According to data from the Customs Department, durian exports in the first 5 months of the year only reached 387 million USD, down nearly 58% over the same period last year. The proportion of durian in the export vegetable and fruit group also fell sharply from 35% to 17%. Previously, in 2024, this fruit brought in 3.2 billion USD in export value and was known as the "king of fruits".
Along with the decline in exports, in the first months of 2025, Vietnam also recorded a sharp increase in durian imports. According to statistics, in the first 4 months of the year, businesses and organizations spent nearly 9.3 million USD (equivalent to 236 billion VND) to import durian, an increase of 518% over the same period last year.
According to Mr. Dang Phuc Nguyen - General Secretary of the Vietnam Fruit and Vegetable Association, importing a lot of durian is not unusual because although Vietnam is a country with the strength of growing and exporting durian, due to consumer psychology, especially for high-income customers who often prefer to consume foreign goods.
The second half of the year is the time of durian in the main crop, so the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment has continuously issued close instructions to remove difficulties and regain the position of this industry. Accordingly, immediately after the General Administration of Customs of China (GACC) applied strict control measures for durian, the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment established a working group led by the Minister to Beijing to work directly with GACC in May 2025.
The negotiation results have helped restore 829 growing area codes and 131 packaging facilities, contributing to improving durian exports from May 2025. The Ministry also invited GACC experts to inspect Vietnam's export chain (expected from July 12 to 17, 2025).
At the same time, testing rooms are required to increase the testing capacity of Cadimi and Gold O. To date, 24 Cadimi testing rooms and 14 Gold O testing rooms have been approved by GACC.
The Ministry has also completed a draft Circular guiding the issuance and management of growing area codes and packaging facilities in a strict, transparent and practical manner. Currently, it is in the process of synthesizing opinions and suggestions from departments, ministries, localities, associations, organizations and individuals participating in the export chain and is expected to be issued soon in the next few days.
