AsemconnectVietnam - The statistics figures from the Customs Department revealed a distinct divergence between export volume and value for Vietnamese tea during the first eight months of 2026.

The country’s total export volume reached 77,256 tonnes, a 9.82% decrease compared to the same period of 2025. However, a 9.18% rise in the average export price, reaching US$1,857.21 per tonne, meant that total export value dipped only slightly by 1.55%, totaling approximately US$143.48 million. This indicates that the quality and value-added nature of Vietnamese tea are improving, with price growth acting as a key factor in offsetting the decline in production volume.
The drop in total export volume was primarily driven by fluctuations in key markets. Pakistan, the largest market by volume, recorded a record decline of 60.82% in volume and 59.82% in value, falling to 11,902 tonnes and US$23.43 million. Similarly, the exports to Iraq, Indonesia, India, and China saw sharp volume declines of 54.69%, 32.98%, 32.25%, and 21.01%, respectively.
Conversely, some markets showed notable growth, such as the exports to the EVFTA region rose by 26.48% in volume and 69.96% in value (reaching US$1.9 million). Germany stood out as a particularly bright spot, with export volume surging 75.81% and value climbing 90.52%, driven by a remarkably high average price of US$5,723.94 per tonne. The US market also saw robust growth, with export volume rising by 21.94% and value increasing by 36.44% (reaching US$7.63 million). This breakthrough in these markets reflects the effective shift by Vietnamese enterprises toward high-quality and deeply processed tea products that meet stringent quality standards and leverage benefits from free trade agreements. Additionally, the exports to Russia rose by 22.59% in volume, while Turkey saw a massive volume surge of 272.04% and Saudi Arabia recorded a 13.99% increase, all showing promising growth driven by stable consumption demand and efforts to tap into niche markets.
Vietnam's tea exports are expected to continue the trend of "lower volume, higher value" during the final months of the year. Driven by the year-end holiday and Tet festival seasons in many countries, tea consumption demand in Western Europe, North America, and East Asia is projected to rise sharply. If the upward trend in prices and quality standards is maintained, the total export value for 2026 could well achieve positive growth compared to 2025. However, enterprises need to proactively diversify markets, boost deep processing, and improve food safety controls to offset declines in traditional markets.
Source: VITIC