Durian exports surge at the beginning of the year
According to data from the Customs Department, durian export turnover in 2025 reached about 3.86 billion USD, an increase of more than 20% compared to the previous year and accounting for over 45% of the total value of fruit and vegetable exports. Stepping into 2026, durian exports also show positive signs, in January 2026, durian exports of all kinds reached 117.22 million USD, an increase of 274.8% compared to the same period in 2025. The expansion of the planting area code and signing of the conference on frozen durian to China is the main driving force.
Domestically, in the first days of the year, durian prices have rebounded sharply. A series of purchasing warehouses simultaneously raised prices to the highest level in many months. Monthong durian type A is purchased by traders at a price of 146,000-15,000 VND/kg, type B is priced at 126,000-17,000 VND/kg. Ri6 durian type A also increased to 105,000 - 108,000 VND/kg, type B fluctuates around 88,000 - 93,000 VND/kg, all increasing sharply compared to the same period last year, many places recorded prices nearly double.
The reason is that durian is entering off-season. Off-season durian is considered a turning point factor for Vietnamese durian exports because this is also the time when Thailand ends the harvest season.
According to Mr. Dang Phuc Nguyen - General Secretary of the Vietnam Fruit and Vegetable Association, in addition to mainland China, other markets for Vietnamese durian also have clear growth, especially Malaysia increased by 358%.
In addition, other important markets such as Papua New Guinea, Taiwan (China), the US, Canada, Japan, Australia... also grew by double digits.
Still many challenges
Mr. Le Van Dung, a garden owner in My Thanh (Dong Thap), said that in the context of global climate change, erratic rain and sunshine, controlling growth is increasingly unpredictable.
Right in Ngu Hiep commune - considered the "cradle" of off-season durian, there are still failures due to weather fluctuations.
In addition to technical and cultivation risks, off-season often entails higher amounts of fertilizers and pesticides than in the main season. If there is no control, the risk of soil degradation, environmental pollution and food safety violations is inevitable.
In fact, in 2025, in Ngu Hiep commune, there are 8 planting area codes temporarily suspended and recovered due to cadmium contamination as a clear warning that hot growth may leave consequences.
This is also identified as one of the bottlenecks that needs to be removed for Vietnamese durian to develop sustainably and possibly surpass Thailand in the Chinese market.
Mr. Nguyen Quang Hieu - Deputy Director of the Department of Crop Production and Plant Protection (Ministry of Agriculture and Environment) said that agricultural production in our country currently still has many limitations such as fragmented production, and production linkage is still a "bottleneck".
In the coming time, Mr. Hieu assessed that the Chinese side will continue to maintain the conditions and requirements as in the past. Therefore, Vietnam must be ready to meet the requirements of the importing country.
In December 2025, the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment issued a pilot plan to trace the origin of durian to ensure transparency of the supply chain, improve quality management and develop sustainably this key export industry.
The pilot phase from January 1 to June 30, 2026 will build a unified traceability system, connecting the entire chain from production to distribution. Data is updated in real time, traceable via QR code or electronic authentication technology attached to each fruit or batch. After the pilot, functional agencies will evaluate the effectiveness to complete and move towards expanding to other key agricultural products, aiming to deploy nationwide by the end of 2026.
