At a supermarket on Pham Van Dong street in Bac Tu Liem district, Hanoi, various grapes and pears imported from China are being sold.
Chinese grapes dominate the imported grape shelves in the supermarket on Pham Van Dong street.
Notably, imported Chinese grapes are very affordable, with red grapes priced at only 59,000 VND/kg. Chinese black grapes are also sold at a low price of 119,000 VND/kg, which is 2-4 times cheaper than the same product imported from the US or Australia.
Ms. Le Linh, a resident of Bac Tu Liem district, shared that she recently purchased two trays of Chinese black grapes to try. She noticed that many supermarkets are now selling Chinese grapes, diversifying their offerings beyond the previously dominant US and Australian products.
It’s not just in supermarkets; Chinese grapes are flooding the market at extremely low prices, ranging from 30,000 to 70,000 VND/kg. Currently, there are dozens of varieties of Chinese grapes available in Vietnam, including milk grapes, black corn milk grapes, ruby grapes, red grapes, green grapes, and black grapes.
Chinese grapes are much cheaper than American grapes.
According to many traders, Chinese grapes are currently in season, which is why they are being prioritized for import and sale. Ha Phuong, a fruit supplier in Hanoi, shared that the price of Chinese grapes imported into Vietnam has been decreasing. “There are days when I sell hundreds of kilograms of grapes, both wholesale and retail, with milk grapes being a customer favorite,” she said.
A report from the Ministry of Industry and Trade showed that Vietnam’s fruit and vegetable imports in 2023 reached 1.96 billion USD, a 5.5% decrease compared to 2022.
China was the largest supplier of fruits and vegetables to Vietnam, with an import turnover of 794.7 million USD, accounting for 40.5% of Vietnam’s total fruit and vegetable imports in 2023.
In terms of variety, apples were the most imported fruit in 2023, reaching 237.1 million USD, or 21.8% of total fruit imports. Grapes ranked second, with an import turnover of 158.4 million USD, accounting for 14.6% of total fruit imports.
