China has given export permits to five Vietnamese companies -- Vinamilk, TH True Milk, Moc Chau Milk, NutiFood, and Hanoimilk -- Tong Xuan Chinh, deputy head of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development’s department of livestock production, said.

Vietnam’s dairy exports are set to rise from $120 million last year to $300 million next year with the addition of this new market, he added.

A spokesperson for Vinamilk, the country’s largest dairy company, said it would first export yoghurt to China.

Milk production in China, the world’s second largest dairy market behind the U.S., only meets around 75 percent of demand, according to its Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs.

China is set to import 39.43 million tons of milk and other dairy products this year, including 750,000 tons of fresh milk and 650,000 tonnes of milk powder, it said.

Vietnam’s dairy output rose 6.9 percent to 936,000 tons last year, and is set to rise to one million tons next year and two million tons by 2030, according to the country’s agriculture ministry.

It exports dairy products to 46 markets with 70 percent going to the Middle East, it added.