According to the Vietnam Coconut Association, the export of fresh coconuts from Vietnam has been formed and developed in the past 8-9 years, but it has grown very quickly, with the export value increasing tenfold.
From a low export value of 180 million USD in 2010, the coconut industry has made remarkable progress, reaching over 900 million USD in 2023 and officially surpassing the 1 billion USD mark in 2024.
Especially, from August 2024, the official export protocol between China and Vietnam has contributed to boosting Vietnam’s exports to conquer the Chinese market.
Currently, Vietnam accounts for 20% of China’s total coconut import value and is the third-largest supplier in this market. High demand but limited production capacity in China creates an opportunity for Vietnamese coconuts to enter this market deeply.
Coconut exports have been growing strongly.
Additionally, since August 2023, when the US officially opened its market for Vietnamese coconuts, exports have increased elevenfold in less than a year.
In the first two months of 2025, fresh coconut exports reached a value of 33.3 million USD, an 18% increase compared to the same period last year. Notably, the US market alone recorded an impressive growth rate of 46%. Experts forecast that coconut export turnover in 2025 could exceed 1.2 billion USD.
Besides fresh coconuts, processed coconut products exported to other countries are also showing a strong upward trend. Specifically, in the first two months of 2025, Vietnam provided 43.8 million USD worth of processed coconut products to many countries around the world, an increase of 86% compared to the same period in 2024.
With an area of nearly 200,000 hectares, at the beginning of 2024, the government approved a plan to make the coconut tree a key national industrial crop. There are two key coconut-growing regions: the Mekong Delta (175,000 ha) with notable provinces such as Ben Tre, Tra Vinh, and Tien Giang, and the South Central Coast, such as Ninh Thuan. 30% of the coconut area has been recognized as meeting VietGAP standards, and 30% have been assigned growing area codes.
Currently, Ben Tre is considered the heart of coconut in Vietnam. By the end of 2022, the total coconut area of the province exceeded 78,000 hectares, with an estimated total production of about 688 million per year. The purchase price of fresh coconuts in the Mekong Delta provinces has reached 180,000-210,000 VND per dozen. After adding transportation and sorting costs, the retail price can reach 25,000 VND for type 1 coconuts. Type 2 is priced between 140,000 and 170,000 VND per dozen.