Vietnam became the second-largest fruit and vegetable exporter to China in 2023, earning total revenue of $3.4 billion, figures from China’s General Administration of Customs reveal.

Vietnam’s market share increased from 8 per cent in 2022 to 14 per cent in 2023.

General Secretary of the Vietnam Association of Fruit and Vegetables Dang Phuc Nguyen said the growth was attributed to a sudden rise in durian exports to the northern neighbor.

Vietnam’s durian output is increasing 15-20 per cent each year, and total export value last year amounted to $2.2 billion.

China also increased its importation of processed fruit and vegetables from Vietnam, resulting in higher export value, he said.

Apart from durian, 13 other Vietnamese agricultural products are officially exported to China, including bird’s nest items, sweet potatoes, dragon fruit, longans, rambutan, mangoes, jackfruit, watermelons, bananas, black jelly, mangosteens, lychees, and passionfruit.