Building a brand to increase the export value of Vietnamese fruits and vegetables

Need to invest heavily in deep processing

Entering 2025, the international trade context is posing significant challenges for the Vietnamese fruit and vegetable industry, as demonstrated by an 11% decline in export turnover to only 724 million USD in the first two months of the year.

Vietnamese dragon fruit is being promoted for export to many countries around the world. Illustrative photo

According to experts, the main reasons for this decline include the tightening of technical barriers by import markets, increased logistics costs and the negative impact of climate change on production. For example, in 2024, many export shipments were rejected due to failure to meet requirements on pesticide residues, traceability and plant quarantine. Meeting increasingly stringent technical standards is a prerequisite for Vietnamese fruits and vegetables to continue to compete in the international market.

Director of the Trade Promotion Agency (Ministry of Industry and Trade) Vu Ba Phu commented: Restructuring the fruit and vegetable industry towards improving quality and efficiency is an urgent requirement to ensure sustainable growth. Accordingly, standards such as GlobalGAP, VietGAP, HACCP and ISO 22000 need to be applied synchronously throughout the entire production chain, from cultivation, harvesting to preservation, processing and distribution. In particular, to export to the EU and the US, products need to meet strict regulations on plant quarantine and food safety.

Figures from the Import-Export Department (Ministry of Industry and Trade) also show that consumers in major markets are increasingly prioritizing organic and deeply processed fruit and vegetable products. This product line not only meets health needs but also creates great opportunities for the fruit and vegetable industry.

According to Nguyen Thanh Binh, Chairman of the Vietnam Fruit and Vegetable Association, the fruit and vegetable industry needs to change its production mindset, moving towards green and sustainable agriculture, applying biotechnology and organic farming solutions to ensure product quality. Enterprises should invest heavily in the production of juices, dried and frozen fruits and processed products from durian, passion fruit, and fresh coconut to help expand the market and improve competitiveness. At the same time, making the production process transparent through blockchain technology will help improve product reliability, creating a competitive advantage in the global market.

Lack of brand, value is not worthy

Many experts say that Vietnam is currently heavily dependent on the Chinese market, with more than 60% of its fruit and vegetable exports going to this market. In the context of China increasingly tightening import standards, this is a major risk for the agricultural sector.

Testing durian quality to meet export standards. Illustrative photo

Chairman of the Vietnam Fruit and Vegetable Association Nguyen Thanh Binh said that increasingly strict technical barriers are a common trend in the world. Vietnamese enterprises need to proactively adapt to maintain competitiveness.

MSc. Phung Thi Van Kieu - Institute for Strategy and Policy Research on Industry and Trade (Ministry of Industry and Trade) recommends that the Vietnam - EU Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA) opens up great opportunities with import taxes on many fruit and vegetable products to the EU reduced to 0%.

To take advantage of this, businesses need to invest heavily in post-harvest preservation technology and improve product quality to meet European market standards. Participating in international trade fairs and cooperating with major supermarket chains in the US, Japan and South Korea are also necessary strategies to diversify export markets.

Experts and managers also pointed out that, in addition to expanding the market, the Vietnamese fruit and vegetable industry needs to focus on developing its brand. Currently, many products are still exported as raw materials, without their own brands, leading to low value and dependence on importers.

Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Environment Hoang Trung noted that a product with a strong brand will help increase its value and expand its export market sustainably. To do this, businesses need to focus on investing in professional packaging and labels, while taking advantage of e-commerce and international communications to increase product recognition. When the Vietnamese fruit and vegetable brand is affirmed in the international market, the export value will increase sustainably.

Vietnam’s fruit and vegetable industry is facing great opportunities but also many challenges. To maintain growth and maintain its position in the global market, improving product quality, expanding markets, promoting deep processing, applying technology and building brands will be decisive factors.

In 2024, fruit and vegetable exports will make a leap forward, reaching 7.12 billion USD. With a large export potential, it is opening up a new development path for this industry to break through in the coming time, forecast to reach the 10 billion USD mark in 2027. This means that if fruits and vegetables join the "10 billion USD club", they will become Vietnam's main agricultural export group.

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