Vietnam recorded a sharp rise in exports of agricultural, forestry and fishery products to China in January, with shipments increasing 66% year on year to US$1.5 billion, according to data released by the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment.
China remained Vietnam's largest market for these products, accounting for 23% of the sector's total export value of US$6.5 billion during the month. Overall shipments from the sector grew 29.5% compared with the same period last year, the ministry said.
Fruits were a key driver of the strong performance, with durian, banana, dragon fruit and jackfruit emerging as the top exports to China. Together, these items generated US$480 million in export revenue in January.
China also continued to dominate purchases of several key commodities, taking in 92.6% of Vietnam's cassava exports, 75% of rubber shipments and half of all cashew exports.
In the fisheries segment, China ranked as Vietnam's third-largest buyer, behind the United States and Japan, reflecting steady demand alongside traditional export markets.
The ministry noted that fruits and vegetables posted the fastest growth among all export categories, with shipments doubling to US$750 million. Exports of these products rose strongly not only to China, but also to markets such as the United States and Malaysia.
Cashew exports recorded the second-highest growth, climbing 70% year on year to US$434 million. Pepper followed with a 53% increase to US$133 million, highlighting broad-based growth across Vietnam's agricultural and food export portfolio at the start of the year.
