AFTER DURIAN, VIETNAM’S NEXT “ACE UP ITS SLEEVE” IN FRUIT EXPORT

In the wake of soaring durian exports, four key Vietnamese fruits—passion fruit, banana, pineapple, and coconut—are poised to join the billion‑dollar export club. These crops promise to diversify export revenue and strengthen Vietnam’s position in global agricultural markets.

🌱 Industry Overview

Vietnam boasts over 1.3 million hectares of orchards with an annual fruit output of 15 million tonnes. Among these:

• Bananas produce around 3 million tonnes, leading in exports to markets like China (625,000 t in 2024).

• Coconuts cover 202,000 ha, yielding 2.28 million tonnes—securing Vietnam’s place among the top coconut exporters.

• Pineapples and passion fruit are gaining traction, especially through high‑quality processed products.

🚧 Key Challenges & Expert Insights

1. Pushing for deep processing & quality standards
– Passion fruit is gaining acceptance in Europe and North America, but robust strategies are needed—from improved planting material and agronomic practices to land and irrigation policies
– For perishable fruits like banana and pineapple, investing in preservation, sorting, and packaging is critical to adding value in the supply chain

2. Market Access & Traceability
– Vietnam is actively working to open more export routes:

• Passion fruit: US approval almost complete, ongoing efforts for South Korea and Thailand.

• Pineapple: already exported to 122 countries, though underutilized within FTAs like the EVFTA.

• Coconut: moving toward deep‑value products, eco‑tourism, and OCOP certification

3. Regulatory compliance & source traceability
– Vietnam must strengthen traceability and food safety systems to avoid losing export certifications, following issues in durian and jackfruit sectors

🎯 Government Strategy & Roadmap

• Current scale: ~420,000 ha under cultivation across the four fruits, yielding over 6.3 million tonnes; only coconut has reached the US$1.1 billion export milestone

• Ambitious goal: Achieving a billion‑dollar export status for bananas, passion fruit, and pineapple by 2026–27, mirroring coconut’s success

• Strategic actions:

  • Establishing coherent supply chains from seed to market, in collaboration with cooperatives.

  • Implementing standards like Decrees 88/2025 and 145/2025 to ensure quality, traceability, and certification of production zones

🤝 Conclusion

Experts and government officials agree: Vietnam’s path to sustainable success in fruit exports depends on:

• Elevating quality and processing standards

• Integrating modern technology and product branding

• Strengthening supply‑chain linkages for cooperatives, enterprises, and farmers

• Aggressively opening and securing access to demanding export markets

With unified efforts across agriculture, processing, and policy sectors, Vietnam is well-positioned for the next wave of billion‑dollar fruit exports—beyond durian.