Vietnam durian exports seen improving as regional harvest season ends

Fruit and vegetable exports exceeded $1 billion in July alone, according to the Vietnam Fruit and Vegetable Association.

Dang Phuc Nguyen, secretary general of the association, said durians accounted for 35-40 percent of the total fruit and vegetable export value in the first seven months of the year, rising to 55-60 percent in July.

Vietnamese durian shipments should strengthen in the coming months as harvest seasons in Thailand, Cambodia, Laos and Malaysia, which typically run from March to July, come to a close, while Vietnam's Central Highlands region enters its main harvest from July to October, with output expected to rise sharply from a year earlier, Nguyen said.

"Reduced competition will work in our favor, and durian exports have typically surged in the third quarter over the past several years," he added.

Nguyen Thi My Duy, director of 001 Fruit Co in Dong Thap Province, located in Vietnam's Mekong Delta, said her company plans to increase purchases of fresh durians for export in the coming months as Thailand and other exporters reduce shipments to China, the top buyer of Vietnamese durians.

Ngo Tuong Vy, general director of Chanh Thu Fruit Import-Export Co in Vinh Long Province, southern Vietnam, said more Vietnamese firms are expanding frozen durian processing to offset weaker fresh durian prices, with frozen shipments now reaching markets beyond China, including South Korea, Japan, and the United States.

Frozen durian exports rose 20-fold in 2025 from 2023, Nguyen said.

In the first quarter of 2026, exports totaled nearly 11,600 tonnes at an average price of about $4,302 per tonne, up more than 20 percent from a year earlier.

Industry officials estimate total durian export volume could reach around one million tonnes this year if conditions remain favorable, helping keep overall export revenue steady despite prices running well below levels seen in recent years.

Growers and traders in southern Vietnam and the Central Highlands said warehouse prices for Thai-variety durians stood at VND65,000-73,000 ($2.5-2.8) per kilogram for grade A and VND45,000-56,000 ($1.7-2.1) for grade B, while Ri6 durians fetched VND25,000-41,000 ($1-1.6) per kilogram.

Farm-gate prices typically range from VND12,000 ($0.5) to VND15,000 ($0.6) per kilogram.

Traders said prices had climbed VND4,000-7,000 ($0.2-0.3) per kilogram over the past two weeks as shipments to China picked up.

Growers also flagged concerns that rainy-season conditions in the Central Highlands could affect fruit quality.