Wood and forestry products 2025: trade surplus of nearly US$15 billion
In 2025, despite impact of international markets and climate change, Vietnam's forestry sector will maintain its growth momentum, completing and exceeding many key targets. Exports of wood and forestry products will reach US$18.5 billion, an increase of approximately 6.6% compared to 2024, affirming its position as a key export sector of agriculture and making a significant contribution to the economy.
According to Forestry and Forest Protection Department (Ministry of Agriculture and Environment), in 2025, wood and forestry products will have a trade surplus of nearly US$14.9 billion; Growth rate of forestry production value reached 5.6-5.8%, equivalent to 103% of the plan. Forest cover remained at 42.03%, number of forestry law violations decreased by 13.8% and area of forest fires and impacts decreased by over 10%.
Looking ahead to 2026, Mr. Nguyen Quoc Tri, Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Environment, stated that forestry sector aims to maintain a forest cover rate of approximately 42%, with forestry product exports reaching around US$18.5 billion; while simultaneously promoting development of large timber forests, applying science and technology, digital transformation and trade promotion. The focus will be on diversifying markets, reducing dependence on key market groups, building the "Vietnamese Wood" brand, and promoting forest environmental services and the carbon market.
Building on positive outlook for 2025, forestry sector is expected to continue increasing added value of Vietnamese forest products in the international market, aiming for sustainable development, efficient forest economics and making even greater contributions to green growth.
FTAs and market restructuring support seafood exports in 2025
2025 marks a challenging period for Vietnamese seafood exports, from US reciprocal tariffs, risk of anti-dumping duties on shrimp, rising production costs, to increasingly stringent technical barriers. However, despite these difficulties, seafood exports still recorded growth exceeding expectations. Total export value for the year reached over US$11.34 billion, a 13% increase compared to 2024.
This positive result stems from several factors. First, global economic and geopolitical instability has increased demand for food reserves in many countries, driving trend of importing seafood to mitigate risk of supply shortages and price fluctuations.
In addition, proactive and flexible approach of Vietnamese seafood business community has played a crucial role. Businesses have early identified sensitive timelines related to reciprocal duties, anti-dumping duties and US regulations, thereby adjusting market strategies, delivery plans and product structures to minimize adverse impacts.
Furthermore, Free Trade Agreements (FTAs) continue to play a crucial role as a "lever," helping Vietnamese seafood expand its market share in potential markets within CPTPP, EU and RCEP blocs, thus compensating for difficulties in some major markets. Amidst instability of US market policies and technical barriers, structure of Vietnam's seafood export market has undergone significant adjustments. CPTPP bloc continues to be a crucial growth driver thanks to tariff advantages and the stability of markets such as Japan, Canada, and Australia. For whole year of 2025, seafood exports to CPTPP countries are projected to reach US$3.07 billion, a 22% increase compared to 2024.
China and Hong Kong (China) have become the fastest-growing markets among key markets, with export value reaching US$2.45 billion, a 29% increase. Notably, demand for fresh seafood products such as lobster, crab, scallops and clams has increased sharply, demonstrating growing role of this region in Vietnam's seafood export structure.
For EU, export value in 2025 is projected to reach nearly US$1.2 billion, a 12.5% increase compared to the previous year. Demand in this market is gradually improving, with aquaculture having an advantage, while wild-caught seafood is still affected by the IUU yellow card.
It can be seen that CPTPP, China, Hong Kong (China) and EU are playing a pivotal role, providing important support for businesses in the context of the US market with many potential risks. Seafood exports to the US decreased by 45% in December, but overall for 2025, they are still projected to reach nearly $1.9 billion, a slight increase of 3% compared to 2024.
Regarding product structure, growth in 2025 is fairly balanced among key product groups, with shrimp continuing to play a leading role. Shrimp exports for the whole year are expected to reach $4.65 billion, an increase of 20%. Pangasius ranks second with a turnover of $2.19 billion, an increase of 8%. Other marine fish groups reached $2.16 billion, an increase of 12.2%. Squid and octopus exports reached $764.4 million, an increase of 16.3%, while tuna exports recorded a decline with $913 million, down 7.6%.
Milestone of over $11 billion reflects flexible adaptability of businesses, their timely utilization of market opportunities and stockpiling mentality amidst instability. Simultaneously, this is also a result of cyclical factors, as the market emerges from a deep downturn, supply tightens, leading to a recovery in prices and demand.
