According to the South China Morning Post, Vietnam's durian exports to China surged by 500million(approximately3.48billionyuan)lastyear.Byaddressingearlyphytosanitaryissuesandleveragingitsgeographicaladvantages,thecountrysurpassedotherSoutheastAsiancompetitorsinthelucrativeChinesemarket.DatafromChinaCustomsshowsthatin2025,Vietnamexportedduriansworth3.44 billion (23.92 billion yuan) to China, a significant increase from the previous year's 2.94billion(about20.45billionyuan).Meanwhile,accordingtocustomsdatareleasedonJanuary20,Thailand,themainsupplier,sawitsmarketshareinChinadecline—its2025exportstoChinaremainedlargelyflatcomparedtothepreviousyear,totalingjustunder4 billion (about 27.82 billion yuan). Analysts noted that Vietnam's success stemmed from collaborating with the Chinese government to resolve quarantine issues and capitalizing on its shared land border and existing infrastructure for logistical advantages.

Vietnam was approved to export fresh durians to China in 2022. However, in early 2025, China's General Administration of Customs detected excessive levels of the organic compound Basic Yellow and cadmium in Vietnamese durians, prompting stricter inspections. Analysts suggest that if Vietnam can address these health and safety concerns, it could gain a competitive edge over other durian suppliers to China. The country boasts a growing network of growers, collectors, storage facilities, and transporters, along with a 1,280-kilometer land border with China—unlike Thailand, which does not share a direct land connection.

Lim Zhen Qi, an advisor at Malaysia's durian training institute "Durian Academy," noted that Vietnam's shorter shipping distance to China reduces logistics costs and transit times. He pointed out that despite stricter food safety checks, demand remained strong last year because Vietnamese durians offer "a better balance between price and supply stability" compared to those from Thailand and Malaysia.

"Before the inspection issues arose, Vietnam had already built significant export momentum," Lim analyzed. "China had earlier approved a large number of Vietnamese orchards and packaging facilities, enabling rapid scaling of exports. Even during temporary tightening of inspections, this expansion continued to drive overall export growth."