Vietnam's durian export turnover in 2024 reached a record of more than USD 3.2 billion, an increase of 43.2% compared to the previous year and an increase of 28 times in the past 5 years.  The "king of fruits" is considered to have significant growth potential, driven by consistently increasing output.

According to data from the General Department of Customs, in 2024, Vietnam's fruit and vegetable export turnover reached a historic high of USD 7.15 billion, the highest in the history of the industry and an increase of 27.6% compared to 2023.

In particular, durian plays an important role, accounting for 44.5% of the country's total vegetable and fruit export turnover, with a volume of 918,960 tons, a record high turnover of more than USD 3.2 billion, an increase of 46% in volume and 43.2% in turnover compared to 2023.

Thus, Vietnam's durian exports have increased 28-fold in just the past five years, from a modest USD 116 million in 2020 to a remarkable USD 3.2 billion in 2024.

Vietnam's durian has seen remarkable growth since China allowed official imports from mid-2023. In addition to fresh durian, last August, the country also "opened the door" to frozen durian from Vietnam.

China is also the main consumer market for Vietnam's durian. Exports of durian to this market are projected to exceed USD 2.9 billion in 2024, representing a 42.7% increase from 2023 and accounting for nearly 91% of Vietnam's total durian exports.

In addition to China, durian exports to many other markets have also seen significant growth recently, with Thailand reaching USD 189.1 million, an increase of 80.3%, accounting for 5.9%; Hong Kong achieving USD 24.5 million, an increase of 16.9%; Papua New Guinea with an increase of 283.3%; Taiwan with an increase of 24.3%; Japan with an increase of 91.1%; South Korea with an increase of 18.9%; and Australia with an increase of 34.5%.

Currently, fresh durian dominates Vietnam's durian export market, making up 93.1% of the total export turnover, while frozen durian represents 6.7%. Though there is also a market for processed durian products such as dried or pureed forms, their export value remains low and has not significantly contributed to the overall durian export value.

The average export price of durian in 2024 is projected to reach USD 3,496 per ton, a decrease of 1.9% compared to 2023.

According to the Ministry of Industry and Trade, Vietnam has now established 15 major agricultural products exported officially to the Chinese market, which include: durian, bird's nest, sweet potato, dragon fruit, longan, rambutan, mango, jackfruit, watermelon, banana, black jelly, mangosteen, lychee, passion fruit, and fresh coconut.

Among these, durian and dragon fruit from Vietnam are highly favored by Chinese consumers, with imports of these products from Vietnam accounting for approximately one-fifth of the total agricultural products imported from ASEAN.

Kylie Nguyen