Connecting coffee exports to the Chinese market

For many years, China has been the largest market for many Vietnamese agricultural products. Economic and trade cooperation activities between Vietnam and China have maintained stable and sustainable growth.

In 2024, Vietnam will be the third largest coffee supplier to China (after Brazil and Colombia), reaching 24,100 tons, worth 100.6 million USD, up 65.8% in volume and 169.8% in value compared to 2023. Vietnam's coffee market share in China's total imports will increase from 9.44% in 2023 to 12.62% in 2024.

Deputy Director of the Honghe District Trade Bureau (Yunnan Province, China) Li Zhiguo (third from left) visits the coffee display booth of Dak Lak enterprises at the seminar connecting agricultural product exports between Dak Lak province and Honghe District.

At the seminar on connecting agricultural exports between Dak Lak province and Hong Ha district (Yunnan province, China) held on March 11, Mr. Ly Tri Quoc, Deputy Director of the Hong Ha district Trade Department, said that in recent years, Hong Ha has effectively implemented with Lao Cai, Lai Chau, and Dak Lak provinces in the fields of trade cooperation, cross-border logistics, and border clearance coordination; actively promoting the development of bilateral trade and investment between China and Vietnam. In 2024, Hong Ha district achieved an import-export turnover of 20.74 billion yuan (ranked 3rd in the province), of which trade with Vietnam reached 14.1 billion yuan (up 60.4%), accounting for 62.6% of total China-Vietnam trade in Yunnan.

Hong Ha District has three national border gates with Vietnam: Ha Khau road border gate, Ha Khau railway border gate and Kim Thuy Ha border gate. Currently, there are about 1,160 enterprises operating import and export activities through Ha Khau border gate. Of which, China has opened a "fast green channel" for agricultural products between Ha Khau border gate (China) and Lao Cai (Vietnam).

Honghe County is one of the regions with the most comprehensive open platform system, the most focused and preferential incentive policies in China. Currently, China and Vietnam are working hard to promote the construction of the Hekou (China) - Lao Cai (Vietnam) cross-border cooperation zone. Honghe County is also vigorously piloting the one-container, one-truck-to-door model and the smart cross-border logistics platform in cross-border transportation.

Specifically, implementing rail-road intermodal transport and rail-road-sea multimodal transport on the Chengdu - Chongqing - Kunming - Hekou - Lao Cai - Hanoi - Hai Phong route; establishing a continuous container transport route from Hekou (China) to Vietnam, Laos, Thailand; implementing uninterrupted multimodal transport. Thereby, reducing cross-border logistics costs by 15 - 20% compared to traditional methods...

Chinese enterprises learn about coffee products produced by Dak Lak enterprises at a seminar connecting agricultural product exports between Dak Lak province and Hong Ha district.

According to Chairman of Buon Ma Thuot Coffee Association Trinh Duc Minh, in the past 10 years, Vietnam's coffee development strategy has shifted from quantity to quality and Dak Lak is at the forefront.

From April 29 to May 5, 2025, in Mong Tu City (Hong Ha District, Yunnan Province), the first China-Vietnam International Coffee Festival will take place, with the participation of 14 leading coffee growing enterprises in Yunnan, processing and import-export enterprises from China and Vietnam.

Recently, the Association has also received a number of delegations from Chinese associations, especially the Shanghai Coffee Association, one of the major consumer markets, and has made initial connections. Hopefully, with the trade connections between Hong Ha Chau enterprises and Dak Lak enterprises, it will contribute to promoting business cooperation and expanding the consumption market for local quality agricultural products.

Dak Lak is the coffee “capital” of Vietnam, owning the Buon Ma Thuot Geographical Indication area with 107,000/212,000 hectares in the whole province with an output of about 300,000 - 350,000 tons. Currently, on the basis of the Buon Ma Thuot Coffee Geographical Indication, the province has developed a high-end segment that is growing strongly even in the Chinese market, which is specialty coffee. This is an important foundation to help local businesses develop and expand their international markets.

Currently, Dak Lak has nearly 11,000 operating enterprises and 936 enterprises with headquarters in other provinces registered to establish and operate as branches in the province. In recent years, the province's enterprises have grown very rapidly, increasingly integrating deeply with the world market, including the Chinese market in general and Yunnan province in particular. Expanding export markets, especially to the Chinese market - a major trading partner of Vietnam, will help increase product value, creating conditions for sustainable development for local agriculture.

Dak Lak and Chinese enterprises signed a memorandum of understanding on trade cooperation and a memorandum of understanding on product consumption.

Mr. Le Van Vuong, Director of Vuong Thanh Cong Production and Trading Company Limited (Buon Ma Thuot City) said that the company has successfully signed a commercial cooperation agreement and a memorandum of understanding on product consumption with enterprises in Yunnan province. This is an important step, not only expanding the consumption market but also affirming the brand's position in the international market. This cooperation promises to bring many development opportunities, contributing to increasing the value of Vietnamese agricultural products, especially Buon Ma Thuot Coffee - a brand that has affirmed its position on the world coffee map.

According to the Department of Industry and Trade of Dak Lak, within the framework of the seminar connecting agricultural exports between Dak Lak province and Hong Ha district, 9 minutes of trade cooperation and memorandums of understanding on product consumption between Vietnamese and Chinese enterprises were signed. This is one of the activities to effectively implement the policies of the two governments and the Ministry of Industry and Trade of Vietnam and the Ministry of Commerce of China on promoting the exchange of goods, increasing the value of two-way trade turnover between the two countries, especially coffee.

Minh Thuan - Tuyet Mai

Source: https://baodaklak.vn/tin-noi-bat/202503/ket-noi-xuat-khau-ca-phe-sang-thi-truong-trung-quoc-7421bb0/