Chinese executives hail Vietnam’s rapid rise as durian powerhouse

Speaking to Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper on the sidelines of the first Vietnam-China Agricultural Trade Forum in Ho Chi Minh City on Wednesday, Chinese business executives said Vietnamese agricultural products have significant growth potential in the Chinese market, although several challenges remain.

Zhang Le, Vietnam and Thailand market manager at China’s Xianfeng Fruit Co., Ltd., said Vietnam exported about 950,000 metric tons of durian to China in 2025, surpassing Thailand’s 920,000 metric tons.

He said the result reflected the rapid rise of Vietnam’s durian industry in recent years.

“About two years ago, Chinese businesses generally prioritized Thai durian, but the market is now shifting toward Vietnamese durian as both quality and supply have become increasingly stable,” Zhang said.

“In just three years, Vietnam has achieved what took Thailand 20 years to accomplish. That makes me believe Vietnamese agricultural products still have enormous room for growth,” he noted.

Xianfeng is one of China’s largest fruit retail and distribution networks, operating 2,600 stores nationwide.

In Vietnam, the company sources, processes, and exports durian, dragon fruit, and fresh coconuts to China, with annual demand totaling about 3,500 containers.

Liang Derong, regional chief executive for Myanmar, Vietnam, Cambodia, and Laos at China Certification & Inspection Group, said several Vietnamese agricultural products have gained recognition among Chinese consumers, particularly rice and durian.

Both executives pointed to Vietnam’s proximity to China as a key advantage.

The shorter transport distance helps preserve product freshness while allowing Vietnamese products and processing methods to better align with Chinese consumer preferences than those of competing suppliers.

Despite these advantages, they said Vietnam needs to expand and better organize its growing areas to strengthen competitiveness.

Liang said Vietnamese farms are generally smaller and more fragmented than those in neighboring countries.

Most growers cultivate one to two hectares, while a three-hectare farm is already considered large.

By contrast, growing areas in Thailand can span dozens of hectares, allowing farmers to apply fertilizers, pesticides, and cultivation practices more consistently and achieve more uniform product quality.

In Vietnam, fragmented production often leads to uneven quality, as exporters must source fruit from multiple locations to fill a single shipment, potentially affecting entire shipments, Liang said.

He suggested that local authorities and cooperatives help farmers develop larger growing areas and adopt standardized agricultural inputs.

Zhang shared a similar view, stressing the importance of stricter quality control at the cultivation stage, including fertilizer use, irrigation water management, and higher processing standards.

“If cultivation is properly managed from the beginning, the proportion of products requiring testing will decline, and exports will proceed more smoothly,” he said.

He also warned that testing bottlenecks were affecting the quality of Vietnamese exports.

“The ideal transit time for Vietnamese durians to reach China is about seven days. However, it currently takes around 10 days for a shipment to travel from southern Vietnam to store shelves in China.

“The biggest challenge is testing speed. Importers are reluctant to purchase large volumes because the fruit may ripen before customs clearance is completed. If testing capacity is improved, produce will arrive fresher in China,” Zhang said.

Meanwhile, Liang said brand development remains a challenge for Vietnamese agricultural exports.

While Vietnamese produce is generally well received in China, no individual Vietnamese agricultural brand has yet stood out in the market.

He suggested that the government and businesses work together to build a trusted national brand backed by strict food safety standards and end-to-end quality control from cultivation to processing.

Such a brand would allow consumers to immediately recognize high-quality Vietnamese products.

Liang also encouraged Vietnamese exporters to offer products across premium, mid-range, and budget segments to increase the value of their agricultural exports.