Although tea exports have decreased in volume, Vietnam has now become the fifth-largest tea producer and exporter in the world, exporting to 74 countries and territories.
According to statistics from the Customs Department, in February 2025, Vietnam exported 7.66 thousand tons of tea, worth 11.91 million USD. This was a decrease of 21% in volume and 27.4% in value compared to January 2025. In the first two months of 2025, tea exports reached 17.33 thousand tons, worth 28.31 million USD, a decrease of 1.3% in volume and 2.6% in value compared to the same period in 2024.
Regarding export prices, in February 2025, the average export price of tea was 1,556 USD/ton, a decrease of 8.1% compared to January 2025 and 0.8% compared to February 2024. In the first two months of 2025, the average export price of tea was 1,633 USD/ton, a decrease of 1.3% compared to the same period in 2024.
Tea exports decreased both in volume and value.
The markets with increased tea export turnover in the past two months include Indonesia, China, India, and Saudi Arabia. Some key markets recorded a decrease, such as Pakistan, the US, or Malaysia.
In the first two months of 2025, Vietnam exported 5,215 tons of tea to Pakistan with a value of 9.6 million USD, a decrease of 4.8% in volume and 11.8% in value compared to the same period in 2024.
Although tea exports have decreased in volume, Vietnam has now become the fifth-largest tea producer and exporter in the world, exporting to 74 countries and territories.
According to experts and international consumers, the quality of Vietnamese tea products is on par with any tea-producing country in the world. Especially, many Vietnamese tea products are highly appreciated by customers, such as Moc Chau green tea, Thai Nguyen, Suoi Giang, Ha Giang, or Lam Dong Oolong.
Regarding the development of the tea industry, the Chairman of the Vietnam Tea Association said that the Vietnamese tea industry has been developing sustainably, with production following international certifications. Vietnam’s strength is that soil and climate are very suitable for the development of tea, with many regions producing specialty, high-quality tea such as Thai Nguyen, Son La, or Lam Dong. Especially, Vietnam also has nearly 20,000 hectares of wild Shan tea with many ancient Shan tea areas that are hundreds of years old.
However, the current average export price of tea from Vietnam is only about 65% of the world average price and much lower than the average export price of tea from India and Sri Lanka. The reason is that most of Vietnam’s tea exports are raw, simply packaged, without labels and brands. Besides, the promotion activities for Vietnamese tea are very limited.
To increase the export price of tea, experts believe that the tea industry needs to focus on developing high value-added tea products, deep processing, and high-end refined products used in the food, pharmaceutical, or cosmetic industries; continue investing in modern technology and equipment to enhance the quality of tea products.
The Ministry of Agriculture and Environment reported that the total area of tea nationwide is now about 122,000 hectares. It is forecast that Vietnam’s tea export volume will reach 156,000 tons by 2030, with an average annual increase of 0.83%, accounting for about 80% of the tea output. The main markets for Vietnamese tea products remain Pakistan, China, Russia, and Indonesia. The industry is shifting towards exporting high-quality tea products to the EU market.