Vietnam’s cashew exports in 2025 exceeded the 5-billion-dollar mark for the first time

Vietnam’s cashew exports in the final month of 2025 recorded a high level. This result pushed total exports for the year to surpass USD five billion for the first time.

The Ministry of Agriculture and Environment stated that, with the results achieved in 2025, Vietnamese cashew nuts have become the fourth agricultural product to record export turnover of over USD five billion in a single year. This places cashew nuts after fruits and vegetables, rice, and coffee in terms of export performance.

This year, due to a sharp decline in rice export value, Vietnam’s cashew exports rose to third place among agricultural export commodities. They are now behind coffee (USD 8.9 billion) and fruits and vegetables (USD 8.56 billion).

Vietnam’s cashew exports

Not only setting a new record in export value, Vietnam’s cashew exports in 2025 also reached a new record in volume, at 766,585 tons. This figure was up 5.7% compared with 2024. In 2025, Vietnam’s cashew industry imported more than 2.9 million tons of raw cashew nuts worth USD 4.5 billion. This generated a trade surplus of over USD 700 million.

Also in 2025, for the first time, China surpassed the United States to become the largest market for Vietnam’s cashew nuts. Export value to China reached USD 1.115 billion. The United States fell to second place with USD 975 million, while the Netherlands ranked third with USD 495 million.

Mr. Bach Khanh Nhut is the Vice Chairman of the Vietnam Cashew Association (VINACAS). He said that cashew nut exports to China are rising strongly due to the recovery of the Chinese economy. Other factors include the increasing demand for health-beneficial agricultural products. Additionally, Vietnamese enterprises have been proactively meeting Chinese partners’ requirements more effectively.

In contrast, Vietnam’s cashew exports to the United States have declined significantly. Explaining this trend, Mr. Nhut noted that since April 2025, many U.S. importers have temporarily halted cashew purchases. This followed the U.S. administration’s announcement of plans to impose reciprocal tariffs on trading partners.

Vietnamese broken cashew

They are concerned that when shipments arrive in the United States at the time the reciprocal tariffs take effect, it will be unclear what tariff rates will apply. This sentiment has had a considerable impact on Vietnam’s cashew exports to the U.S. market in recent times.

For more than a decade, the United States has consistently been the largest market for Vietnamese cashew nuts. It usually accounts for over 20% of total export volume, reaching nearly 27% in 2024. Therefore, the difficulties caused by reciprocal tariffs are expected to have a significant impact on cashew exports to this market.

In this context, exporting processed cashew products is also an important solution for Vietnam’s cashew industry. While reducing imports of cashew kernels, U.S. traders are increasing purchases of processed cashew products. The rise in U.S. imports of processed cashews is a noteworthy trend. It reflects a shift in consumer demand toward ready-to-eat products. Vietnam, India, Thailand, and Canada are the main suppliers of this product group to the United States.