Unlocking the Billion-Dollar Opportunity: Vietnam’s 22-Ton Export Venture to China

China is the world’s third-largest consumer of durian, accounting for 19% of global durian consumption annually. Meanwhile, Vietnam’s agricultural strength lies in its durian exports. China is also the leading market for Vietnam’s “king of fruits.” In 2024, China’s consumption accounted for nearly 91% of Vietnam’s durian export turnover.

In August 2024, the protocol on phytosanitary and food safety inspection and quarantine requirements for Vietnam’s frozen durian exported to China took effect. Frozen durian exported to the Chinese market includes whole durian (with shell), crushed durian (shell-free), and durian meat (shell-free).

This is a significant opportunity to open the billion-dollar door for Vietnam’s frozen durian industry, as the 1.4 billion population country spends $1 billion annually on importing frozen durian.

On May 30, the first batch of Vietnamese frozen durian was successfully exported to the Chinese market through the Bac Luan II border gate, belonging to the Mong Cai (Vietnam) – Dongxing (China) border gate pair. The importer of this batch was Shanghai Xinronghe International Trade, based in Shanghai, China.

According to information from the Quang Ninh provincial electronic portal, these 22 tons of frozen durian were strictly controlled from the origin of raw materials, production processes that ensured food safety, and inspections of each batch of finished products, ensuring compliance with the signed protocol.

Frozen durian is emerging as a new strategic opportunity for Vietnam’s trillion-dollar fruit industry, especially as fresh durian exports face challenges due to stringent quarantine regulations, technical standards, and import quotas from major markets like China.

According to Mr. Dang Phuc Nguyen, Secretary-General of the Vietnam Fruit and Vegetable Association, “With the advantage of a long harvest season, competitive pricing, and an expanding source area, developing exports of frozen durian will be an important direction to reach deeper into China’s remote areas, where fresh durian is challenging to access due to underdeveloped preservation infrastructure.”

Shifting to deep processing and freezing not only prolongs shelf life and eases seasonal consumption pressure but also opens doors to demanding markets like South Korea, Japan, the EU, and the US, which have stringent food safety and traceability requirements.

Additionally, frozen durian increases the product’s value through processing chains such as IQF frozen durian segments, crushed durian, cakes, ice cream, toppings, etc. This diversification enhances the competitiveness and sustainable development of Vietnam’s durian industry.

Durian has been Vietnam’s key export commodity in recent years. According to the Vietnam Fruit and Vegetable Association, the country’s fruit and vegetable industry aims to achieve an export turnover of $8 billion in 2025, with fresh and frozen durian as the primary drivers. Particularly, the durian export target for 2025 is set at $3.5 billion.

In the first four months of 2025, Vietnam remained the second-largest durian supplier to China, with a volume of 12,924 tons and a turnover of $58.7 million. This turnover witnessed a significant drop due to China’s decreased durian import demand during the initial months.

Additionally, China’s requirement for quality inspections of Vietnamese durian exports, including tests for cadmium and the banned substance auramine O (also known as yellow dye), has significantly impacted Vietnam’s export situation.

Faced with these challenges to the sustainable development of the durian industry, Minister of Agriculture and Environment Do Duc Duy emphasized that the Ministry and specialized agencies have actively taken action, developing procedures and completing technical dossiers to meet China’s stringent requirements.