However, shifting the market and product structure is a long-term strategy, requiring more time to create sustainable change. In the coming period, US tariff policies and technical barriers may continue to make global seafood exports more cautious, while increasing competitive pressure in markets such as the EU, China, ASEAN and the Middle East. In particular, IUU yellow card remains a bottleneck that needs to be addressed soon to expand market opportunities in the EU and enhance reputation of Vietnamese seafood internationally.
Deep processing creates a boost: Vietnamese coffee enters a new phase
2025 marks a historic milestone for Vietnam's coffee industry as export turnover exceeds US$8 billion for the first time, becoming a prominent highlight in the agricultural export landscape.
According to Ministry of Agriculture and Environment, by end of 2025, Vietnam will export more than 1.5 million tons of coffee, reaching a value of US$8.6 billion, an increase of 16.9% in volume and a significant increase of 60.7% in value compared to 2024. This result is mainly due to export price of coffee remaining at a record high. On average throughout year, export price reached over US$5,600/tonne, at times nearly US$5,850/tonne.
Evaluating this result, Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Environment Hoang Trung stated that 2025 can be considered a historic milestone for Vietnam's coffee industry. Exports to key markets such as the European Union (EU) and the United States continue to drive growth. Simultaneously, many emerging markets like Algeria and Mexico have seen significant growth, expanding the potential for Vietnamese coffee exports in the future.
From a business perspective, Mr. Phan Minh Thong, Chairman of Board of Directors of Phuc Sinh Joint Stock Company, stated that by 2025, increasing proportion of deeply processed coffee products will significantly contribute to enhancing export value and gradually reducing dependence on raw coffee exports. Notably, the export value of processed coffee has reached the $1 billion mark for the first time.
According to Mr. Thong, shift from exporting quantity to exporting value not only enhances position of Vietnamese coffee in international market but also increases the profits of coffee growers by 2-3 times compared to previous years, creating a positive foundation for coffee industry to enter a new phase of sustainable and higher-value development.
Industry experts believe that with high export prices, expanding processing capacity and an increasingly diversified international market, Vietnam's coffee industry is closer than ever to achieving its target of $10 billion in export revenue. This achievement not only affirms dynamism of a key industry but also demonstrates Vietnam's strategic shift in global coffee value chain towards sustainable, responsible and environmentally friendly development in the era of the green economy.
Vietnamese fruits and vegetables are making a breakthrough, with export revenue reaching approximately $8.6 billion.
According to data from Ministry of Agriculture and Environment, total export revenue of fruits and vegetables in 2025 is estimated to reach $8.6 billion, an increase of 19.8% compared to 2024. This result far exceeds initial forecasts, reflecting stable growth and increasing competitiveness of Vietnamese fruits and vegetables in the international market.
This success is due to the coordinated efforts of ministries, departments, local governments, businesses, cooperatives, and farmers. Role of Ministry of Agriculture and Environment is particularly noteworthy, promoting the restructuring of production from fragmented and dispersed to concentrated and modern; developing key, high-quality products that meet market demands; and actively negotiating to open up export markets.
Mr. Dang Phuc Nguyen, General Secretary of Vietnam Fruit and Vegetable Association, predicts that by 2026, if current recovery momentum is maintained, fruit and vegetable export turnover is expected to reach 9-10 billion USD, an increase of approximately 10-15% compared to 2025. Key markets such as China, the United States and the EU are all showing positive signs, while businesses are increasingly adapting better to requirements regarding planting area codes, quality standards, and data traceability.
For durian, export value in 2026 is expected to exceed $4 billion, thanks to a 10-20% annual increase in area and production, creating a stable supply. Meanwhile, Thailand – a major competitor – is facing difficulties due to natural disasters and rising logistics costs, while Vietnam has advantage of its geographical location near China, facilitating road transport.
Not only China, but markets such as the United States and EU also recorded growth of 20-30% in 2025. Along with Ministry of Industry and Trade promoting signing of protocols with the Middle East, the Netherlands and several other markets, potential for expansion for durian and other fruits such as mangoes, passion fruit, jackfruit and bananas is considered very large.
To realize growth target, experts believe it is necessary to continue standardizing growing areas and raw material zones, ensuring the registration of growing areas and packaging facilities; Simultaneously, upgrading the data retrieval system and implementing complete electronic record-keeping is no longer an option but a mandatory requirement for export activities.
In addition, diversifying markets, reducing dependence on a single market, and increasing investment in processing and extending shelf life will be strategic directions, helping the fruit and vegetable industry develop more sustainably. With a shift in production mindset towards standards and close linkages between businesses and farmers, the target of 9-10 billion USD in fruit and vegetable export turnover by 2026 is considered entirely feasible.

Source: Vitic/ congthuong.vn