As Vietnam’s durian enters its peak harvest season from June to September, authorities are ramping up efforts to control quality in a bid to recover fruit exports to China – a market worth billions of US dollars.
In 2024, durian was a leading export among Vietnam’s fruits and vegetables, earning a record of 3.3 billion USD and accounting for 46% of the sector’s total export value. China was the largest market, importing 3.2 billion USD worth of durians, or 97% of the total.
However, in the first four months of 2025, durian exports dropped sharply to just 183 million USD, down 60.9% year-on-year. The decline has been largely attributed to stricter quality checks by Chinese authorities, particularly regarding pesticide residues and tighter enforcement of traceability requirements.
According to Nguyen Quang Hieu, Deputy Director of the Plant Protection Department under the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment, Vietnamese authorities acted swiftly after being notified by China in March 2024 about high cadmium levels in some shipments. The ministry launched extensive investigations and inspections in growing regions and sent a high-level delegation, led by Minister Do Duc Duy, to China to address the concerns.
In May, China’s General Administration of Customs officially updated its list to include 829 growing areas and 131 packaging facilities in Vietnam eligible to export durians.
Earlier, the Plant Protection Department had submitted dossiers for 1,604 growing areas and 314 packing facilities. After careful review, Chinese authorities removed some from the list.
The peak harvest season, from June through September, is considered a “golden” window for Vietnam to regain its dominant position in the fruit export market.
Dang Phuc Nguyen, General Secretary of the Vietnam Fruit and Vegetable Association, said that Vietnam can learn from Thailand's experience. When China detected excess cadmium levels in Thai durians, Thailand's authorities immediately conducted a comprehensive review of the entire production chain – from cultivation and care to harvesting and packaging – to identify and resolve the root cause.
Thanks to multilayered quality control, over 99% of Thai durians clear customs without any issues. Rigorous traceability from orchard to export is a key factor enabling swift and precise responses to problems, preventing them from escalating, Nguyen added.
Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Environment Phung Duc Tien stressed that the government is implementing robust measures to revive official durian exports this year. These include standardising and monitoring production, harvesting, plant quarantine, and export procedures. Authorities are also tightening control of cadmium levels and pesticide residues, as well as enhancing traceability from farms to packing houses using digital tracking systems.
He also noted that the ministry has directed the Plant Protection Department to strictly penalise fertiliser importers and distributors that violate safety regulations to ensure agricultural inputs meet international standards./.
