Transparency in registration numbers: A condition for retaining the largest market
In early November, Department of Investigation of Crimes related to Corruption, Economics, and Smuggling (C03 - Ministry of Public Security) issued a decision to prosecute 17 defendants involved in violations related to durian export activities. The prosecution of 17 defendants for buying and selling planting area registration numbers has attracted significant public attention because it is the first time a case of registration number fraud has been prosecuted. It also demonstrates the authorities' determination to transparentize the durian export process to China to protect the billion-dollar market.
Authorities' strong action shows their determination to improve the market and maintain the reputation of Vietnamese goods.
It's worth noting that warnings from China are not new. Thailand has also had a significant number of planting area registration numbers temporarily suspended. Their tightening is a natural reaction of a large market, not a challenge unique to Vietnam.
Standardizing value chain
With the current growth rate, in an interview with Industry and Trade Newspaper, Mr. Dang Phuc Nguyen - General Secretary of the Vietnam Fruit and Vegetable Association - stated that the target of exporting durian worth 3.5 billion USD in 2025 is entirely feasible. However, to go further, transparency must become the foundation, not just a trend. Accordingly, solutions to address violations are only the first step. To build a sustainable durian industry, it is necessary to establish a strict control system from source to end.
However, according to experts, current transparency of durian export origin still shows a core limitation: current monitoring mechanism does not cover the entire chain. Certification bodies only assess samples submitted and cannot control the entire shipment. If businesses "mix" goods from outside, all inspection mechanisms are considered ineffective. This explains why violations can persist for a long time.
Therefore, monitoring is not only about addressing violations when they occur, but about preventing them from the outset. To achieve this, the responsibility of each actor in the chain must be enhanced. Specifically, farmers need to proactively develop standardized planting area codes, keep electronic logs, and adhere to cultivation processes. Businesses must strictly comply with regulations, not seek to circumvent them or abet fraud. Certification bodies need to improve their professional capacity and ethical standards. Management agencies must have a system of periodic inspections, a unified database, and a rapid alert process.
In addition, to protect brand of Vietnamese durian for export, the Dak Lak Durian Association recently proposed three key solutions, fundamental to a modern production-export chain. These are: establishing a synchronized control chain with model planting areas, electronic logs, and input residue control; building an independent testing laboratory, taking random samples before packaging, and creating a "final checkpoint". Application of QR code-based traceability for each durian fruit helps to transparently track the entire journey from orchard to export.
These solutions not only aim to meet China's requirements but also pave the way for Vietnamese durian to reach other markets with impressive growth.
Ministry of Agriculture and Environment stated that the export value of fruits and vegetables in October 2025 reached US$961 million, a decrease compared to US$1.313 billion in September 2025, but still significantly higher than the same period in October 2024 (US$519 million). Overall, in the first 10 months of 2025, Vietnam's export value reached over US$7 billion, an increase of 15.1% compared to the same period in 2024 and nearly equal to the total export value for the whole year of 2024 (US$7.12 billion).
By the end of October 2025, durian exports had officially surpassed the record of $3.2 billion for the whole of 2024. Compared to the same period last year, the export value of this commodity increased by 12.3%, significantly higher than the $2.85 billion recorded in the first 10 months of 2024.
In 2026, durian exports are predicted to be even brighter as the global economy recovers and demand for many product categories increases, including agricultural products in general and durian in particular. In this context, durian has the opportunity to continue leading the fruit and vegetable industry, but only if the issue of planting area codes is strictly managed and completely "clean".
Recently, General Administration of Customs of China issued Decree 280, replacing Order 248, regulating the registration of imported food production facilities, effective from June 1, 2026. The continuous issuance of new regulations shows that the multi-billion dollar market is increasingly tightening regulations on imported agricultural products, including durian.
To continue to capitalize on this multi-billion dollar market, and in the long term to build a national brand in the global arena, besides continuously updating regulations from China, durians exported to China in particular, and to other countries in general, must be grown in clean growing areas with clean processes and absolute credibility.

Source: Vitic/ congthuong.vn