Durian and coconut lead the rise in Vietnam's fruit exports, with a shortage of durian expected to continue until next year...

In the first eleven months of this year, Vietnam's fruit and vegetable exports continued their strong momentum, reaching $7.9 billion, a 20% increase year-on-year, with the annual figure expected to exceed $8.5 billion. Even though the export pace slowed in November due to seasonal factors, with exports amounting to $754 million, a slight decrease from October, they still surged by nearly 65% year-on-year. As of the end of November, Vietnam's fruit and vegetable trade surplus reached nearly $5.4 billion, with China still being its largest consumer market, followed by traditional markets such as the United States, South Korea, and Japan. Durian exports have rebounded and prices have risen, with a shortage expected to continue until next year. Vietnam's durian exports reached $3.4 billion in the first eleven months, far exceeding the annual figure for 2024. In late October, due to the temporary suspension of some laboratories, durian exports to China stalled, causing a sharp drop in market prices. After the issue was resolved in early November, durian exports quickly rebounded, driving prices up by 30-50%. Currently, the Mekong Delta is the main supply area for durians, with the price of Ri6 rising from 40,000 Vietnamese dong per kilogram (about 10.71 yuan) to 70,000 dong (about 18.74 yuan); the price of high-grade Golden Pillow even exceeded 125,000 dong per kilogram (about 33.48 yuan), a nearly 50% increase from October. The Vietnam Fruit and Vegetable Association analyzed that the combination of three factors—the end of the western production season, flooding that submerged orchards, and farmers abandoning off-season planting—has led to a decline in durian production, and the market shortage is expected to continue until March 2026. However, the price increase has not led to higher profits for farmers, as flooding has increased planting costs, resulting in lower actual returns. The coconut industry has emerged as a new growth pillar for Vietnam's fruit and vegetable exports. Currently, Vietnam's coconut planting area exceeds 200,000 hectares, with an annual production of over 2.26 million tons. 145 processing factories and 600 related enterprises have built a complete industrial chain. In the first eleven months of this year, Vietnam's coconut and coconut product exports exceeded $1.1 billion, with a year-on-year growth of about 25%; among them, coconut product exports performed well, with an export growth rate of 54.8% in the first nine months, and fresh coconut exports are expected to reach $440 million, an increase of 12.8% from 2024. The United States has become the largest export market, with coconut product exports growing by over 50%. In the first seven months of 2025, the United States surpassed China with an import value of $820 million, becoming Vietnam's largest export market for coconuts and coconut products, accounting for nearly 27%, with demand from the retail and beverage industries being the main growth driver. Currently, Vietnam's durian and coconut industries still face multiple challenges: the durian industry faces risks such as frequent natural disasters and fluctuating inspection standards in importing countries; the coconut industry relies on imported raw materials. At the same time, the production costs for growers of both crops have generally increased by 10%-15%. In the future, Vietnam plans to develop coconuts as a strategic agricultural crop and promote durian to gain more international high-end market certifications. The goal is to exceed $50 billion in exports of durians and coconuts by 2026, accounting for 60% of Vietnam's total fruit and vegetable exports. Image source: Pixabay 2025 International Fruit and Vegetable Report. All rights reserved. For reprinting, please contact the International Fruit and Vegetable Report for permission and credit.