Exports maintain growth but are not uniform
According to Ministry of Agriculture and Environment, in the first four months of 2026, agricultural, forestry and aquatic product production continued to maintain stability, creating a foundation for domestic consumption, processing, and export.
In particular, crop production remained stable, with many fruit trees and perennial industrial crops showing considerable growth. Pig and poultry farming developed thanks to good disease control and market demand. Fisheries continued to grow, while forestry maintained its development momentum in both afforestation, forest protection and timber harvesting. Despite some localized difficulties, results of the first four months of the year show that the sector still ensures a relatively stable supply for the domestic and export markets.
In 2025, total export turnover of agricultural, forestry, and fishery products reached US$70.64 billion, an increase of 12.9% compared to the previous year. In the first four months of 2026, export turnover reached US$23.04 billion, an increase of 5.4% compared to the same period in 2025; imports reached US$17.65 billion, an increase of 12%; trade balance continued to maintain a surplus.
Regarding markets, Asia continues to be the largest export region, accounting for 44.1% of total export value. China, the United States and Japan are the three largest export markets for Vietnamese agricultural, forestry and aquatic products in the first four months of the year. Notably, exports to China increased by 28.8%, while exports to the United States decreased by 4.8%.
In terms of product groups, fruits and vegetables reached US$2.05 billion, an increase of 21.6%, with durian continuing to be a prominent growth driver. Seafood reached US$3.54 billion, an increase of 10.4%; pepper saw strong growth in both volume and value; cassava and cassava products increased significantly thanks to demand from China. Meanwhile, wood and wood products decreased by 1.1%; rice decreased in both volume and value; cashew nuts decreased slightly; and tea decreased in volume.
Focusing on improving quality and diversifying export markets
According to Ministry of Agriculture and Environment, current growth results are not truly uniform and still harbor elements of unsustainability. Some commodities experience growth mainly due to seasonal factors or localized recovery of global market, while many sectors still face significant pressure from prices, logistics, technical barriers and changes in import policies.
In particular, fact that some commodities like rice and coffee have increased in volume but decreased in value shows that growth model based on production volume and raw exports is revealing its limitations. In this context, the Ministry has determined that future growth must be based on quality, standards, branding, traceability, and added value rather than focusing solely on production volume.
The Ministry also warns of a series of challenges in the coming period, such as prolonged geopolitical conflicts impacting input cost fluctuations, increasing trade protectionism, and markets tightening green standards, traceability and emissions. Furthermore, many sectors still heavily depend on a few key markets, while production-processing-export chain remains weak.
According to targets set by Ministry of Agriculture and Environment, in 2026, exports of wood and wood products are expected to reach US$17.7 billion, an increase of 2.15% compared to 2025. Fruits and vegetables are expected to continue their high growth momentum with a turnover of approximately US$9.81 billion, an increase of 14.62%.
Exports of seafood are targeted to reach over US$12 billion, an increase of 6.63%; coffee US$9.64 billion, an increase of 8.03%; and cashew nuts US$5.42 billion, an increase of 3.65%. For other sectors, tea is expected to reach US$239 million, a slight increase of 0.42%; cassava and cassava products are estimated at US$1.34 billion, an increase of 6.3%. Livestock products are targeted for export revenue of approximately US$686 million, an increase of 7.69% compared to 2025.
To achieve the export target, Ministry of Agriculture and Environment has proposed several groups of solutions, from short-term to long-term, such as closely monitoring market developments, supporting businesses in coping with difficulties in logistics and credit, promoting focused trade promotion, and expanding into new markets. The Ministry also determined to continue restructuring the industry towards improving quality, increasing the proportion of deep processing, diversifying export markets, and effectively exploiting potential markets such as Halal, the Middle East, Africa and South America.

Source: Vitic/ congthuong.vn