Vietnamese lychees were already present in Thailand a few years ago, but this is the first time that the fruits are on sale at a major supermarket chain in the country.

This batch of Bac Giang lychees, exported to Thailand by Vifoco company, is sold at Gourmet Market stores, which specialise in food and household items.

Chairman of Vifoco Nguyen Xuan Viet said he is happy to be one of the pioneering firms to bring fresh lychees to Thai consumers.

He added that his company hopes to export from 1,000 – 2,000 tonnes of fresh lychee to Thailand next year.

At the Siam Paragon shopping mall, the lychees from Vietnam have attracted attention from many shoppers. Thitikorn, a local consumer, said in his opinion, Vietnamese lychees have thick flesh, are juicy and sweet, and prices are affordable, so they will be favoured by Thai people. Another shopper called Somsri Somta, said that she and her children tasted the Vietnamese lychees and liked them very much.

For his part, Somkiat Wongsakulchai, chief executive of Ekthai, which distributes Vietnamese lychees in Thailand, spoke highly of the fruit’s quality and stated that the company will expand the distribution of Vietnamese lychees to more branches next year.
He added that his company will also import mango from Vietnam next year.

Lychee is grown in many localities in Vietnam, mostly in the north, with Bac Giang province known as the country's lychee growing hub.

The province harvested 199,500 tonnes of lychee in 2022 and earned nearly 6.8 trillion VND (290.5 million USD) from lychee sales and support services, according to the provincial People’s Committee.

Bac Giang lychee has affirmed its brand and value in many countries and territories around the world with 75,900 tonnes shipped abroad, making up 38.1% of the accumulative sales./.