Thai media have expressed concern that fresh Vietnamese durian will soon surpass Thai durian in the Chinese market, as Viet Nam's market share in that market has already reached nearly 50%.

Citing a report by HSBC Bank, Dai Nation (Thailand) stated that Viet Nam's durian exports to China could surpass Thailand's in the next few years, with Viet Nam taking only 3 years to capture 40% of the market share in this country.

Having started exporting durian through official channels to China in 2020, Viet Nam's durian export value to China is projected to reach US$3 billion by 2024. According to HSBC's assessment, within three years, Viet Nam's durian market share in the billion-person market has skyrocketed from 0% to 40%.

In this context, Thai media outlets have noted that the rapid market share gain of Vietnamese durian is threatening Thailand's position as the leading durian exporter to China.

According to the Ministry of Industry and Trade , data from the Chinese Customs Administration indicates that Thailand and Viet Nam are currently the two dominant sources of durian supply for the Chinese market. In the first 11 months of 2025, Thailand remained the largest exporter of fresh durian to China, earning $3.9 billion.

However, Thailand's market share of fresh durian in China has decreased, recording 50.39% compared to 52.04% in the same period of 2024.

Meanwhile, China is showing an increasing trend in durian imports from Viet Nam. In the first 11 months of 2025, Vietnamese durian exports to China reached US$3.2 billion, a 22.8% increase in volume compared to the same period in 2024. The proportion of fresh durian imported from Viet Nam in China also increased from 47% to 49.3%.

HSBC predicts that competition among ASEAN countries for the Chinese durian market will become even more intense, especially since Malaysia has recently been granted permission to export fresh durian to China.

Most recently, Laos has also been approved to export fresh durian to China. The South China Morning Post suggests that durian from Laos will fetch a better price, given the lower land and labor costs in the country, along with the fact that Laos has a railway line connecting its capital, Vientiane, to China.

Over 90% of all durian exports are consumed in China. Dubbed the "king of fruits," durian is popular among Chinese people and is used as a gift, sometimes even as a wedding present.

In this market, a durian weighing about 6kg can be sold for up to 200 yuan (over 700,000 VND).

Source: Tuoi Tre