Spices, fruits, tea, coffee, and many of Vietnam’s key agricultural exports will be required to obtain confirmation letters from competent authorities before entering China.
According to a new announcement from the General Administration of Customs of China (GACC), 2,589 products across 20 agricultural categories must now obtain confirmation letters and complete enterprise registration in order to be exported to China. The list broadly covers fresh fruits and vegetables, tea, coffee, grains, seedlings, medicinal herbs, and plant-based spices such as dried chili, pepper, cinnamon, cardamom, and perilla leaves.
Authorities stated that the new requirement is not an import restriction but a tightening of documentation procedures. When carrying out import procedures, businesses must accurately declare the Chinese registration code of the foreign manufacturer on customs declarations. If a shipment contains multiple products, the registration code must be declared separately for each product and each related enterprise. The regulation will take effect on December 15, 2025.
According to the Vietnam SPS Office, the product list was developed based on quarantine risk assessments and aligns with international practices. China has also provided a public inquiry portal for businesses to check registration status and product information.
For Vietnamese enterprises—especially exporters of spices, fresh fruits, and tea, which are highly seasonal products—the new requirement means a comprehensive review of registration codes and legal documentation. Therefore, any errors or missing information in declarations could delay customs clearance and increase storage costs and quality risks.
As China continues to raise standards on quarantine and traceability, this move is seen as the next step in standardizing import management. For exporters, the challenge is no longer simply securing buyers. Instead, it is ensuring full and precise compliance with every technical requirement from the documentation stage onward.
Statistics from Vietnam’s customs authority show that total fruit and vegetable export turnover reached more than USD 8.56 billion for the year. This figure was up nearly 20% compared to 2024. China alone accounted for about USD 5.5 billion, representing more than 64% of total export value. It also served as the key driver of overall sector growth.
Compared to the previous year, fruit and vegetable exports to China increased by nearly 19%, equivalent to more than USD 870 million. This marked the highest growth ever recorded, both in absolute value and contribution ratio.
In 2025, processed fruit and vegetable exports surpassed the USD 2 billion mark for the first time ever, reaching a record high. According to data from the Vietnam Customs Department, this milestone reflects a clear shift from fresh produce to deep processing.
Specifically, export turnover of processed fruit and vegetables reached USD 2.06 billion, up 42.1% compared to 2024. This segment accounted for about 24% of total fruit and vegetable export value. This was significantly higher than the just-over-20% share recorded the previous year. Therefore, it highlights the increasingly important role of deep processing in the sector’s export structure.
Growth was driven by several high value-added products. Processed coconut generated USD 362 million, up nearly 57% year-on-year. Pistachios brought in approximately USD 361 million, up more than 64%. Meanwhile, almonds recorded nearly 80% growth, reaching USD 183 million. In addition, processed products made from passion fruit, mango, jackfruit, and longan all maintained double-digit growth rates. This reflects rising demand for convenient, easy-to-store products with stable quality.
This shift became particularly evident toward the end of the year. In December 2025 alone, processed fruit and vegetable exports reached USD 362 million. This figure was up more than 83% compared to the previous month and 75% higher than the same period in 2024. The sharp increase indicates that international markets are prioritizing products with lower quarantine risks, easier transportation, and compatibility with modern distribution systems. As a result, they are no longer relying heavily on fresh produce.
The strong performance of the processed segment is not a short-term phenomenon but is tied to long-term changes in consumer behavior. A survey by Amazon in the United States found that most Americans snack daily, and more than half replace main meals with snack foods. Fruits and vegetables are among the most popular choices. Therefore, this creates significant opportunities for healthy, agriculture-based snack products.
Seizing this trend, many Vietnamese companies have introduced dried fruits and other processed products onto global e-commerce platforms. Between 2021 and 2024, sales of Vietnamese fruit snacks on Amazon surged by more than 550%, while dried fruit sales rose over 250%. According to exporters, U.S. consumers are willing to pay premium prices for naturally dried products with no additives or added sugar. Consequently, this has pushed businesses to tighten control over raw materials and invest heavily in processing technology.
Meanwhile, fresh fruits, vegetables, and nuts still accounted for a large share, generating USD 6.05 billion in export turnover. However, their growth rate reached only nearly 14%, which was significantly lower than that of processed products. This development suggests that Vietnam’s fruit and vegetable exports are entering a new phase. In this phase, deep processing not only expands market access but also serves as a “buffer” against policy shifts, logistics disruptions, and increasingly stringent import standards.
The healthy consumption trend is also spreading globally. Citing a report by Future Market Insights, Vietnam’s Agency of Foreign Trade reported that the global dried fruit and vegetable market is projected to grow from USD 88.2 billion in 2025 to USD 192.2 billion by 2035. This represents an average annual growth rate of more than 8%.
According to the Vietnam Fruit and Vegetable Association, processed fruit and vegetable exports surpassing USD 2 billion for the first time is significant not only in terms of scale but also as evidence of effective investment in technology, product diversification, and value chain restructuring. This milestone is seen as an important foundation for the sector to gradually reduce reliance on raw exports. At the same time, it supports a transition toward more sustainable growth.