Indian buffalo meat is half the price of Vietnamese goods
A survey by Lao Dong Newspaper reporters at some imported meat selling points in Hanoi shows that many Indian buffalo meat products currently cost only about half of Vietnamese goods.
In which, Indian buffalo tenderloin core costs 147,000 VND/kg, buffalo tenderloin 143,000 VND/kg, buffalo shank 173,000 VND/kg, Y-shaped buffalo tendon 135,000 VND/kg.
Indian buffalo flower 60S is advertised by a focal point as beautiful, firm, suitable for hot pot, grilled, and dipped in vinegar dishes. If buying whole boxes, the price offered is 170,000 VND. All these items are frozen products.
Meanwhile, Vietnamese fresh buffalo meat has a common price of 240,000 - 300,000 VND/kg. Especially delicious flower corn and brisket can be up to 380,000 - 480,000 VND/kg.
Talking to Lao Dong Newspaper, a focal point specializing in supplying imported buffalo meat in Ha Dong ward (Hanoi) said that at this time, the price of Indian buffalo meat has increased compared to the same period last year.
However, compared to domestic buffalo meat, the price of imported buffalo meat is still significantly lower, so it is chosen by many restaurants and eateries.
According to this person, for nearly a month now, high consumption demand has made supply scarce.
There are no goods to sell, goods are out of stock, no goods arrive. Currently, there are only a few retail goods sold at the store, not enough to supply wholesale goods," this source said.
Vietnam imports more buffalo meat from India
According to the Customs Department, in the first 6 months of 2026, Vietnam spent nearly 1.5 billion USD importing over 494,000 tons of meat, an increase of 36% in value and nearly 10% in volume compared to the same period in 2025. There are 5 main sources of supply in order: India, USA, Brazil, Australia, Spain.
In India alone, the import volume in the past 6 months is nearly 110,000 tons with a value of nearly 463 million USD, of which most is frozen buffalo meat. As of May 2026, Vietnam imported about 8,600 tons of buffalo meat with a value of nearly 371 million USD.
Imported buffalo meat not only increased this year but has maintained a high level for many years. This shows that the consumption demand of the Vietnamese market for this product group is relatively large.
Talking to Lao Dong Newspaper, Mr. Nguyen Tri Cong - Chairman of Dong Nai Livestock Association said that Vietnam is currently one of the largest buffalo meat import markets, in which goods from India account for a significant amount.
Currently, imported Indian buffalo meat is mainly sold wholesale to restaurants, eateries and food processing facilities, instead of being sold directly to consumers. Orders are usually packed in bags and boxes with a weight of several tens of kilograms.
According to Mr. Cong, the use of imported buffalo meat for food processing is a normal activity of the market in the context that domestic supply has not met demand. Importing frozen buffalo meat is not a problem if the source of goods is legal, ensures food safety, is labeled and declared correctly for the nature of the product.
However, it is noteworthy that there is a risk of trade fraud in the process of putting products on the market.
In the import stage, the origin and origin of the product are clearly shown. However, when it comes to the sales stage, there are cases where imported buffalo meat is introduced as domestic beef, buffalo meat or Northwest buffalo meat. This is an issue that needs to be rectified because there are signs of trade fraud," Mr. Cong said.
Most recently, the case related to Vu Hoang Hai (also known as "Hai Sapa") is typical of "transforming" Indian buffalo meat into Northwest buffalo to sell to consumers.
According to the investigating agency, Hoang Nam General Production and Trading Joint Stock Company imported frozen buffalo meat from India as raw materials for producing spicy dried buffalo meat.
Vu Hoang Hai then directed his wife, Bui Thi Kim Tuyen, to sign a contract with Hoang Nam Company to consume this product.
From 2022 to 2025, Ms. Tuyen bought about 30 billion VND worth of products, then together with Hai promoted and sold them on the market under the name "Northwest specialty smoked dried buffalo meat".
