China is currently the largest market for Vietnamese durians. Photo for illustration.
Vietnam’s Ministry of Agriculture and Environment has invited a delegation from China’s General Administration of Customs (GACC) to conduct an on-site inspection of its durian export chain from July 12 to 17, 2025. The move aims to restore momentum for one of Vietnam’s key agricultural exports, which has recently slowed due to stricter food safety regulations.
The visit follows a high-level mission to Beijing in May led by Vietnam’s Minister of Agriculture and Environment to boost bilateral cooperation on agricultural products.
This inspection is seen as a crucial opportunity for Vietnam to demonstrate its capacity to manage the quality of its durian exports and reaffirm its commitment to meeting China's food safety standards. China is currently the largest market for Vietnamese durians.
As of June, Vietnam had granted 1,396 planting area codes and certified 188 packaging facilities for durian exports to China. All data has been digitised and integrated into the national traceability system to improve transparency and management efficiency.
The ministry has also completed a draft circular outlining tighter and more practical guidelines for issuing and managing planting and packaging codes. This draft is currently under review by relevant agencies and local authorities. A new quality control protocol for export-oriented durian packaging facilities is also being finalised and expected to be issued soon.
On the technical side, the Plant Protection Department has instructed laboratories to scale up testing capacity for key food safety indicators, including cadmium and prochloraz residues. Currently, 24 laboratories for cadmium and 14 for prochloraz testing have been approved by GACC, meeting China’s regulatory requirements.
Do Hong Khanh, chief of staff at the Plant Protection Department, acknowledged that Vietnam’s durian exports faced significant challenges earlier this year due to stricter import controls, particularly regarding excessive pesticide residues, heavy metal contamination, and banned substances.
"However, thanks to the coordinated efforts of the ministry, local governments, businesses, and farmers, the durian sector has gradually regained momentum," Khanh said.
In the first half of this year, Vietnam exported 5,217 shipments of fresh durian, with a total volume of nearly 130,000 tonnes. Notably, frozen durian exports saw a sharp rise, with 388 shipments totaling 14,282 tonnes, three times higher than the same period last year.
The surge in frozen durian exports is attributed to the positive impact of the bilateral protocol on frozen durian exports to China, signed in August 2024. Investments in advanced processing and cold storage have also helped improve competitiveness in international markets.
The ministry forecasts that fresh durian exports may recover in the third quarter of this year, particularly during the peak harvest season from August to October. However, the pace of recovery will largely depend on whether exporters and farmers maintain strict compliance with food safety standards. Continued violations could pose significant risks to the industry.
Meanwhile, frozen durian exports are expected to remain a bright spot thanks to their longer shelf life and stable market demand. Many companies are now investing in modern processing lines and cold storage facilities to meet the standards of China, as well as promising markets such as South Korea, Japan, and the European Union.
