Of the figure, nearly US$380 million was used to buy vegetables, up 36.5% from last year, while more than US$980 million was spent on importing fruit, up 0.5% against the same period last year.

Thailand was the largest supplier of fruit and vegetables to Vietnam, accounting for 43.3% of total imports. China was second, making up 23.1% of imports.

Since the beginning of the year, imports of fruit and vegetables in most markets have grown, with the exception being Thailand. The US has enjoyed the strongest growth of 86%, trailed by the Republic of Korea (up 82%) and Chile (up 73%).

It’s noteworthy that despite being the largest supplier, imports from Thailand dropped more than 17.4% during the first nine months of this year.

In the opposite direction, Vietnam’s fruit and vegetable exports are estimated to be at US$3.3 billion in the first 10 months of 2018, up 15.5% from the first 10 months of 2017.