Durian export to China - Illustration photo

Last year, China spent US$24.4 billion to import veggies and fruits. A large proportion of those imports came from Viet Nam.

Viet Nam earned US$3.4 billion from veggies and fruits sold to China and it's market share in China rose from 8 percent in 2022 to 14 percent in 2023.

Durian played a pivotal role in this achievement, contributing an impressive US$526 million to the overall value. This marked a staggering ten-fold increase compared to the same period last year.

As a result, durian emerged as Viet Nam’s largest fruit export, followed by dragon fruits with export turnover of more than US$303.1 million from January to May, up 10.7 percent against the same period last year.

Banana, mango and jackfruit secured the third, fourth, and fifth positions, respectively, in terms of export revenue for Viet Nam.

Dang Phuc Nguyen, General Secretary of the Viet Nam Fruit and Vegetable Association (VINAFRUIT), predicts that durian’s export revenue may reach nearly US$1.2 billion this year and could rise to US$2 billion within the next one or two years.

The remarkable surge in durian’s export earnings can be attributed to the growing demand from China, facilitated by an agreement inked with the neighboring country last year.