In 2024, a Vietnamese company exported thousands of containers of fresh whole durians to the massive Chinese market of over 1.4 billion people. But in the past six months, not a single shipment has crossed the border, due to a single long-standing issue that had already been warned about.

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Durian exports have dropped significantly since early 2025. Photo: MK

Sharp decline in durian exports

Discussing the current export situation, the general director of a major fruit export enterprise shared: “For nearly half a year now, our company hasn’t been able to export a single durian container to China.”

Speaking with VietNamNet, he explained that in 2024, the company exported thousands of containers of fresh whole durians to China. However, by early 2025, exports were halted when Chinese customs began inspecting 100% of incoming shipments for auramine O (a toxic yellow dye) and heavy metals.

“Durian is a high-value fruit. A single export container weighs between 16-18 tons and is worth billions of dong. If rejected, the losses would be enormous,” he noted.

His company’s clients are major Chinese supermarket chains, which enforce extremely strict food safety standards. Therefore, they had to suspend exports to standardize their processes and complete all necessary procedures to ensure goods would clear customs at the border.

Nguyen Van Manh, a durian trader in Can Tho, confirmed this year’s market is entirely different. Last year, he mainly bought durian for exporters to ship to China, and at times, even sky-high prices couldn’t secure enough supply.

This year, with exports to China blocked, Manh has been sourcing durians from farms only to sell domestically.

According to estimates from the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment, in the first four months of 2025, Vietnam exported 35,000 tons of durian worth between USD 120-130 million. In contrast, during the same period in 2024, exports to China alone reached 79,300 tons, worth nearly USD 370 million.

This sharp drop in durian exports to China has also driven down prices in domestic growing areas.

Worryingly, Vietnam has now entered the main durian harvest season (April to September), with an estimated output in the millions of tons. Finding an outlet for this billion-dollar crop has become a pressing problem.

Vietnam lacks a “filtering” system like Thailand

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Vietnam enters peak durian harvest season with output reaching millions of tons. Photo: MK

Dang Phuc Nguyen, General Secretary of the Vietnam Fruit and Vegetable Association, explained that at the end of last year, China detected auramine O, a potential carcinogen, in Thai durians. In response, China began screening 100% of durian imports from all countries for this substance and for heavy metals.

Thailand quickly collaborated with Chinese authorities to implement a control system. Just days later, China recognized Thai testing facilities for auramine O and cadmium (a heavy metal).

Thailand also rapidly built over 300 mini testing labs to inspect durians right at the orchards. This became the first “filtering” stage, serving as a reference for exporters to source compliant produce.

The second stage required exporters to submit their goods to China-recognized labs for a second round of testing before certification. As a result, although Chinese customs still inspected all Thai shipments at the border, violations were minimal.

Thanks to this, Thailand’s durian exports were soon subjected to only 30% border inspection instead of 100%, effectively placing them in the “green lane” for customs clearance, said Nguyen.

In Vietnam, the Department of Crop Production and Plant Protection under the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment reported the existence of 12 labs capable of testing cadmium and 9 labs for auramine O, located in Hanoi, Hai Phong, Da Nang, Ca Mau, Can Tho, and Ho Chi Minh City.

To date, all nine labs for auramine O testing in durian have been certified by Chinese authorities.

However, Nguyen pointed out that each durian export batch is sourced from many different farms, and test samples are taken randomly. As a result, even if certificates are obtained from approved labs, high violation rates still occur at border checks. This proves that a single round of testing is insufficient.

“To reduce inspection frequency at the border, the violation rate must be low. If customs find no violations over a period of time, they may waive checks and allow direct clearance,” Nguyen stressed.

Therefore, he recommended that Vietnamese authorities establish more thorough initial filtering steps. The country could follow Thailand’s example by licensing mini labs for on-site quality checks at orchards.

As the situation becomes more urgent with the durian peak season underway, Minister of Agriculture and Environment Do Duc Duy recently convened an emergency meeting to discuss solutions. In the short term, the ministry will coordinate closely with Chinese customs to address technical barriers hindering exports.

In addition, Vietnam is expediting the issuance of growing area codes, packaging facility approvals, and lab certifications for export purposes. The ministry is also fast-tracking the publication of phytosanitary procedures for durian to provide a foundation for evaluating export capacity and adjusting plans accordingly.

According to the Vietnam Fruit and Vegetable Association, at peak times last year, thousands of durian-laden container trucks lined up at border gates each day. Without a reduction in inspection frequency, durian exports in this year’s peak season will face serious obstacles, risking prolonged congestion.

Tam An