Vietnam is the underdog threat to Thailand's durian dominion

With its geographical advantage, Vietnam has the potential to chip away at Thailand’s dominance in the Chinese durian market. But it needs to fix the quality of the produce before attaining the quantity

Van Anh, 22 May 2023

Thailand supplies about 90% of the Chinese durian demand; the slim rest comes from other Southeast Asian countries

After suffering pandemic losses, Vietnamese fruit exporters like Vina T&T and HAGL are waking up to the opportunity

Vietnam has geographical advantages, such as its direct border with China and an all-year season for the fruit to gain popularity there

If Vietnam manages to get more farms approved for export quickly while tapping into its potential, it can eventually eat into Thailand’s durian-export pie

Vietnamese fruit-export giant Hoang Anh Gia Lai Joint Stock Company (HAGL Agrico) ended 2022 on a sour note.

The company posted losses losses HAGL Agrico 2022 Annual Report Read more of 3.6 trillion dongs (US$152.4 million). On top of that, it received a delisting warning from the country’s Ho Chi Minh Stock Exchange because this was its third consecutive loss-making year.

The pandemic-induced border closures and logistics-cost surges had dealt a blow to the company, which is well-known for producing diversified tropical fruits such as banana, mango, and jackfruit, and having rubber farms in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia.

AUTHOR

Van Anh

Van Anh is a freelance journalist specialising in covering technology and the startup landscape in Vietnam. She was in charge of covering the sector for Vietnam Investment Review for four years.

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