fruit and vegetable export turnover is expected to soon reach 10 billion USD in 2026.